Editing Central Valley (California)

{{Short description|Flat valley that dominates central California}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox valley
| name           = Central Valley
| other_name     = Great Central Valley, Great Valley, Golden Empire
| photo          = Californiacentralvalley.jpg
| photo_width    = 
| photo_caption  = Typical flat farmland of the Central Valley as seen from the air
| photo_alt      = 
| image_map      = California Central Valley.gif
| map_width      = 256
| map_alt        = 
| map_caption    = United States Geological Survey map of their defined four major regions of the Central Valley 
| label          = 
| label_position = 
| coordinates    = {{coord|37|N|120.3|W|display=inline,title}}<ref>{{cite gnis|id=252254|name=Central Valley}}</ref>
| location       = [[California]], United States
| elevation      = | elevation_m = | elevation_ft = 
| elevation_ref  = 
| direction      = 
| length         = {{convert|450|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| width          = {{convert|40|to|60|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| area           = {{convert|18000|mi2|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name=area/>
| depth          = {{convert|2000|to|6000|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| type           = Alluvial
| age            = 2–3 million years
| boundaries     = {{enum|[[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] (east)|[[Cascade Range]]|[[Klamath Mountains]] (north)|[[California Coast Ranges|Coast Range]]|[[San Francisco Bay]] (west)|[[Tehachapi Mountains]] (south)}}
| topo           = 
| towns          = {{enum|[[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]|[[Fresno, California|Fresno]]|[[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]]|[[Stockton, California|Stockton]]|[[Modesto, California|Modesto]]}}
| traversed      = {{enum|[[Interstate 5]]|[[Interstate 80]]|[[California State Route 99|State Route 99]]}}
| watercourses   = {{enum|[[Sacramento River]]|[[San Joaquin River]]|[[Kings River (California)|Kings River]]}}
}}

The '''Central Valley''' is a broad, elongated, flat [[valley]] that dominates the interior of [[California]], United States. It is {{cvt|40-60|mi|km|-1}} wide and runs approximately {{cvt|450|mi|km}} from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the [[Pacific coast]]. It covers approximately {{cvt|18000|mi2|km2}},<ref name=area>{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/explore/curriculum-collections/grace/grace-tracking-water-from-space/california-central-valley |title=California Central Valley|publisher=American Museum of Natural History |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029043744/http://www.amnh.org/explore/curriculum-collections/grace/grace-tracking-water-from-space/california-central-valley |archive-date=October 29, 2016}}</ref> about 11% of California's land area. The valley is bounded by the [[California Coast Ranges|Coast Ranges]] to the west and the [[Sierra Nevada]] to the east.

The Central Valley is a region known for its [[agricultural productivity]]. It provides a large share of the food produced in California, which provides more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=368934 |title=California's Central Valley: Producing America's Fruits and Vegetables |publisher=House Committee on Natural Resources|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623012337/http://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=368934 |archive-date=June 23, 2015|access-date=May 15, 2017}}</ref> More than {{convert|7000000|acre|km2}} of the valley are irrigated via reservoirs and canals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/?p=11261|title=Federal Agencies Release Data Showing California Central Valley Idle Farmland Doubling During Drought|website=landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov|date=October 21, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410112943/http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/?p=11261|archive-date=April 10, 2016}}</ref> The valley hosts many cities, including the state capital [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], as well as [[Redding, California|Redding]], [[Chico, California|Chico]], [[Stockton, California|Stockton]], [[Modesto, California|Modesto]], [[Merced, California|Merced]], [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], [[Visalia, California|Visalia]], [[Porterville, California|Porterville]], and [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]].

The Central Valley [[Drainage basin|watershed]] comprises {{convert|60000|mi2|km2}}, or over a third of California. It consists of three main drainage systems: the [[Sacramento Valley]] in the north, which receives over {{convert|20|in|mm}} of rain annually; the drier [[San Joaquin Valley]] in the south, and the [[Tulare Lake|Tulare Basin]] and its [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid desert]] climate at the southernmost end. The [[Sacramento River|Sacramento]] and [[San Joaquin River|San Joaquin]] river systems drain their respective valleys and meet to form the [[Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta]], a large expanse of interconnected [[canal]]s, [[stream bed]]s, [[Slough (hydrology)|slough]]s, [[marsh]]es and peat islands. The delta empties into [[San Francisco Bay]], and ultimately into the Pacific.<ref name=" every">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Bittman |title=Everyone Eats There |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/californias-central-valley-land-of-a-billion-vegetables.html |quote=Central Valley, which is two valleys: the San Joaquin to the south and Sacramento to the north. All told,&#91; sic&#93; the Central Valley is about 450 miles long, from Bakersfield up to Redding, and is 60 miles at its widest, between the Sierra Nevada to the east and the Coast Ranges to the west. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 10, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013012804/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/californias-central-valley-land-of-a-billion-vegetables.html?hp |archive-date=October 13, 2012  }}</ref> The waters of the Tulare Basin essentially never reach the ocean (with the exception of [[Kings River (California)|Kings River]] waters diverted northward for irrigation), though they are connected by man-made [[canal]]s to the San Joaquin.

The valley encompasses all or parts of 18 California counties: [[Butte County, California|Butte]], [[Colusa County, California|Colusa]], [[Glenn County, California|Glenn]], [[Fresno County, California|Fresno]], [[Kern County, California|Kern]], [[Kings County, California|Kings]], [[Madera County, California|Madera]], [[Merced County, California|Merced]], [[Placer County, California|Placer]], [[San Joaquin County, California|San Joaquin]], [[Sacramento County, California|Sacramento]], [[Shasta County, California|Shasta]], [[Stanislaus County, California|Stanislaus]], [[Sutter County, California|Sutter]], [[Tehama County, California|Tehama]], [[Tulare County, California|Tulare]], [[Yolo County, California|Yolo]] and [[Yuba County, California|Yuba]].<ref name=overview/> Given the Central Valley's high rates of [[poverty]], [[asthma]], and [[air pollution]], the Valley has struggled to transform its economy beyond its role as an agricultural breadbasket, and remains one of the poorest areas in the United States.<ref name=CentralValleyEconomicDesolation>{{cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/09/20/census-shows-central-valley-areas-among-poorest-in-nation/|title=Census shows Central Valley areas among poorest in nation|date=September 20, 2012 |publisher=Associated Press, in Mercury News|access-date=April 13, 2025}}</ref>
 
