Editing Northern California

{{Short description|American geographic and cultural region}}
{{About|the northern part of the U.S. state|the historic region|Alta California|the megaregion|Northern California megaregion}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Northern California
| image_skyline     = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width           = 300
| caption_align      = center
| perrow                   = 2/2/2
| image1                   = Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco April 2011 001.jpg
| caption1                = [[Golden Gate Bridge]]
| image2                   = Northern California Coast as seen from Muir Beach Overlook.jpg
| caption2                = Northern California coast as seen from [[Muir Beach]] Overlook
| image3                   = Squaw Valley Gondola.jpg
| caption3                 = View of an aerial tram in [[Lake Tahoe]]
| image4 = Natural Bridges State Park (16328059535).jpg
| caption4                 = [[Natural Bridges State Beach]] in [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]]
| image5                   = Muir Woods National Monument (47879029461).jpg
| caption5                = [[Muir Woods National Monument]]
| image6                   = SJ skyline at night horizontal.jpg
| caption6                = [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] skyline
}}
| image_map                = Northern California counties in red.png
| map_caption              = Northern California counties in red
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = State
| subdivision_type2        = Major cities
| subdivision_type3        = 
| subdivision_name1        = [[California]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]<br />[[San Francisco]]<br />[[Fresno]]<br />[[Sacramento]]<br />[[Oakland]]<br />[[Stockton, California|Stockton]]<br />[[Fremont, California|Fremont]]<br />[[Modesto, California|Modesto]]<br />[[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]]<br />[[Salinas, California|Salinas]]<br />[[Hayward, California|Hayward]]<br />[[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]]<br />[[Visalia, California|Visalia]]<br />[[Chico, California|Chico]]<br />[[Redding, California|Redding]]<br />[[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]]<br />[[San Rafael, California|San Rafael]]<br />[[Eureka, California|Eureka]]<br />[[Susanville, California|Susanville]]
| subdivision_name3        = 
| seat_type                = Largest city
| seat                     = [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
| population_as_of         = 2020
| population_total         = 15,775,319
}}

'''Northern California''' (commonly shortened to '''NorCal''') is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of [[California]], spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's [[List of counties in California|58 counties]].<ref>{{cite news | access-date=September 7, 2014| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19630419&id=Rd8zAAAAIBAJ&pg=2786,2022902 |title=Westward Tilt: Northern California | first=Neil | last=Morgan | newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel | location=Lodi, California | date=April 19, 1963}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kr8rAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA6 |page=6 |title=Kent Guide Manual (Harrison Narcotic Law) and Progressional Registry |editor1=John E. Kent |publisher=The Service Press |date=1917 |location=San Francisco}}</ref> Northern California in its largest definition is determined by dividing the state into two regions, the other being [[Southern California]]. The main northern population centers include the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] (anchored by the cities of [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], [[San Francisco]], and [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]), the [[Greater Sacramento]] area (anchored by the state capital [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]), the [[Redding, California]], area south of the [[Cascade Range]], and the [[Metropolitan Fresno]] area (anchored by the city of [[Fresno, California|Fresno]]). Northern California also contains [[Sequoia sempervirens|redwood]] forests, along with most of the [[Sierra Nevada]], including [[Yosemite Valley]] and part of [[Lake Tahoe]], [[Mount Shasta]] (the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range after [[Mount Rainier]] in [[Washington (state)|Washington]]), and most of the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]], one of the world's most productive agricultural regions. Northern California is also home to [[Silicon Valley]], the global headquarters for several of the largest most powerful  companies in the world, including [[Alphabet Inc.|Alphabet Inc. (Google)]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Meta Platforms|Meta]], and [[Nvidia]].

The [[Northern California Megaregion]], one of the 11 [[megaregions of the United States]] is centered in Northern California, and extends from Metropolitan Fresno north to Greater Sacramento, and from the Bay Area east across the [[Nevada]] state line to encompass the entire [[Lake Tahoe]]–[[Reno, Nevada|Reno]] area.<ref name="spur.org">{{cite web|first1=Gabriel|last1=Metcalf|first2=Egon |last2=Terplan|url= http://www.spur.org/publications/library/article/mappingthenortherncaliforniamegaregion11012007|title= The northern California megaregion|date=November–December 2007|work=The Urbanist|publisher=[[San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association]]|access-date= November 21, 2009 }}</ref>

Evidence of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] habitation in the area dates from at least 19,000 years ago<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sep 2019|first=Megan I. Gannon / 4|date=September 4, 2019|title=The Knotty Question of When Humans Made the Americas Home|url=https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/native-american-migration/|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=SAPIENS|language=en-US}}</ref> and successive waves of arrivals led to one of the most densely populated areas of pre-Columbian North America. The arrival of European [[List of explorers|explorers]] from the early 16th to the mid-18th centuries did not establish European settlements in northern California. In 1770, the [[Spanish missions in California|Spanish mission]] at [[Monterey, California|Monterey]] was the first European settlement in the area, followed by other missions along the coast—eventually extending as far north as [[Sonoma County, California|Sonoma County]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Home {{!}} County of Sonoma|url=https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Home/|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=sonomacounty.ca.gov}}</ref>

== Description ==
===North–south divisions of California===
[[File:NorCal county map (labeled and colored).png|thumb|Map of northern California counties]]
California experienced a population boom during [[California gold rush|its gold rush]] (1848–1855), bringing more than 300,000 new residents, with very few of these settling in the southern part of the state. The northern two-thirds of the state was seen as the main part, and was often referred to as simply "California", while the southern third was called "Southern California".<ref name="Two Californias">{{cite book |last1=DiLeo |first1=Michael |last2=Smith |first2=Eleanor |title=Two Californias: The Myths And Realities Of A State Divided Against Itself |date=1983 |publisher=Island Press |location=[[Covelo, California]] |isbn=9780933280168 |pages=9–30 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEqiYRm-ohMC&pg=PA27 }}</ref> At that time, the state was profoundly divided by the [[Tehachapi Mountains]] which were a barrier to travelers before highways were built, and remain a [[bioregion]] barrier. This geographical barrier curves from [[Point Conception]] at the Pacific Ocean eastward through the [[Transverse Ranges]] including [[Mount Pinos]] and [[Tejon Pass]], continuing through the Tehachapi Mountains including [[Tehachapi Pass]], then cutting northward through the southern [[Sierra Nevada]] mountain range to [[Mount Patterson (California)|Mount Patterson]] and the [[Nevada]] border. The [[Mojave Desert]] and the [[Great Basin Desert]] are separated from Northern California by mountain ranges in this definition of bioregions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Thomas |date=2023-04-23 |title=Where Does Southern California Stop and Northern California Start? |url=https://bayareatelegraph.com/2023/04/23/where-does-southern-california-stop-and-northern-california-start/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |work=Bay Area Telegraph |language=en-US |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425141209/https://bayareatelegraph.com/2023/04/23/where-does-southern-california-stop-and-northern-california-start/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dF4KBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA265 |page=265 |editor1=Cheryll Glotfelty |editor2=Eve Quesnel |title=The Biosphere and the Bioregion: Essential Writings of Peter Berg |author=Peter Berg |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134504091 |access-date=October 9, 2023 |archive-date=October 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023205057/https://books.google.com/books?id=dF4KBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA265 |url-status=live }}</ref> Southern California in the 1850s was a backwater of mainly Spanish-speaking [[Californios]] who resented paying state taxes without receiving state projects.<ref name="Two Californias"/><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jcCrQC8rBPgC |title=Southern California: An Island on the Land |last=McWilliams |first=Carey |author-link=Carey McWilliams (journalist) |date=1946 |publisher=Gibbs-Smith |pages=15–20 |isbn=978-0-87905-007-8 }}</ref>