==Name==
Older names include "the Great Valley", a name still often seen in scientific references (notably [[Great Valley Sequence]]), as well as "Golden Empire", a [[Boosterism|booster]] name that is still referred to by some organizations (notably [[Golden Empire Transit]], [[Golden Empire Council]]).{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Ideas about what constitutes the "Central Valley" can vary from person-to-person. While almost all authoritative sources and external observers consider the [[Sacramento Valley]] to be part of the "Central Valley", many residents consider the Central Valley to consist of only the [[San Joaquin Valley]]. This is perhaps due to significant landscape and cultural differences between the two; the San Joaquin Valley is poorer and drier with more fertile soil, while the Sacramento Valley is wetter with poorer soils.<ref name="y033">{{cite book | last=Arax | first=M. | title=The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California | publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group | year=2020 | isbn=978-1-101-91019-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMLYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 | access-date=2024-07-20 | page=18}}</ref> The major presence of the [[Sacramento River]] and its [[tributaries]] in the Sacramento Valley, with its high year-round flow and wide waterways, has been compared to the small and seasonal rivers of the San Joaquin basin; this also contributes to different identities between the two regions.<ref name="y033"/>

==Population==
[[File:California Central Valley Aerial.jpg|thumb|The Central Valley from the air, looking south from near [[Rio Vista, California|Rio Vista]]]]

Subregions and their counties commonly associated with the valley include:<ref name="overview">{{cite web|access-date=July 27, 2009|archive-date=May 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503170012/http://www.library.ca.gov/CRB/97/09/|publisher=California State Library|title=A Statistical Tour of California's Great Central Valley|url=http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/97/09/|url-status=live|work=California Research Bureau}}</ref>
* North Sacramento Valley (all or parts of [[Shasta County, California|Shasta]], [[Tehama County, California|Tehama]], [[Glenn County, California|Glenn]], [[Butte County, California|Butte]] and [[Colusa County, California|Colusa]] counties)
* Sacramento Metropolitan area (all or parts of [[Sacramento County, California|Sacramento]], [[El Dorado County, California|El Dorado]], [[Sutter County, California|Sutter]], [[Yuba County, California|Yuba]], [[Yolo County, California|Yolo]] and [[Placer County, California|Placer]] counties)
* North San Joaquin (all or parts of [[San Joaquin County, California|San Joaquin]], [[Stanislaus County, California|Stanislaus]] and [[Merced County, California|Merced]] counties)
* South San Joaquin (all or parts of [[Madera County, California|Madera]], [[Fresno County, California|Fresno]], [[Kings County, California|Kings]], [[Tulare County, California|Tulare]] and [[Kern County, California|Kern]] counties)

The four main population centers in the Central Valley area are roughly equidistant from each other. From south to north, they are [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]], [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] and [[Redding, California|Redding]]. 

The table displays the counties of Central Valley and their respective population during the 2020 US Decennial Census.  Total jobs for each county is from the U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap Application and LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (Beginning of Quarter Employment, 2nd Quarter of 2002–2020).
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! County
! Population
! Jobs
|-
|Butte County
|211,632
|73,219
|-
|Colusa County
|21,839
|7,834
|-
|Fresno County
|1,008,654
|374,478
|-
|Glenn County
|28,917
|9,314
|-
|Kern County
|909,235
|282,227
|-
|Kings County
|152,486
|43,542
|-
|Madera County
|156,255
|49,285
|-
|Merced County
|281,202
|74,470
|-
|Placer County
|404,739
|166,372
|-
|Sacramento County
|1,585,055
|669,429
|-
|San Joaquin County
|779,233
|247,406
|-
|Shasta County
|182,155
|61,665
|-
|Stanislaus County
|552,878
|184,916
|-
|Sutter County
|99,633
|29,951
|-
|Tehama County
|65,829
|17,735
|-
|Tulare County
|473,117
|157,971
|-
|Yolo County
|216,403
|106,643
|-
|Yuba County
|81,575
|16,937
|}

===Metropolitan areas===
As of 2020, some 7.2&nbsp;million people lived in the Central Valley; it was the fastest-growing region in California.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/californias-central-valley-finds-itself-on-the-political-map |title=California's Central Valley Finds Itself on the Political Map |last=Jennings |first=Joanne Elgart |publisher=PBS Newshour |date=November 1, 2010 |access-date=January 23, 2018 |quote=About 6.5 million people live here, making it the state's fastest-growing region, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Between 1990 and 2009, the population here grew 44 percent (compared with 24 percent growth statewide). |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015148/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/californias-central-valley-finds-itself-on-the-political-map |archive-date=January 25, 2018  }}</ref> It includes 12 [[Metropolitan Statistical Areas]] (MSA) and 1 [[Micropolitan Statistical Areas|Micropolitan Statistical Area]] (μSA). Below, they are listed by MSA and μSA population. The largest city is [[Fresno, California|Fresno]] followed by the state capital [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]. The following metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are listed from largest to smallest:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! SMSA !!Population
|-
| [[Greater Sacramento|Sacramento Metropolitan Area]] ||2,527,123
|-
| [[Metropolitan Fresno|Fresno Metropolitan Area]] ||930,450
|-
| [[Kern County, California|Bakersfield Metropolitan Area]] ||839,361
|-
| [[San Joaquin County, California|Stockton Metropolitan Area]] ||696,214
|-
| [[Stanislaus County, California|Modesto Metropolitan Area]] ||518,522
|-
| [[Tulare County, California|Visalia–Porterville Metropolitan Area]] ||449,253
|-
| [[Merced County, California|Merced Metropolitan Area]] ||259,898
|-
| [[Butte County, California|Chico Metropolitan Area]] ||220,266
|-
| [[Shasta County, California|Redding Metropolitan Area]] ||177,774
|-
| [[Yuba City Metropolitan Statistical Area|Yuba City Metropolitan Area]] ||167,497
|-
| [[Kings County, California|Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Area]] ||153,765
|-
| [[Madera County, California|Madera Metropolitan Area]] ||152,925
|-
| [[Tehama County, California|Red Bluff Micropolitan Area]] ||63,601
|}

===Ethnography===
After English and [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] is the third most commonly spoken language in the Central Valley.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sewell |first=Summer |date=2021-02-08 |title='This has to end peacefully': California's Punjabi farmers rally behind India protests |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/08/california-indian-farmers-protest-sikh-punjab-yuba-city |access-date=2022-11-27 |work=[[The Guardian]] |quote=Community members have also raised funds to support billboards drawing attention to India’s protests throughout the Central Valley, where Punjabi is the third-most spoken language, after English and Spanish.}}</ref> The valley has the largest [[Sikhism in the United States|Sikh population in the nation]].

==Geology==
[[File:Interstate 5 Southbound near Derrick Ave.JPG|thumb|The valley as seen from [[Interstate 5 in California|Interstate 5]], looking south near Derrick Avenue in [[Fresno County, California|Fresno County]]]]
The flatness of the valley floor contrasts with the rugged hills or gentle mountains that are typical of most of California's terrain. The valley is thought to have originated below sea level as an offshore area depressed by [[subduction]] of the [[Farallon Plate]] into a trench farther offshore. The valley has no earthquake faults of its own but is surrounded by faults to the east and west.

[[File:I-5 between Tracy and Patterson CA.jpg|thumb|right|An example of the differences between the geology of the valley floor and that of the rugged hills of the Coast Ranges (Between Tracy and Patterson, CA:Interstate 5)]]
The valley was enclosed by the uplift of the [[Coast Ranges]], with its original outlet into [[Monterey Bay]]. Faulting moved the Coast Ranges, and a new outlet developed near what is now [[San Francisco Bay]]. Over the millennia, the valley filled with the sediments of these same ranges, as well as the rising [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] to the east; that filling eventually created an extraordinary flatness just barely above sea level. Before California's flood control and aqueduct system was built, annual snow melt turned much of the valley into an inland sea.

The one notable exception to the flat valley floor is [[Sutter Buttes]], the remnants of an extinct volcano just to the northwest of [[Yuba City, California|Yuba City]].

Another significant geologic feature of the Central Valley lies hidden beneath the delta. The [[Stockton Arch]] is an upwarping of the crust beneath the valley sediments that extends southwest to northeast across the valley.

The Central Valley lies within the California Trough physiographic section, which is part of the larger Pacific Border province, which in turn is part of the [[Geography of the United States Pacific Mountain System|Pacific Mountain System]].<ref name="USGS-Water">{{cite web | title = Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U. S. | publisher = U.S. Geological Survey | url = http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml | access-date = December 6, 2007 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071205095639/http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml | archive-date = December 5, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Benke |first1=Arthur C. |last2=Cushing |first2=Colbert E. |title=Rivers of North America |publisher=Academic Press |year=2005 |page=[https://archive.org/details/riversofnorthame0000unse/page/554 554] |isbn=0-12-088253-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/riversofnorthame0000unse/page/554 }}</ref>

Excessive groundwater pumping in Central Valley has caused measurable amounts of [[Central valley land subsidence|land subsidence in recent years]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=California's San Joaquin Valley is sinking at record-breaking rates, new study shows |url=https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/11/groundwater-pumping-drives-rapid-sinking-in-california |access-date=2025-01-11 |website=news.stanford.edu |language=en}}</ref>

==Environment==

[[File:Central Valley STS040-609-38.jpg|thumb|right|Central Valley seen from space]]
===Flora===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2024}}
The Central Valley was formerly a diverse expanse of grassland, containing areas of [[prairie]], desert grassland (at the southern end), [[oak savanna]], [[riparian forest]], [[marsh]], several types of seasonal [[vernal pool]]s, and large lakes such as now-dry [[Tulare Lake]] (once the largest [[freshwater lake]] west of the Mississippi), [[Buena Vista Lake]] and [[Kern Lake (Kern County)|Kern Lake]]. However, much of the Central Valley environment has been altered by human activity, including the introduction of [[exotic plant]]s, notably grasses. The valley's grasslands, wetlands, and riparian forests constitute the [[California Central Valley grasslands]], a [[temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]] [[ecoregion]]. The foothill oak woodlands and [[chaparral]] that fringe the valley have been categorized as the [[California interior chaparral and woodlands]] ecoregion.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=na0801 |name=California Central Valley grasslands|access-date=November 13, 2011}}</ref> 

The dominant grass of the valley was ''[[Nassella pulchra]]'' mixed with other species, but today only 1% of the grassland in the valley is intact. Grassland flowers include [[California poppy]] (''Eschscholzia californica''), [[lupin]]s, and purple owl's clover (''[[Castilleja exserta]]''), which can still be seen, especially in [[Antelope Valley]] in the [[Tehachapi Mountains]]. Riverside trees include willows, western sycamore (''[[Platanus racemosa]]''), box elder (''[[Acer negundo]]''), Fremont cottonwood (''[[Populus fremontii]]''), and the endemic valley oak (''[[Quercus lobata]]''). Another endemic species is brittlescale (''[[Atriplex depressa]]'') which grows in saline and alkali soils.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilken |first=Dieter H. |date=1993 |title=Treatment for ATRIPLEX depressa |url=https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment?3084,3089,3104 |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=University of California {{!}} Jepson Manual}}</ref>