In 1859, as proposed by the Californio politician [[Andrés Pico]], the [[California State Legislature]] passed the Pico Act aiming to divide the state and create a new territory in the south. The border between the two parts was to be a straight line set at a latitude of six standard parallels south of [[Mount Diablo]]—meaning 144 miles south of Mount Diablo at the latitude of 35°45'N,<ref>{{cite book |title=Pacific Summary / Index: June 1, 1986 – July 31, 1987 |series=Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Activities |author=[[Minerals Management Service]] |date=1987 |publisher=[[U.S. Department of the Interior]] |page=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSJPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA6 |access-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221022446/https://books.google.com/books?id=CSJPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA6 |url-status=live }}</ref> currently the border between [[Monterey County, California|Monterey]] and [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo]] counties. The new southern portion was to be called the [[Territory of Colorado (California)|Territory of Colorado]] because much of its eastern border was the [[Colorado River]]. This legislation was signed by Governor [[John B. Weller]] and sent to the [[United States Congress]] for ratification, but it never came to a vote. Congress was too divided with tensions which would soon break out into the [[American Civil War]], and despite the efforts of Senator [[Milton Latham]], the bill died. However, the proposed east-west line continued to define one of the views of north–south division of the state.<ref name="Two Californias"/>

"Northern California" may refer to the state's northernmost 48 counties, using the line established by the Pico Act, or it may refer to the portion north of the geographic barrier formed by the Transverse Ranges, the Tehachapi Mountains, and the Southern Sierras.<ref name="Two Californias"/> Because of California's large size and diverse geography, the state can be subdivided in other ways as well. For example, the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] is a region that is distinct both culturally and topographically from coastal California, though in northern versus southern California divisions, the [[Sacramento Valley]] and most of the [[San Joaquin Valley]] are usually placed in northern California. Some observers describe three partitions of California, with north and south sections separated by [[Central California]].

Technically, California's exact north–south midway division is around [[37th parallel north|37°N]], near the latitude of [[Morgan Hill, California|Morgan Hill]] and [[Chowchilla, California|Chowchilla]]. The [[Geographical centre|geographic center]] of California is at {{coord|37|09|58|N|119|26|58|W|display=inline}} near [[North Fork, California|North Fork]], northeast of Fresno.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com/finding-californias-geographic-center/ |title=Finding California's Geographic Center |last=O'Keefe |first=Rob |date=August 9, 2017 |website=Rediscovering the Golden State |access-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref> 

The state is often considered as having an additional division north of the urban areas of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] and [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] metropolitan areas. Extreme northern residents have felt under-represented in state government and, in 1941, attempted to form a new state with southwestern Oregon to be called [[Jefferson (Pacific state)|Jefferson]], or more recently to introduce legislation to [[Partition and secession in California|split California into two or three states]].

===Popular usage===
The coastal area north of the Bay Area is often referred to as the [[North Coast (California)|North Coast]], touching the counties of [[Mendocino County, California|Mendocino]], [[Lake County, California|Lake]], [[Humboldt County, California|Humboldt]], and [[Del Norte County, California|Del Norte]]. The interior region north of Sacramento metropolitan area is referred to by locals as the '''Northstate''', consisting of about 20 counties.<ref name="HCN2018">{{Cite web |url=https://www.hcn.org/issues/50.1/communities-rural-discontent-finds-a-home-in-the-state-of-jefferson |title=A separatist state of mind |last=Wiles |first=Tay |date=January 22, 2018 |website=High Country News |language=en-us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617023048/https://www.hcn.org/issues/50.1/communities-rural-discontent-finds-a-home-in-the-state-of-jefferson |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=August 23, 2018 }}</ref>

"Northern California" was used by [[Tim Draper]] as the name of the northernmost state to be created by splitting California into three new states. The bill, [[Cal 3]], was prevented from appearing on the 2018 California ballot because of a constitutional review by the [[Supreme Court of California]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-split-three-states-20180612-story.html|title=Radical plan to split California into three states earns spot on November ballot|last=Myers|first=John|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 13, 2018|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref>

== Significance ==
Since the events of the [[California Gold Rush]], Northern California has been a leader on the world's economic, scientific, and cultural stages. From the development of gold mining techniques and logging practices in the 19th century that were later adopted around the world, to the development of world-famous and online business models (such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Hewlett-Packard]], [[Google]], [[Yahoo!]], and [[eBay]]), northern California has been at the forefront of new ways of doing business. In science, advances range from being [[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory|the first]] to isolate and name fourteen [[transuranic]] [[chemical element]]s, to breakthroughs in microchip technology. Cultural contributions include the works of [[Ansel Adams]], [[George Lucas]], and [[Clint Eastwood]], as well as [[beatniks]], the [[Summer of Love]], [[California wine|winemaking]], the cradle of the international environmental movement, and the open, casual workplace first popularized in the [[Silicon Valley]] [[dot-com boom]] and now widely in use around the world. Other examples of innovation across diverse fields range from [[Genentech]] (development and commercialization of genetic engineering) to [[CrossFit]] as a pioneer in extreme human fitness and training.
It is also home to one of the largest Air Force Bases on the West Coast, and the largest in California by square meters, [[Travis Air Force Base]].
{{clear right}}

== Cities ==
Northern California's largest [[metropolitan area]] is the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] which consists of 9 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties. The Bay Area consists of the major cities of [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], and their many [[suburbs]]. Although not a part of the Bay Area, in recent years the Bay Area has drawn more commuters from as far as [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] cities such as [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], [[Stockton, California|Stockton]], [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], [[Turlock, California|Turlock]] and [[Modesto, California|Modesto]]. These cities in the central part of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills may be viewed as part of a single [[megalopolis (city type)|megalopolis]].<ref name="spur.org" /> The 2010 U.S. Census showed that the Bay Area grew at a faster rate than the [[Greater Los Angeles Area]] while Greater Sacramento had the largest growth rate of any metropolitan area in California.

The state's larger inland cities are considered part of Northern California in cases when the state is divided into two parts. Key cities in the region which are not in major metropolitan areas include [[Eureka, California|Eureka]] on the far [[North Coast (California)|North Coast]], [[Redding, California|Redding]], at the northern end of the Central Valley, [[Chico, California|Chico]], and [[Yuba City]] in the mid-north of the Central Valley, as well as [[Fresno, California|Fresno]] and [[Visalia, California|Visalia]] on the southern end. Though smaller in each case, with the notable exception of [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], than the larger cities of the general region, these smaller regional centers are often of historical and economic importance for their respective size, due to their locations, which are primarily rural or otherwise isolated.

<gallery mode="packed" widths="140px" heights="140px">
Panoramic Downtown San Jose.jpg|[[San Jose, California|San Jose]], the most populous city in Northern California and the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], and the 13th most populous city in the United States. 
SanFran downtown panorama.jpg|[[San Francisco]], the second most populated city in Northern California and a major economic, cultural, and financial center for the region.
File:Chukchansi.jpg|[[Fresno]], the fourth most populated city in northern California, as seen from [[Chukchansi Park]]. Fresno is the largest city by population in the [[San Joaquin Valley]].
File:Sacramento Skyline (cropped).jpg|alt=Sacramento Skyline (cropped).jpg|[[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], the third most populous city in Northern California, the capital city of the State of [[California]], and the principal city of the [[Sacramento metropolitan area]].
File:Panorama-downtown-oakland by Daniel Ramirez.jpg|[[Oakland, California|Oakland]], the fifth-largest city by population in Northern California. Oakland is the major [[Port of Oakland|port city]] of the region and the center of Northern California's [[African Americans|African American]] community.
</gallery>

== History ==
=== Prehistory to 1847 ===
Inhabited for millennia by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], from the [[Shasta (tribe)|Shasta]] tribe in the north, to the [[Miwok]]s in the central coast and Sierra Nevada, to the [[Yokuts]] of the southern Central Valley, northern California was among the most densely populated areas of pre-Columbian North America.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.californiaprehistory.com/tribmap.html | title=California Indian Tribes map | website=CaliforniaPrehistory.com | author=R.F. Heizer | year=1966 | access-date=February 10, 2007 | archive-date=April 30, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430112732/http://www.californiaprehistory.com/tribmap.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== European explorers ====
The first European to explore the coast was [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]], sailing for the Spanish Crown; in 1542, Cabrillo's expedition sailed perhaps as far north as the [[Rogue River (Oregon)|Rogue River]] in today's [[Oregon]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/cabr/juan.html | title=Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo: A Voyage of Discovery  | publisher=U.S. National Park Service | access-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref> Beginning in 1565, the Spanish [[Manila galleon]]s crossed the Pacific Ocean from [[Mexico]] to the Spanish [[Philippines]], with silver and gemstones from Mexico. The Manila galleons returned across the northern Pacific, and reached North America usually off the coast of northern California, and then continued south with their Asian trade goods to Mexico.

In 1579, northern California was visited by the English explorer [[Francis Drake|Sir Francis Drake]] who landed north of today's [[San Francisco]] and claimed the area for England. In 1602, the Spaniard [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]] explored California's coast as far north as [[Monterey Bay]], where he went ashore. Other Spanish explorers sailed along the coast of northern California for the next 150 years, but no settlements were established.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Introduction--Early History of the California Coast--A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ca/intro.htm#:~:text=The%20first%20explorers%20and%20settlers,first%20Europeans%20to%20visit%20California.|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

==== Spanish era ====
The first European inhabitants were Spanish missionaries, who built [[Spanish missions in California|missions]] along the California coast. The mission at [[Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo|Monterey]] was first established in 1770, and at [[Mission San Francisco de Asís|San Francisco]] in 1776. In all, ten missions stretched along the coast from [[Sonoma, California|Sonoma]] to Monterey (and still more missions to the southern tip of [[Baja California]]). In 1786, the [[France|French]] signaled their interest in the northern California area by sending a voyage of exploration to Monterey.

The first twenty years of the 19th century continued the colonization of the northern California coast by Spain. By 1820, Spanish influence extended inland approximately 25 to {{convert|50|mi|km|0}} from the missions. Outside of this zone, perhaps 200,000 to 250,000 Native Americans continued to lead traditional lives. The [[Adams-Onís Treaty]], signed in 1819 between Spain and the young United States, set the northern boundary of the Spanish claims at the 42nd parallel, effectively creating today's northern boundary of northern California.

==== Russian presence ====
In 1812, the Russian state-sponsored [[Russian-American Company]] established [[Fort Ross]], a fur trading outpost on the coast of today's [[Sonoma County]]. Fort Ross was the southernmost Russian settlement, located some {{convert|60|mi|km|0}} north of Spanish colonies in San Francisco. In 1839, the settlement was abandoned due to its inability to meet resource demands, and the increasing Mexican and American presence in the region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fortross.org/russian-american-company.htm#The%20Russian%20Advance%20to%20California|title = Russian Expansion to America (Russian American Company in California)}}</ref>

==== Mexican era ====
After [[Mexican War of Independence|Mexico gained independence]] from Spain in 1821, Mexico continued Spain's missions and settlements in northern California as well as Spain's territorial claims. The Mexican ''[[Californio]]s'' (Spanish-speaking Californians) in these settlements primarily traded cattle hides and [[tallow]] with American and European merchant vessels.

[[File:Trees and sunshine.JPG|thumb|[[Sequoia sempervirens|Coast Redwoods]] in [[Muir Woods National Monument]], in [[Marin County]]]]
In 1825, the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] established a major trading post [[Fort Vancouver|just north]] of today's [[Portland, Oregon]]. British fur trappers and hunters then used the [[Siskiyou Trail]] to travel throughout northern California.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://museumsiskiyoutrail.org/upper_soda_springs_information/hunters_and_trappers.html | title=Hunters and Trappers at Upper Soda Springs | publisher=Museum of the Siskiyou Trail | access-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref> The leader of a further French scientific expedition to northern California, [[Eugene Duflot de Mofras]], wrote in 1840 "''...it is evident that California will belong to whatever nation chooses to send there a man-of-war and two hundred men''."<ref name="hhb1840">{{cite book |last=Bancroft |first=Hubert Howe |url=https://archive.org/details/nativeracespaci15bancgoog |year=1886 |title=History of California, 1840–1845, Volume 4 |publisher=A. L. Bancroft|author-link= Hubert Howe Bancroft |oclc=9475460}}</ref>{{Rp|260}} By the 1830s, a significant number of non-''Californios'' had immigrated to northern California. Chief among these was [[John Sutter]], a European immigrant from [[Switzerland]], who was granted {{convert|48827|acre|km2}} [[Sutter's Fort|centered]] on the area of today's [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=485 | title=Sutter's Fort Historic State Park | publisher=California Department of Parks & Recreation | access-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref>

==== American interest ====
American trappers began entering northern California in the 1830s.<ref name="hhb1840" />{{Rp|263–4}} In 1834, American visionary [[Ewing Young]] led a herd of horses and mules over the [[Siskiyou Trail]] from missions in northern California to British and American settlements in [[Oregon]]. Although a small number of American traders and trappers had lived in northern California since the early 1830s, the first organized overland party of American immigrants to arrive in northern California was the [[Bartleson-Bidwell Party]] of 1841 via the new [[California Trail]].<ref name="hhb1840" />{{Rp|263–273}} Also in 1841, an overland exploratory party of the [[United States Exploring Expedition]] came down the [[Siskiyou Trail]] from the Pacific Northwest. In 1846, the [[Donner Party]] earned notoriety as they struggled to enter northern California.