===Fauna===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}
[[File:Sandhill crane in a flooded field in Butte County-1850.jpg|thumb|A [[sandhill crane]] (''Antigone canadensis'') in a flooded field in [[Butte County, California]]. On their wintering grounds in the Central Valley, sandhill cranes forage primarily on waste grain in corn, rice, and wheat fields.]]
The Central Valley was once home to large populations of [[pronghorn]] antelope (''Antilocapra americana''), [[elk]] including the endemic [[tule elk]] subspecies (''Cervus elaphus nannodes''), [[mule deer]] (''Odocoileus hemionus''), [[California ground squirrel]]s, [[gopher (animal)|gopher]]s, mice, hare, rabbits and [[kangaroo rat]]s, along with their predators including the [[San Joaquin kit fox]] (an endangered subspecies surviving on the San Joaquin Valley's hillsides). The valley's wetlands were an important habitat for wintering [[waterbirds]] and migrating birds of other kinds. Reptiles and amphibians of the valley include the endemic San Joaquin coachwhip snake (''[[Masticophis flagellum]] ruddocki''), [[Gambelia sila|blunt-nosed leopard lizard]] (''Gambelia sila''), [[Gilbert's skink]] (''Eumeces gilberti'') and the [[western aquatic garter snake]] (''Thamnophis couchii''). Endemic invertebrates are present. The Central Valley is home to endemic fish species, including the [[Sacramento pikeminnow]], [[Sacramento perch]], [[Sacramento blackfish]], and [[Sacramento splittail]].

===Protected areas===
The [[Great Valley Grasslands State Park]] preserves an example of the valley's [[:Category:Native grasses of California|native grass]] [[habitat]], while oak savanna habitats survive near [[Visalia, California|Visalia]]. Areas of wetland and riverside woodland are found in the north, especially by the Sacramento River system, including the [[Nature Conservancy]]'s [[Cosumnes River Preserve]] just south of Sacramento, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, [[Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area]], and other patches in the delta area. Remaining vernal pools include [[Pixley National Wildlife Refuge]] between [[Tulare, California]], and Bakersfield and Jepson Prairie Preserve in the delta. Large blocks of desert scrubland exist in the southern San Joaquin Valley and the [[Carrizo Plain]], just outside the valley, but offering a similar landscape.

The wetlands have been the target of rescue operations to restore areas replaced by agriculture.<ref>Philip Garone, ''The Fall and Rise of the Wetlands of California's Great Central Valley'' (University of California Press; 2011)</ref>

These patches of natural habitat are disconnected, which is particularly damaging for wildlife that is used to migrating along the rivers. Agriculture, grazing land, and the draining of lakes and rivers have radically altered valley habitats. Most of the grassland has been overtaken by new species; most vernal pools have been destroyed, leaving only those on the higher slopes; the marshland has been drained, and the riverbank woodlands have nearly all been affected.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

===Health===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2024}}
The valley gives its name to [[Coccidioidomycosis|Valley fever]], which is primarily a disease of the lungs that is common in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is caused by the [[fungus]] ''[[Coccidioides immitis]]'', which grows in soils in areas of low rainfall, high summer temperatures, and moderate winter temperatures. These fungal spores become airborne when the soil is disturbed by winds, construction, or farming. This illness frequently takes weeks or months to resolve. Occasionally Valley Fever is life-threatening or even fatal. 

Due to the agricultural industry's significant presence in the Valley, [[pesticide drift]] and leaching have become concerns. Residents risk contamination when living in proximity to application sites.

=== Air pollution ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2022}}
[[Air pollution]] is a growing problem that affects all of the citizens in the Central Valley. Some reasons of poor air pollution in the Central Valley are due to agriculture and its geographical features, increasing the stagnation of automobile and other particulate pollution.

Since the Central Valley consists mostly of farming land in a wide, flat valley, the emissions from the soil that is used for growing produce are released into the air. The soil exudes [[nitrous oxide]], an odorless and colorless gas that can be harmful when exposed to it for a long period of time, and incorporates itself into the ozone layer located at ground level.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Comm |first=Bren |date=2019-03-04 |title=The surprising driver of air pollution in the California Central Valley |url=https://www.brencomm.com/post/the-surprising-driver-of-air-pollution-in-the-california-central-valley |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=Bren Communication |language=en}}</ref> Production of nitrous oxide in California has shown that the addition of soil and [[fertilizer|fertilization]] can emit about 161,100 metric tons per year. Long term effects that nitrous oxide can have on a human being is loss of blood pressure, fainting, anemia, or lung cancer.

The physical geographical attributes can also contribute to the air pollution quality. The Central Valley is surrounded by mountain ranges which can capture the pollution coming from the agricultural farming, preventing it from dispersing from the other areas in California.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-09-28 |title=Why Does California's Central Valley Have Such Bad Air Pollution? |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-09-28/why-does-california-s-central-valley-have-such-bad-air-pollution |access-date=2022-12-20}}</ref>

==Climate==
[[File:1960- Groundwater loss - depletion - Central Valley of California.svg |thumb |Within a long period of groundwater depletion, short periods of recovery were mostly driven by extreme weather events that typically caused flooding and had  negative social, environmental and economic consequences.<ref name=NatureComms_20221219>{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Pang-Wei |last2=Famiglietti |first2=James S. |last3=Purdy |first3=Adam J. |last4=Adams |first4=Kyra H. |last5=McEvoy |first5=Avery L. |last6=Reager |first6=John T. |last7=Bindlish |first7=Rajat |last8=Wiese |first8=David N. |last9=David |first9=Cédric H. |last10=Rodell |first10=Matthew |display-authors=4 |title=Groundwater depletion in California's Central Valley accelerates during megadrought |journal=Nature Communications |date=19 December 2022 |volume=13 |issue=7825 |page=7825 |doi=10.1038/s41467-022-35582-x |pmid=36535940 |pmc=9763392 |bibcode=2022NatCo..13.7825L }} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230130223801/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35582-x/figures/4 Archive] of chart itself)</ref>]]The northern Central Valley has a hot [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa''); the more southerly parts in [[rainshadow]] zones are dry enough to be Mediterranean steppe or even low-latitude desert (''BWh'', as in areas around [[Bakersfield]]). It is very hot and dry during the summer and cool and damp in winter when frequent ground fog known regionally as "[[tule fog]]" can obscure vision. Summer daytime temperatures frequently surpass {{convert|100|°F|abbr=on}}, and common [[heat wave]]s might bring temperatures exceeding {{convert|115|°F|abbr=on}}. Mid-autumn to mid-spring is the ''rainy season''—although during the late summer, southeasterly winds can bring tropical thunderstorms, mainly in the southern half of the [[San Joaquin Valley]] but occasionally to the [[Sacramento Valley]]. The northern half of the Central Valley receives greater precipitation than the [[semidesert]] southern half. Frost occurs at times in the fall months, but snow is extremely rare.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-date=July 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721042030/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/CALIFORNIA.htm |publisher=.www.wrcc.dri.edu|title=Climate of California|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/CALIFORNIA.htm|url-status=live|work=Western Regional Climate Center}}</ref>