==== Californian independence and beginning of the United States era ====
When the [[Mexican–American War]] was declared on May 13, 1846, it took almost two months (mid-July 1846) for word to get to California. On June 14, 1846, some 30 non-Mexican settlers, mostly Americans, staged a revolt and seized the small Mexican garrison in Sonoma. They raised the "[[Flag of California|Bear Flag]]" of the [[California Republic]] over Sonoma. The "Bear Flag Republic" lasted only 26 days, until the U.S. Army, led by [[John Frémont]], took over on July 9.<ref name=1846-54>{{cite web |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=1096 |title=American Transition to Early Statehood |publisher=California Department of Parks & Recreation |access-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref> The California state flag today is based on this original Bear Flag, and continues to contain the words "California Republic."

Commodore [[John Drake Sloat]] ordered his naval forces to occupy [[Yerba Buena, California|Yerba Buena]] (present [[San Francisco]]) on July 7 and within days American forces controlled San Francisco, Sonoma, and [[Sutter's Fort]] in Sacramento.<ref name="1846-54" /> The [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo|treaty]] ending the Mexican–American War was signed on February 2, 1848, and Mexico formally ceded [[Alta California]] (including all of present-day northern California) to the United States.

[[File:Moon Lake.jpg|thumb|Moon Lake in [[Lassen County, California]]]]

=== Gold Rush and California statehood ===
The [[California Gold Rush]] took place almost exclusively in northern California from 1848 to 1855. It began on January 24, 1848, when [[gold]] was discovered at [[Sutter's Mill]] in [[Coloma, California|Coloma]].<ref name="santos">"[E]vents from January 1848 through December 1855 [are] generally acknowledged as the 'Gold Rush' .... After 1855, California gold mining changed and is outside the 'rush' era." {{cite web| title = The Gold Rush of California: A Bibliography of Periodical Articles| publisher = California State University, Stanislaus| year = 2002| url = http://library.csustan.edu/bsantos/goldrush/GoldTOC.htm| access-date = January 23, 2008| archive-date = March 12, 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120312213110/http://library.csustan.edu/bsantos/goldrush/GoldTOC.htm| url-status = dead}}</ref> News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000&nbsp;people coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] grew from a tiny hamlet, home to about 1,000 [[Californios]] into a [[boomtown]] of over 50,000 people in the 12 years between 1848 and 1860.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Richards, Rand, 1949-|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/23463043|title=Historic San Francisco : a concise history and guide|date=1991|publisher=Heritage House Publishers|isbn=1-879367-00-9|location=San Francisco|oclc=23463043}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=1860 Census: Population of the United States|url=https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1864/dec/1860a.html|access-date=October 10, 2020|website=The United States Census Bureau|language=EN-US}}</ref> New roads, churches, and schools were built, and new towns sprung up, aided in part by the development of new methods of transportation such as [[steamship]]s which came into regular service and [[California and the railroads|railroads]] which now connected the coasts. The Gold Rush also had negative effects: [[California Genocide|American colonists chose to use genocide as a tool]] to remove the [[Indigenous peoples of California|Indigenous people]] so that they could look for gold on their land.

The Gold Rush also increased pressure to make California a [[U.S. state]]. Pro-slavery politicians initially attempted to permanently divide northern and southern California at 36 degrees, 30 minutes, the line of the [[Missouri Compromise]]. But instead, the passing of the [[Compromise of 1850]] enabled California to be admitted to the Union as a [[Slave and free states|free state]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 15, 2021|title=Living shorelines could help California coasts adapt to rising sea levels|url=https://grist.org/science/how-oysters-and-seagrass-could-help-the-california-coast-adapt-to-rising-seas/|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=Grist|language=en-us}}</ref>

=== Population and agricultural expansion (1855–1899) ===
[[File:Mount Shasta Farm.jpg|thumb|left|Farm near [[Mount Shasta]]]]
The decades following the Gold Rush brought dramatic expansion to northern California, both in population and economically&nbsp;– particularly in agriculture. The completion of the [[First transcontinental railroad]] in 1869, with its terminus in Sacramento (and then later, Oakland), meant that northern California's agricultural produce (and some manufactured goods) could now be shipped economically to the rest of the United States. In return, immigrants from the rest of the United States (and Europe) could comfortably come to northern California. A network of railroads spread throughout northern California, and in 1887, a [[Siskiyou Trail|rail link]] was completed to the [[Pacific Northwest]]. Almost all of these railways came under the control of the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]], headquartered in San Francisco, and San Francisco continued as a financial and cultural center.

Substantial tensions during this era included nativist sentiments (primarily against Chinese immigrants),<ref>{{Cite web|title=California Labor History Archive|url=https://calaborfed.org/california-history/|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=California Labor Federation|date=October 29, 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> tensions between the increasing power of the Southern Pacific Railroad and small farmers, and the beginnings of the labor union movement.

== Economy ==
[[File:ISS-37 Northern California region.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of Northern California at night]]
Northern California's economy is noted for being the de facto world leader in high-tech industry ([[software]], [[semiconductor]]/micro-electronics, [[biotechnology]] and [[medical devices]]/instruments), as well as being known for [[Environmental engineering|clean power]], biomedical, government, and finance. Other significant industries include tourism, shipping, manufacturing, and agriculture. Its economy is diverse, though more concentrated in high technology. It is home to the state capital, as well as several Western United States regional offices in San Francisco, such as the [[Federal Reserve]] and [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|9th Circuit Court]].

== Climate ==
[[File:Northern California Köppen.png|thumb|upright|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] in northern California]]
Northern California has a warm or mild to cool climate, in which the [[Sierra Nevada|Sierra mountains]] gets snow in the late fall through winter and occasionally into spring. Summers are mild along the coast and generally warm and dry, while winters are cool and usually wet. The high temperatures range from 50s °F (10–15&nbsp;°C) to 30s °F (−1&nbsp;–&nbsp;+4&nbsp;°C) in the winters while summers temperature range is 90s °F (32–37&nbsp;°C) to 60s °F (15–20&nbsp;°C) or 50s °F (10–15&nbsp;°C), with highs well into the 100s °F (37–42&nbsp;°C) for the Sacramento region. Snow covers the mountains (generally above {{convert|3000|ft|m}}) in mid January through February. Fog occurs infrequently or occurs normally in the west and coast, especially in the summer, creating some of the coolest summer conditions in North America.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Northern California|url=https://www.ccul.org/click-here-list/257-economy-articles/4830-northern-california|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=www.ccul.org|date=January 26, 2021 |language=en-us}}</ref> Since the first decade of the 21st century, [[Droughts in California|droughts]] and [[List of California wildfires|wildfires]] have increased in frequency as a consequence of [[climate change]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Boxall |first1=Bettina |last2=St. John |first2=Paige |date=November 10, 2018 |title=California's most destructive wildfire should not have come as a surprise |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-camp-fire-science-20181110-story.html |access-date=November 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Advancing Drought Science and Preparedness across the Nation |url=https://www.drought.gov/drought/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111042024/https://www.drought.gov/drought/ |archive-date=November 11, 2018 |access-date=November 11, 2018 |publisher=National Integrated Drought Information System}}</ref>

== Population ==
{{US Census population
|1850= 86105
|1860= 346714
|1870= 516089
|1880= 772778
|1890= 961628
|1900= 1147725
|1910= 1569141
|1920= 2003075
|1930= 2632273
|1940= 3066654
|1950= 4654248
|1960= 6318482
|1970= 7849575
|1980= 9359160
|1990= 11490926
|2000= 13234136
|2010= 14573946
|2020= 15775319
}}

The population of the forty-eight counties of northern California has shown a steady increase over the years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://countingcalifornia.cdlib.org/sas-bin/broker?_program=prd.calmatx.sas&study=histpop&file=histcnty%20histcity%20histst&varMtx=histpop_1&dtbl=histpop_1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031231155609/http://countingcalifornia.cdlib.org/sas-bin/broker?_program=prd.calmatx.sas&study=histpop&file=histcnty%20histcity%20histst&varMtx=histpop_1&dtbl=histpop_1|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 31, 2003|title=Historical census data by U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=February 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=U.S. Census website|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=February 6, 2019}}</ref>

The largest percentage increase outside the Gold Rush era (52%) came during the 1940s, as the region was the destination of many post-War veterans and their families, attracted by the greatly expanding industrial base and (often) by their time stationed in northern California during [[World War II]]. The largest absolute increase occurred during the 1980s (over 2.1 million person increase), attracted by job opportunities in part by the expansion taking place in [[Silicon Valley]] and the [[Cold War]]–era expansion of the defense industry. Since the 2000 U.S. Census, Northern California has grown at a faster rate than Southern California due to the strong economic performances of the Bay Area and Sacramento.<ref>[https://www.spur.org/sites/default/files/2013-09/SPUR_The_Northern_California_Megaregion.pdf The Northern California Megaregion], p.22, SPUR, 2007.</ref>
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Northern California.png|center|thumb|440x440px|Ethnic origins in Northern California]]

== Parks and other protected areas ==
=== National Park System ===
{{Main|List of areas in the United States National Park System|List of national parks of the United States}}
The U.S. [[National Park System]] controls a large and diverse group of parks in northern California. The best known is [[Yosemite National Park]], which is displayed on the reverse side of the [[:File:California quarter, reverse side, 2005.jpg|California state quarter]]. Other prominent parks are the [[Kings Canyon National Park|Kings Canyon]]-[[Sequoia National Park]] complex, [[Redwood National Park]], [[Pinnacles National Park]], [[Lassen Volcanic National Park]] and the largest in the contiguous forty-eight states, [[Death Valley National Park]].

=== National Monuments and other federally protected areas ===
{{Main|List of national monuments of the United States|United States National Marine Sanctuary|List of National Wildlife Refuges of the United States|List of national forests of the United States}}
Other areas under federal protection include [[Muir Woods National Monument]], [[Giant Sequoia National Monument]], [[Devils Postpile National Monument]], [[Lava Beds National Monument]], [[Point Reyes National Seashore]], the [[Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary]], and the [[Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary|Cordell Bank]] and [[Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary|Gulf of the Farallones]] National Marine Sanctuaries (both off the coast of San Francisco). Included within the latter National Marine Sanctuary is the [[Farallon National Wildlife Refuge]]; this [[National Wildlife Refuge]] is one of approximately twenty-five such refuges in northern California. [[National forest (United States)|National forests]] occupy large sections of northern California, including the [[Shasta–Trinity National Forest|Shasta–Trinity]], [[Klamath National Forest|Klamath]], [[Modoc National Forest|Modoc]], [[Lassen National Forest|Lassen]], [[Mendocino National Forest|Mendocino]], [[Eldorado National Forest|Eldorado]], [[Tahoe National Forest|Tahoe]], and [[Sequoia National Forest|Sequoia]] national forests, among others. Included within (or adjacent to) national forests are federally protected wilderness areas, including the [[Trinity Alps Wilderness|Trinity Alps]], [[Castle Crags]], [[Granite Chief Wilderness|Granite Chief]], and [[Desolation Wilderness|Desolation]] wilderness areas.

In addition, the [[California Coastal National Monument]] protects all islets, reefs, and rock outcroppings from the shore of northern California out to a distance of {{convert|12|nmi|km|abbr=on}}, along the entire northern California coastline. In addition, the National Park Service administers protected areas on [[Alcatraz Island]], the [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], [[Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area]], and the [[Smith River National Recreation Area]]. The NPS also administers the [[Manzanar]] [[National Historic Site (United States)|National Historic Site]] in [[Inyo County, California|Inyo County]], the [[Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park]] in [[Richmond, California|Richmond]], and the [[Tule Lake National Monument]] outside of [[Tulelake, California|Tulelake]].