===Tule fog===
{{Main|Tule fog}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}
[[File:Dense Tule fog in Bakersfield, California.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tule fog]] in [[Kern County]]]]
[[Tule fog]] {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|uː|l|iː}} is a thick ground [[fog]] that settles along the valley's length. Tule fog forms during the late fall and winter (California's [[rain season|rainy season]]), after the first significant rainfall. The official season is from November 1 to March 31. This phenomenon is named after the valley's [[Tule|tule grass]] wetlands (''tulares''). Auto collisions caused by the tule fog are the leading cause of weather-related casualties in California.

===Statistics for selected cities===
{{Sacramento, California weatherbox}}
{{Fresno, California weatherbox}}

==Hydrography==
{{multiple images
| align     = top
| direction = vertical
| header    = 
| header_align = <!-- left/right/center -->
| header_background = 
| footer            = 
| footer_align = <!-- left/right/center -->
| footer_background = 
| width             = 
| background color  = 
| image1            = Sacramento River basin map.png
| width1            = 220
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = Sacramento River watershed
| image2            = San Joaquin River watershed.png
| width2            = 220
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = San Joaquin River watershed
|image3=Tularebasinmapnew-01.png
|width3=220
|caption3=Tulare Basin watershed
}}

Two river systems drain and define the two parts of the Central Valley. The [[Sacramento River]], along with its tributaries the [[Feather River]] and [[American River]], flows southwards through the Sacramento Valley for about {{convert|447|mi|km|}}.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-date=August 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813040059/http://ca.water.usgs.gov/sac_nawqa/study_description.html |publisher=ca.water.usgs.gov|title=Sacramento River Basin National Water Quality Assessment Program: Study Unit Description|url=http://ca.water.usgs.gov/sac_nawqa/study_description.html|url-status=live|work=[[United States Geological Survey]]}}</ref> In the San Joaquin Valley, the [[San Joaquin River]] flows roughly northwest for {{convert|365|mi|km|}}, picking up tributaries such as the [[Merced River]], [[Tuolumne River]], [[Stanislaus River]] and [[Mokelumne River]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-date=July 9, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709011907/http://www.nrdc.org/water/conservation/sanjoaquin.asp|date=September 17, 2007 |publisher=www.nrdc.org|title=Restoring the San Joaquin River: Following an 18-year legal battle, a great California river once given up for dead is on the verge of a comeback|url=http://www.nrdc.org/water/conservation/sanjoaquin.asp|url-status=live|work=Natural Resources Defense Council}}</ref> The Central Valley [[Drainage basin|watershed]] encompasses over a third of California at {{convert|60000|mi2|km2|}}, with 46&nbsp;percent draining into the Sacramento River, 26&nbsp;percent into the San Joaquin, and 27&nbsp;percent into Tulare Lake.

In the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley, the [[alluvial fan]] of the [[Kings River (California)|Kings River]] and another from Coast Ranges streams have created a divide. The dry Tulare basin of the Central Valley receives flow from four major Sierra Nevada rivers, the Kings, [[Kaweah River|Kaweah]], [[Tule River|Tule]], and [[Kern River|Kern]]. This basin, usually [[endorheic]], formerly filled during snowmelt and spilled out into the San Joaquin River. Called [[Tulare Lake]], it is usually dry because the rivers feeding it have been diverted for agricultural purposes.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-date=February 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219075308/http://www.tularehistoricalmuseum.org/Articles/tularelake.htm|first=Ellen|last=Gorelick|publisher=www.tularehistoricalmueseum.org|title=Tulare Lake|url=http://www.tularehistoricalmuseum.org/Articles/tularelake.htm|work=Tulare Historical Museum}}</ref>

Central Valley rivers converge in the [[Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta]], a network of marshy channels, distributaries, and sloughs that wind around islands mainly used for agriculture. There the rivers merge with tidewater, and eventually reach the ocean after passing through [[Suisun Bay]], [[San Pablo Bay]], upper [[San Francisco Bay]], and finally the [[Golden Gate]]. Many of the islands lie below sea level because of intensive agriculture, and face a high risk of flooding, which would allow salt water to rush back into the delta, especially when too little fresh water is flowing in from the Valley.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-date=July 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710224624/http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs00500/pdf/fs00500.pdf |publisher=ca.water.usgs.gov|title=Delta Subsidence in California: The sinking heart of the State|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs00500/pdf/fs00500.pdf|url-status=live|work=[[United States Geological Survey]]}}</ref>

The Sacramento River carries far more water than the San Joaquin, with an estimated {{convert|22|e6acre.ft|km3}} of virgin annual runoff, as compared to the San Joaquin's approximately {{convert|6|e6acre.ft|km3}}. Intensive agricultural and municipal water consumption decreased the rate of outflow to about {{convert|17|e6acre.ft|km3}} for the Sacramento and {{convert|3|e6acre.ft|km3}} for the San Joaquin. These figures vary widely from year to year. Over 25&nbsp;million people, living in the valley and other regions of the state, rely on the water carried by these rivers.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-date=January 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117045520/http://www.americanrivers.org/our-work/protecting-rivers/endangered-rivers/sac-san-joaquin.html|publisher=America's Most Endangered Rivers Report: 2009 Edition|title=Sacramento-San Joaquin River System, California|url=http://www.americanrivers.org/our-work/protecting-rivers/endangered-rivers/sac-san-joaquin.html|url-status=dead|work=American Rivers}}</ref>