=== Other ===
{{Incomplete list|date=August 2008}}
{{div col|colwidth=28em}}
* [[Tilden Regional Park]]
* [[Alum Rock Park]]
* [[Angel Island (California)|Angel Island]]
* [[Bidwell Park]]
* [[Big Basin Redwoods State Park]]
* [[Butano State Park]]
* [[Calaveras Big Trees State Park]]
* [[Castle Rock State Park (California)|Castle Rock State Park]]
* [[Caswell Memorial State Park (California)|Caswell Memorial State Park]]
* [[East Bay Regional Park District]]
* [[Farallon Islands]]
* [[Golden Gate Park]]
* [[Henry W. Coe State Park]]
* [[Humboldt Redwoods State Park]]
* [[Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park]]
* [[Lake Tahoe Basin]]
* [[Marble Mountains (Siskiyou County)|Marble Mountain Wilderness]]
* [[Mill Creek State Park]]
* [[Mount Tamalpais State Park]]
* [[Suisun Marsh]]
* [[Sacramento River]]
* [[Talowa Dunes State Park]]
* [[Turtle Bay Exploration Park]]
* [[McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park]]
* [[Wilder Ranch State Park]]
* [[Sequoia National Park]]
{{div col end}}

== Educational institutions ==
Northern California hosts a number of world-renowned universities including [[Stanford University]] and [[University of California, Berkeley]]. Top-tier public graduate schools include [[University of California, Berkeley School of Law|Boalt Hall]] and [[University of California, Hastings College of the Law|Hastings]] law schools and [[University of California, San Francisco|UC San Francisco]] (a top-ranked medical school) and [[UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine]], the largest veterinary school in the United States.

=== Public ===
* Six [[University of California]] campuses:
{{Div col}}
:*[[UC Berkeley]]
:*[[UC Davis]]
:*[[UC Hastings]]
:*[[UC Merced]]
:*[[UC San Francisco]]
:*[[UC Santa Cruz]]
{{Div col end}}
* Eleven [[California State University]] campuses:
{{Div col}}
:* [[California Maritime Academy]]
:* [[California State University, Chico|Chico State]]
:* [[California State University, East Bay|CSU East Bay]]
:* [[California State University, Monterey Bay|CSU Monterey Bay]]
:* [[California State University, Fresno|Fresno State]]
:* [[Humboldt State University|Cal Poly Humboldt]]
:* [[California State University, Sacramento|Sacramento State]]
:* [[San Francisco State University|San Francisco State]]
:* [[San Jose State University|San Jose State]]
:* [[Sonoma State University|Sonoma State]]
:* [[California State University, Stanislaus|Stanislaus State]]
{{Div col end}}
* A large number of local [[California Community Colleges System|community colleges]]

=== Private ===
''(Partial list)''
* [[Academy of Art University]]
* [[California College of the Arts]]
* [[Dominican University of California]]
* [[Fresno Pacific University]]
* [[Golden Gate University]]
* [[Jessup University]]
* [[Menlo College]]
* [[Northwestern Polytechnic University]]
* [[Notre Dame de Namur University]]
* [[Pacific Union College]]
* [[Samuel Merritt University]]
* [[Santa Clara University]]
* [[Saint Mary's College of California]]
* [[Simpson University]]
* [[Stanford University]]
* [[Touro University California]]
* [[University of San Francisco]]
* [[University of the Pacific (United States)|University of the Pacific]]

=== Research ===
<!-- Let's keep this to ones that are NOT located on university property, okay? -->
''(Partial list)''
* [[American Institute of Mathematics]]
* [[Bodega Marine Reserve]]
* [[Hopkins Marine Station]]
* [[Joint Genome Institute]]
* [[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory]]
* [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]]
* [[Lick Observatory]]
* [[Long Marine Laboratory]]
* [[Mathematical Sciences Research Institute]]
* [[Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute]]
* [[NASA Ames Research Center]]
* [[Owens Valley Radio Observatory]]
* [[Pacific Institute]]
* [[Point Reyes Bird Observatory]]
* [[White Mountain Peak|White Mountain Research Station]]

== Counties ==
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Alameda County, California|Alameda]]
* [[Alpine County, California|Alpine]]
* [[Amador County, California|Amador]]
* [[Butte County, California|Butte]]
* [[Calaveras County, California|Calaveras]]
* [[Colusa County, California|Colusa]]
* [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa]]
* [[Del Norte County, California|Del Norte]]
* [[El Dorado County, California|El Dorado]]
* [[Fresno County, California|Fresno]]
* [[Glenn County, California|Glenn]]
* [[Humboldt County, California|Humboldt]]
* [[Inyo County, California|Inyo]]
* [[Kings County, California|Kings]]
* [[Lake County, California|Lake]]
* [[Lassen County, California|Lassen]]
* [[Madera County, California|Madera]]
* [[Marin County, California|Marin]]
* [[Mariposa County, California|Mariposa]]
* [[Mendocino County, California|Mendocino]]
* [[Merced County, California|Merced]]
* [[Modoc County, California|Modoc]]
* [[Mono County, California|Mono]]
* [[Monterey County, California|Monterey]]
* [[Napa County, California|Napa]]
* [[Nevada County, California|Nevada]]
* [[Placer County, California|Placer]]
* [[Plumas County, California|Plumas]]
* [[Sacramento County, California|Sacramento]]
* [[San Benito County, California|San Benito]]
* [[San Francisco County, California|San Francisco]]
* [[San Joaquin County, California|San Joaquin]]
* [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo]]
* [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara]]
* [[Santa Cruz County, California|Santa Cruz]]
* [[Shasta County, California|Shasta]]
* [[Sierra County, California|Sierra]]
* [[Siskiyou County, California|Siskiyou]]
* [[Solano County, California|Solano]]
* [[Sonoma County, California|Sonoma]]
* [[Stanislaus County, California|Stanislaus]]
* [[Sutter County, California|Sutter]]
* [[Tehama County, California|Tehama]]
* [[Trinity County, California|Trinity]]
* [[Tulare County, California|Tulare]]
* [[Tuolumne County, California|Tuolumne]]
* [[Yolo County, California|Yolo]]
* [[Yuba County, California|Yuba]]
{{div col end}}

== Regions ==
The following regions are entirely or partly within northern California:

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Big Sur]]
* [[Cascade Range]]
* [[Central California]]
* [[Central Coast of California|Central Coast]]
* [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]]
* [[Coastal California]]
* [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay (SF)]]
* [[Eastern California]]
* [[Emerald Triangle]]
* [[Gold Country]]
* [[Sacramento metropolitan area|Greater Sacramento]]
* [[Klamath Basin]]
* [[Lake Tahoe]]
* [[Lassen Peak]]
* [[Lost Coast]]
* [[Metropolitan Fresno]]
* [[Mount Shasta]]
* [[North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|North Bay (SF)]]
* [[North Coast (California)|North Coast]]
* [[Russian River (California)|Russian River]]
* [[Sacramento Valley]]
* [[San Francisco Bay Area]]
* [[San Francisco Peninsula]]
* [[San Joaquin Valley]]
* [[Santa Clara Valley]]
* [[Shasta Cascade]]
* [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]]
* [[Silicon Valley]]
* [[South Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|South Bay (SF)]]
* [[Telecom Valley]]
* [[Tri-Valley]]
* [[Trinity Alps]]
* [[Wine Country (California)|Wine Country]]
* [[Yosemite National Park|Yosemite]]
* [[Yuba–Sutter area]]
{{div col end}}