===River engineering===
Sierra Nevada runoff provides one of California's largest water resources. The Sacramento River is the second largest river to empty into the Pacific from the [[contiguous United States]], behind only the [[Columbia River]] and greater than the [[Colorado River]].<ref>The Columbia is the largest, with an average discharge of {{convert|265000|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}. The Sacramento comes next with a flow of {{convert|30215|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}, and even though Colorado is much longer, its discharge is only about {{convert|10000|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}} to {{convert|22000|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}} (that is before diversions started; the river is currently dry at the mouth). Other significant rivers include the Klamath {{convert|17010|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}, Skagit {{convert|16598|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}, Snohomish {{convert|13900|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}, and San Joaquin {{convert|10397|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}.</ref> Combined with the fertile and expansive area of the Central Valley's floor, the Central Valley is ideal for agriculture.<ref>{{Cite news
 |url        = https://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/nov/central_valley/
 |title       = California's Central Valley
 |publisher   = National Public Radio
 |date        = November 11, 2002 <!-- to 14 -->
 |access-date  = May 27, 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101016064558/http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/nov/central_valley/
 |archive-date = October 16, 2010 
}}</ref>

The Central Valley is one of the United States' most productive growing regions. This is made possible by engineering the watercourses to prevent flooding during the spring snowmelt and drying up in the summer and autumn.<ref name="CVPhist">{{cite web|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=May 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527101033/http://www.usbr.gov/history/cvpintro.html |first=Eric A.|last=Stene|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Reclamation|title=The Central Valley Project: Introduction|url=http://www.usbr.gov/history/cvpintro.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many dams, including [[Shasta Dam]], [[Oroville Dam]], [[Folsom Dam]], [[New Melones Dam]], [[Don Pedro Dam]], [[Hetch Hetchy dam|Hetch Hetchy Dam]], [[Friant Dam]], [[Pine Flat Dam]] and [[Isabella Dam]], were constructed on the rivers, with many of them being part of the [[Central Valley Project]].<ref name=" CVPhist"/> These dams impact physical, economic, cultural, and ecological resources: for example, enabling the development of its vast agricultural resources but leading to the loss of the [[Chinook salmon]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=May 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527112900/http://www.science.calwater.ca.gov/pdf/eco_restor_all_salmon.pdf |publisher=CALFED Bay-Delta Program|title=Ecosystem Restoration: Systemwide Central Valley Chinook Salmon|url=http://science.calwater.ca.gov/pdf/eco_restor_all_salmon.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Post-World War II demand for urban development, most notably the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] and the [[Los Angeles]]/[[Inland Empire (California)|Inland Empire]]/[[San Diego]], required water resources. Moreover, agriculture in the southern Central Valley required far more water than was available locally. The [[Feather River]] in the Sacramento Valley was looked to as a water source, leading to the [[California State Water Project]]. This transports water to the southern San Joaquin Valley and urban areas south of the Tehachapi Mountains.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=May 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527114034/http://www.water.ca.gov/swp/|date=April 15, 2009 |publisher=California Department of Water Resources|title=California State Water Project Overview|url=http://www.water.ca.gov/swp/|url-status=live|work=California State Water Project}}</ref>

Runoff from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers is intercepted in the delta through a series of pumps that divert water into the [[California Aqueduct]], which runs south along the length of the San Joaquin Valley.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=September 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901034636/http://www.water.ca.gov/swp/swptoday.cfm|date=July 18, 2008 |publisher=California Department of Water Resources|title=California State Water Project Today|url=http://www.water.ca.gov/swp/swptoday.cfm|url-status=dead|work=California State Water Project}}</ref> In parallel, pumps divert water into the [[Delta–Mendota Canal]]. The flow of the Sacramento River is further supplemented by a tunnel from the [[Trinity River (California)|Trinity River]] (a tributary of the [[Klamath River]], northwest of the Sacramento Valley) near [[Redding, California|Redding]].<ref>{{Cite news
 |last        = Anderson
 |first       = David
 |url         = http://sunnyfortuna.com/explore/trinity_diversion.htm
 |title       = A temporary diversion
 |work        = Times-Standard
 |date        = July 4, 1999
 |access-date  = May 27, 2010
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100103225736/http://sunnyfortuna.com/explore/trinity_diversion.htm
 |archive-date = January 3, 2010
}}</ref> Cities of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], also needing water, built aqueducts from the [[Mokelumne River]] and [[Tuolumne River]] that run east to west across the middle part of the Central Valley.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=January 10, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130110152429/http://aquafornia.com/where-does-californias-water-come-from/the-hetch-hetchy-aqueduct|date=August 19, 2008 |publisher=Aquafornia|title=The Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct|url=http://aquafornia.com/where-does-californias-water-come-from/the-hetch-hetchy-aqueduct|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=January 10, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130110155639/http://aquafornia.com/where-does-californias-water-come-from/the-mokelumne-east-bay-aqueduct|date=August 19, 2008 |publisher=Aquafornia|title=Mokelumne Aqueduct|url=http://aquafornia.com/where-does-californias-water-come-from/the-mokelumne-east-bay-aqueduct|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Flooding===
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2017}}
{{See also|ARkStorm}}
Most valley lowlands are prone to flooding, especially in the old [[Tulare Lake]], [[Buena Vista Lake]], and [[Kern Lake (Kern County)|Kern Lake]] rivers. The [[Kings River (California)|Kings]], [[Kaweah River|Kaweah]], [[Tule River|Tule]] and [[Kern River|Kern]] rivers originally flowed into these seasonal lakes, which would expand each spring to flood large parts of the southern San Joaquin Valley. Farms, towns, and infrastructure in these lakebeds are protected with levee systems, while the risk of floods damaging properties increased greatly.