== Cities and towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Largest cities ([[city proper]]) in northern California">
File:San Jose California Skyline.jpg|1 – [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
File:SF From Marin Highlands3.jpg|2 – [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]
File:Fresno skyline.jpg|3 – [[Fresno, California|Fresno]]
File:Tower Bridge Sacramento edit.jpg|4 – [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]
File:Oakland California skyline.jpg|5 – [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]
File:Commercial & Savings Bank - Stockton, CA.jpg|6 – [[Stockton, California|Stockton]]
File:Mission-Peak-2006.jpg|7 – [[Fremont, California|Fremont]]
File:Modesto Arch.JPG|8 – [[Modesto, California|Modesto]]
File:SR vineyard.jpg|9 – [[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]]
File:Laguna Springs Dr and Laguna Blvd.jpg|10 – [[Elk Grove, California|Elk Grove]]
File:Main Street, Salinas.jpg|11 – [[Salinas, California|Salinas]]
File:Hayward City Hall number 3 front.jpg|12 – [[Hayward, California|Hayward]]
File:Murphystreetsunnyvale.jpg|13 – [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]]
File:Roseville - City Civic Center.jpg|14 – [[Roseville, California|Roseville]]
File:Visalia Transit 2011.jpg|15 – [[Visalia, California|Visalia]]
File:Santaclaraconventioncenter.jpg|16 – [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]]
File:DK From Parking Lot.jpg|17 – [[Vallejo, California|Vallejo]]
File:Todos Santos Plaza (Concord, California) Dec 2009.jpg|18 – [[Concord, California|Concord]]
File:Berkeley-downtown-Bay-bridge-SF-in-back-from-Lab.jpg|19 – [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]
File:Pollasky Ave. Clovis.JPG|20 – [[Clovis, California|Clovis]]
File:Aerial view of Fairfield, California.jpg|21 – [[Fairfield, California|Fairfield]]
File:Point Richmond, Richmond, California.jpg|22 – [[Richmond, California|Richmond]]
File:Shannon-Williamson Ranch (Antioch, CA).JPG|23 – [[Antioch, California|Antioch]]
File:MCB-san-mateo-aerial.jpg|24 – [[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]]
File:Daly City.jpg|25 – [[Daly City, California|Daly City]]
File:Aerial view of Vacaville, California.jpg|26 – [[Vacaville, California|Vacaville]]
File:Bidwell Park Chico.jpg|27 – [[Chico, California|Chico]]
File:Sundialbridge2.jpg|28 – [[Redding, California|Redding]]
File:11th and Central Tracy California 14-May-2006.jpg|29 – [[Tracy, California|Tracy]]
File:San Leandro Marina 07830.JPG|30 – [[San Leandro, California|San Leandro]]
File:Downtown Livermore California.jpg|31 - [[Livermore, California|Livermore]]
File:Citrus Heights - Police.jpg|32 – [[Citrus Heights, California|Citrus Heights]]
File:Merced Theatre.JPG|33 – [[Merced, California|Merced]]
File:SanRamonPanorama.jpg|34 – [[San Ramon, California|San Ramon]]
File:Redwoodcitypanorama.jpg|35 – [[Redwood City, California|Redwood City]]
File:MantecaCA.jpg|36 – [[Manteca, California|Manteca]]
File:Mountainviewcentennialplaza.jpg|37 – [[Mountain View, California|Mountain View]]
File:Lake Folsom.JPG|38 – [[Folsom, California|Folsom]]
File:Footbridge to Great Mall Main station, March 2018 (cropped).JPG|39 – [[Milpitas, California|Milpitas]]
File:MCB-pleasanton-ca.jpg|40 – [[Pleasanton, California|Pleasanton]]
</gallery>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="font-size:100%;"
! scope="col" width="150" | City
! scope="col" width="110" | Population (2020)<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219 |website=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 3, 2021}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | [[Alameda, California|Alameda]]
| 78,280
|-
! scope="row" | [[Antioch, California|Antioch]]
| 115,291
|-
! scope="row" | [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]
| 124,321
|-
! scope="row" | [[Brentwood, California|Brentwood]]
| 64,292
|-
! scope="row" | [[Chico, California|Chico]]
| 101,475
|-
! scope="row" | [[Citrus Heights, California|Citrus Heights]]
| 87,583
|-
! scope="row" | [[Clovis, California|Clovis]]
| 120,124
|-
! scope="row" | [[Concord, California|Concord]]
| 125,410
|-
! scope="row" | [[Cupertino, California|Cupertino]]
| 60,381
|-
! scope="row" | [[Daly City, California|Daly City]]
| 104,901
|-
! scope="row" | [[Davis, California|Davis]]
| 66,850
|-
! scope="row" | [[Dublin, California|Dublin]]
| 72,589
|-
! scope="row" | [[Elk Grove, California|Elk Grove]]
| 176,124
|-
! scope="row" | [[Fairfield, California|Fairfield]]
| 119,881
|-
! scope="row" | [[Folsom, California|Folsom]]
| 80,454
|-
! scope="row" | [[Fresno, California|Fresno]]
| 542,107
|-
! scope="row" | [[Fremont, California|Fremont]]
| 230,504
|-
! scope="row" | [[Gilroy, California|Gilroy]]
| 59,520
|-
! scope="row" | [[Hanford, California|Hanford]]
| 57,990
|-
! scope="row" | [[Hayward, California|Hayward]]
| 162,954
|-
! scope="row" | [[Livermore, California|Livermore]]
| 87,955
|-
! scope="row" | [[Lodi, California|Lodi]]
| 66,348
|-
! scope="row" | [[Madera, California|Madera]]
| 66,224
|-
! scope="row" | [[Manteca, California|Manteca]]
| 83,498
|-
! scope="row" | [[Merced, California|Merced]]
| 86,333
|-
! scope="row" | [[Milpitas, California|Milpitas]]
| 80,273
|-
! scope="row" | [[Modesto, California|Modesto]]
| 218,464
|-
! scope="row" | [[Mountain View, California|Mountain View]]
| 82,376
|-
! scope="row" | [[Napa, California|Napa]]
| 79,246
|-
! scope="row" | [[Novato, California|Novato]]
| 53,225
|-
! scope="row" | [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]
| 440,646
|-
! scope="row" | [[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]]
| 68,572
|-
! scope="row" | [[Petaluma, California|Petaluma]]
| 59,776
|-
! scope="row" | [[Pittsburg, California|Pittsburg]]
| 76,416
|-
! scope="row" | [[Pleasanton, California|Pleasanton]]
| 79,871
|-
! scope="row" | [[Porterville, California|Porterville]]
| 62,623
|-
! scope="row" | [[Rancho Cordova, California|Rancho Cordova]]
| 79,332
|-
! scope="row" | [[Redding, California|Redding]]
| 93,611
|-
! scope="row" | [[Redwood City, California|Redwood City]]
| 84,292
|-
! scope="row" | [[Richmond, California|Richmond]]
| 116,448
|-
! scope="row" | [[Rocklin, California|Rocklin]]
| 71,601
|-
! scope="row" | [[Roseville, California|Roseville]]
| 147,773
|-
! scope="row" | [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]
| 524,943
|-
! scope="row" | [[Salinas, California|Salinas]]
| 163,542
|-
! scope="row" | [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]
| 873,965
|-
! scope="row" | [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
| 1,013,240
|-
! scope="row" | [[San Leandro, California|San Leandro]]
| 91,008
|-
! scope="row" | [[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]]
| 105,661
|-
! scope="row" | [[San Rafael, California|San Rafael]]
| 61,271
|-
! scope="row" | [[San Ramon, California|San Ramon]]
| 84,605
|-
! scope="row" | [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]]
| 127,647
|-
! scope="row" | [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]]
| 62,956
|-
! scope="row" | [[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]]
| 178,127
|-
! scope="row" | [[South San Francisco, California|South San Francisco]]
| 66,105
|-
! scope="row" | [[Stockton, California|Stockton]]
| 320,804
|-
! scope="row" | [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]]
| 155,805
|-
! scope="row" | [[Tracy, California|Tracy]]
| 93,000
|-
! scope="row" | [[Tulare, California|Tulare]]
| 68,875
|-
! scope="row" | [[Turlock, California|Turlock]]
| 72,740
|-
! scope="row" | [[Union City, California|Union City]]
| 70,143
|-
! scope="row" | [[Vacaville, California|Vacaville]]
| 102,386
|-
! scope="row" | [[Vallejo, California|Vallejo]]
| 126,090
|-
! scope="row" | [[Visalia, California|Visalia]]
| 141,384
|-
! scope="row" | [[Walnut Creek, California|Walnut Creek]]
| 70,127
|-
! scope="row" | [[Watsonville, California|Watsonville]]
| 52,590
|-
! scope="row" | [[West Sacramento, California|West Sacramento]]
| 53,915
|-
! scope="row" | [[Woodland, California|Woodland]]
| 61,032
|-
! scope="row" | [[Yuba City, California|Yuba City]]
| 70,117
|}