The [[Great Flood of 1862#Central Valley|Great Flood of 1862]] was the valley's worst flood in recorded history, flooding most of the valley and putting some places as much as {{convert|20|ft}} under water.

In 2003, it was determined that Sacramento had both the least protection against and nearly the highest risk of flooding. Congress then granted a $220&nbsp;million loan for upgrades in Sacramento County.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-705251/Sacramento-flood-protection.html|title=Sacramento Flood Protection|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809012610/http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-705251/Sacramento-flood-protection.html|archive-date=August 9, 2011}}</ref> Other counties in the valley that often face flooding are [[Yuba County, CA|Yuba]], [[Stanislaus County, CA|Stanislaus]], and [[San Joaquin County, CA|San Joaquin]].

=== Landslides ===
There is a very strong positive correlation between rainfall and slow-moving [[landslide]]s in Northern California, especially in the Central Valley region. Changes in climate and precipitation levels have shown that consistent average rainfall has increased the number and intensity of landslides within the past 5–6 years. This information was shown in a study that focused on the behavior of these slow-moving landslides and how their nature changed with years of extreme average rainfall versus minimal average rainfall. In 2016, the average annual precipitation levels were lower because of a drought that was coming to an end at that time. The minimal rainfall in that year showed that 119 landslides had been moving. Comparatively, in 2017, there were very extreme levels of precipitation in the Central Valley, which cause 312 landslides to move that year.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Handwerger|first1=Alexander L.|last2=Fielding|first2=Eric J.|last3=Huang|first3=Mong-Han|last4=Bennett|first4=Georgina L.|last5=Liang|first5=Cunren|last6=Schulz|first6=William H.|date=2019|title=Widespread Initiation, Reactivation, and Acceleration of Landslides in the Northern California Coast Ranges due to Extreme Rainfall|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019JF005035|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface|language=en|volume=124|issue=7|pages=1782–1797|doi=10.1029/2019JF005035|bibcode=2019JGRF..124.1782H|hdl=10871/39639 |s2cid=197567643|issn=2169-9011|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Slow-moving landslides are impacted even if the intensity of the rainfall is not as severe.

Consistent, moderately intense rainfall increases the saturation of water in the ground. This over-saturation is what causes the movement of a slow-moving landslide, rather than the more quick-moving and rigorous landslides that also occur in this region of California. Quick-moving landslides are caused by very intense rain, or sometimes earthquakes, that make a greater difference in the land in a shorter amount of time. According to a survey paper written in 1988 about a storm that occurred in 1982 in the Central Valley region, rainstorms that can cause that type of landslide to happen about every 5 years. Landslides to higher degrees, such as the ones that happened due to the 1982 storm, only occur every 20 to 100+ years. This intense storm in the San Francisco Bay area caused a lot of damage as a result of moving debris and landslides. They caused damage to the land and put people living in these areas that are susceptible to these disasters in great harm. The aftermath of this storm involved millions of dollars in retributions to restore the land and surrounding areas. It also led people to make greater efforts into planning around the danger of these landslides, as in how to manipulate the land to accommodate the consequences.

=== Droughts ===

{{See also|Climate change in California}}

Out of the past twenty-two years,{{When|date=May 2024|reason=This section has significant problems}} California has experienced significant drought conditions for thirteen years. From 2000 to 2018 was the second driest period that California has ever experienced. The driest three-year period ever in California was from 2012 to 2014. Three-quarters of the state of California is experiencing extreme drought conditions. There are also multiple types of droughts such as agricultural droughts, meteorological droughts, snow droughts, and hydrological droughts. All of these droughts affect California in different ways. Droughts can damage forests and can cause wildfires. Droughts cause forests to become dry which causes trees to die. Dead trees result in wildfires. The U.S. drought monitor is released every Thursday, showing which parts of the U.S. are in a drought. It started in 2000, and since then the longest duration of a drought in California lasted a total of 376 weeks. It started on December 11, 2011, and ended on March 5, 2019. The most intense period captured on the drought monitor was on the week of July 29, 2014. It showed that 58.41% of California's land was affected by a drought. In 2014–2015, farm-related losses in California totaled $5&nbsp;billion and 20,000 farmers also lost their jobs.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

==Economy==
Agriculture is the primary industry in most of the Central Valley. A notable exception is the Sacramento area, which hosts a large and stable workforce of government employees. Despite state hiring cutbacks and the closure of several military bases, Sacramento's economy has continued to expand and diversify and now more closely resembles that of the San Francisco Bay Area. Primary sources of population growth are Bay Area migrants seeking lower housing costs, augmented by immigration from Asia, Central America, Mexico, Ukraine, and the rest of the former Soviet Union.<ref name=overview/> The Central Valley's high rates of [[poverty]], [[asthma]], and [[air pollution]], have impeded the Valley from transforming its economy into relevance beyond its role as an agricultural breadbasket.<ref name=CentralValleyEconomicDesolation/>

===Agriculture===
[[File:Crop fields in the United States.webp|thumb|Crop fields in the United States]]
The Central Valley is one of the world's most productive agricultural regions.{{r|FB 2019-08-30}}<ref name=every/> More than 230 crops are grown there.<ref name=every/> On less than 1 percent of the total farmland in the United States, the Central Valley produces 8 percent of the nation's agricultural output by value: US$43.5 billion in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics/pdfs/2013/finaldraft2012-2013.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-03-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619060334/https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/PDFs/2013/FinalDraft2012-2013.pdf |archive-date=June 19, 2016 }}</ref> California's farms and ranches earned almost $50&nbsp;billion in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics/#|title=CDFA - Statistics|website=www.ca.ca.gov}}</ref> The valley's productivity relies on irrigation from surface water and [[Overdrafting|badly depleted underground aquifers]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wiltermuth|first=Joy|date=November 2, 2021|title=What California's fading cotton crop in favor of almonds reveals about premium farmland and a warming planet|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-californias-fading-cotton-crop-in-favor-of-almonds-reveals-about-premium-farmland-and-a-warming-planet-11635862203|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-04|website=MarketWatch|language=EN-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102143921/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-californias-fading-cotton-crop-in-favor-of-almonds-reveals-about-premium-farmland-and-a-warming-planet-11635862203 |archive-date=November 2, 2021 }}</ref> About one-sixth of the US' irrigated land is in the Central Valley.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Reilly |first=Thomas E. | title=Ground-Water Availability in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1323 | page=84 | publisher=U.S. Geological Survey | location=Denver, CO | year=2008 | isbn= 978-1-4113-2183-0}}</ref>

Virtually all non-tropical crops are grown in the Central Valley, which is the primary source for produce throughout the United States, including tomatoes, grapes, cotton, apricots, and asparagus.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Pollan|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Pollan|date=December 16, 2007|title=Our Decrepit Food Factories|url=http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/our-decrepit-food-factories/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118073604/http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/our-decrepit-food-factories/|archive-date=November 18, 2011|access-date=November 13, 2011|magazine=The New York Times magazine}}</ref> Six thousand [[almond]] growers produced more than {{convert|600|e6lb|e6kg}} in 2000, about 70 percent of the world's supply and nearly 100 percent of domestic production.<ref>{{Cite news |title=California's Central Valley. Where the Mountains Are Almonds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/06/dining/national-origins-california-s-central-valley-where-the-mountains-are-almonds.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |quote= The state's 6,000 growers produce more than 600 million pounds a year, more than 70 percent of the world's supply and virtually 100 percent of domestic production. |date=September 6, 2000 |access-date=December 16, 2008 |first=Todd S. |last=Purdum}}</ref><ref name=FAOSTAT>{{cite web |url=http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/Q/QC/E |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Statistics Division, FAOSTAT |title=Production/Crops for almonds with shell |format=database |date=2013 |access-date=December 22, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122053717/http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/Q/QC/E |archive-date=November 22, 2016 }}</ref>

The US' top four counties in agricultural sales are in the Central Valley (2007 Data).<ref name=" overview" /><ref>{{cite web |first=Timothy S. |last=Parker |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=00#.VBmjifldXzg |title=United States Fact Sheet: US agriculture income population food education employment unemployment federal funds farms top commodities exports counties financial indicators poverty food security farm income Rural Nonmetro Urban Metropolitan America USDA organic Census of Agriculture |publisher=Ers.usda.gov |date=October 27, 2011 |access-date=November 13, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626232232/http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=00#.VBmjifldXzg |archive-date=June 26, 2012 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! County !! Sales
|-
| Fresno County ||$3.731B
|-
| Tulare County || $3.335B
|-
| Kern County 
|$3.204B
|-
| Merced County || $2.330B 
|}

Early farming was concentrated close to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where the water table was high year-round and water transport was readily available. Subsequent irrigation projects brought many more parts of the valley into productive use.<ref>{{cite journal|title=They Rule the Valley: The Story of How Large Central Valley Landholders Became the Primary Beneficiaries of the Central Valley Project|last=Flores|first=Christina|date=March 1, 2011|publisher=UC Berkeley|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7s79r340}}</ref> The even larger [[California State Water Project]] was formed in the 1950s and construction continued over the following decades.

===National Farmworkers Association (NFWA)===
In the 1960s, farm labor leaders [[Cesar Chavez]] and [[Dolores Huerta]] organized [[Mexican American]] grape pickers into a [[trade union|union]], the [[National Farmworkers Association]] (NFWA), to improve their working conditions. This organizing took place primarily in the Central Valley because of the extensive agriculture, especially in and around [[Delano, California|Delano]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pawel |first=Miriam |title=The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography |publisher=Bloomsbury Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-1608197101 |language=English}}{{pageneeded|date=March 2025}}</ref>

==Utilities==
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}
The state water project's [[Oroville Dam]] in the Sacramento Valley provides water and power for the [[California Aqueduct]] in the San Joaquin Valley. The aqueduct runs from Clifton Court Forebay in the Delta southwards across the [[Transverse Ranges]]. The Central Valley Project includes numerous facilities between [[Shasta Dam]] in the north and Bakersfield in the south. [[Pacific Gas and Electric Company|Pacific Gas and Electric]], [[Western Area Power Administration]], and [[Southern California Edison]] built an interconnected [[electric grid]] connecting the north and south ends of the Central Valley.

==See also==
* [[List of regions of California]]
* [[Central Valley groundwater pollution]]
* [[Lake Corcoran]]
* [[Orland Buttes]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="FB 2019-08-30">{{Cite news|url=https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/op-ed/article234557757.html|title=San Joaquin Valley's rich diversity shows America what it is becoming|last=BERGON|first=FRANK|date=August 30, 2019|newspaper=Fresno Bee|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914082020/https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/op-ed/article234557757.html|archive-date=2019-09-14|access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons and category}}
* https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/drought-monitoring-economic-environmental-and-social-impacts {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202035600/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/drought-monitoring-economic-environmental-and-social-impacts |date=December 2, 2021 }}
* https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/06/california-americas-garden-is-drying-out/
* [https://www.visitcentralvalley.com/ Central Valley Tourism Association]
* [https://archive.today/20121220101150/http://www.alcnet.org/projects/overview/california CA Central Valley & Foothills], project area of the [[American Land Conservancy]]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058791/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 ''The Big Valley'' series]

{{Central Valley Rivers}}
{{California}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Valley, California}}
[[Category:Central Valley (California)| ]]
[[Category:Valleys of California]]
[[Category:Agriculture in California]]
[[Category:Grasslands of California]]
[[Category:Geologic provinces of California]]
[[Category:Geography of California]]
[[Category:Regions of California]]
[[Category:Physiographic sections]]
[[Category:Valleys of Butte County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Colusa County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Glenn County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of El Dorado County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Fresno County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Kings County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Madera County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Merced County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Placer County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of San Joaquin County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Sacramento County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Shasta County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Stanislaus County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Sutter County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Tehama County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Tulare County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Yuba County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Yolo County, California]]
[[Category:Almond production]]