=== Metropolitan areas ===
Northern California is home to three of the state's four [[combined statistical areas|extended metropolitan areas]], which are home to over three-fourths of the region's population as of the [[2010 United States Census]]:<ref>Excerpted from [[2010 United States Census]]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Metropolitan region
! Population
|-
|[[San Francisco Bay Area]]
|align=right|7,468,390
|-
|[[Greater Sacramento]]
|align=right|2,461,780
|-
|[[Metropolitan Fresno]]
|align=right|1,081,315
|}

=== Major business districts ===
The following are major central business districts:
* [[Financial District, San Francisco|San Francisco Financial District]]
* [[Downtown Oakland]]
* [[Downtown Sacramento]]
* [[Downtown San Jose]]

== Transportation ==
''See also articles:''

* [[Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area]]
* [[Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area]]

''See also categories:''
{{div col|colwidth=22em|small=yes}}
* [[:Category:Transportation in Alameda County, California|Transportation in Alameda County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Alpine County, California|Transportation in Alpine County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Amador County, California|Transportation in Amador County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Butte County, California|Transportation in Butte County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Calaveras County, California|Transportation in Calaveras County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Colusa County, California|Transportation in Colusa County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Contra Costa County, California|Transportation in Contra Costa County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Del Norte County, California|Transportation in Del Norte County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in El Dorado County, California|Transportation in El Dorado County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Fresno County, California|Transportation in Fresno County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Glenn County, California|Transportation in Glenn County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Humboldt County, California|Transportation in Humboldt County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Inyo County, California|Transportation in Inyo County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Kings County, California|Transportation in Kings County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Lake County, California|Transportation in Lake County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Lassen County, California|Transportation in Lassen County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Madera County, California|Transportation in Madera County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Marin County, California|Transportation in Marin County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Mariposa County, California|Transportation in Mariposa County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Mendocino County, California|Transportation in Mendocino County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Merced County, California|Transportation in Merced County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Modoc County, California|Transportation in Modoc County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Mono County, California|Transportation in Mono County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Monterey County, California|Transportation in Monterey County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Napa County, California|Transportation in Napa County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Nevada County, California|Transportation in Nevada County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Oakland, California|Transportation in Oakland]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Placer County, California|Transportation in Placer County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Plumas County, California|Transportation in Plumas County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Sacramento, California|Transportation in Sacramento]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Sacramento County, California|Transportation in Sacramento County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in San Benito County, California|Transportation in San Benito County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area|Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in San Francisco|Transportation in San Francisco]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in San Joaquin County, California|Transportation in San Joaquin County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in San Mateo County, California|Transportation in San Mateo County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Santa Clara County, California|Transportation in Santa Clara County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Santa Cruz County, California|Transportation in Santa Cruz County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Shasta County, California|Transportation in Shasta County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Sierra County, California|Transportation in Sierra County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Siskiyou County, California|Transportation in Siskiyou County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Solano County, California|Transportation in Solano County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Sonoma County, California|Transportation in Sonoma County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Stanislaus County, California|Transportation in Stanislaus County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Sutter County, California|Transportation in Sutter County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Tehama County, California|Transportation in Tehama County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Trinity County, California|Transportation in Trinity County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Tulare County, California|Transportation in Tulare County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Tuolumne County, California|Transportation in Tuolumne County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Yolo County, California|Transportation in Yolo County]]
* [[:Category:Transportation in Yuba County, California|Transportation in Yuba County]]
{{div col end}}

=== Airports ===
{{Main|List of airports in California}}
[[File:International Terminal of San Francisco International Airport2.jpg|200px|thumb|San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the largest and busiest airport in northern California, also ranking second in the state and tenth in the United States.]]
[[File:Airbus A-300 UPS takes off (5863558111) (2).jpg|thumb|200px|[[San Jose International Airport]] is ranked as the best-run airport in the United States, by the [[American City Business Journals|ACBJ]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/03/16/san-jose-sjc-airport-ranking-flights-sfo.html |title=San Jose's SJC flies past SFO to the top of rankings as America's best-run airport |website=Silicon Valley Business Journal |access-date=November 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517230218/http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/03/16/san-jose-sjc-airport-ranking-flights-sfo.html |archive-date=May 17, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

There are 11 airports in Northern California categorized as Primary Service Commercial airports by the FAA:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/|title=Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) and All-Cargo Data for U.S. Airports – Airports|website=Faa.gov|access-date=February 6, 2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Airport !! ID !! City !!Category !!2018 Enplanements
|-
| [[San Francisco International Airport]]|| SFO || [[San Francisco]] || Large Hub || 27,794,154
|-
| [[San Jose International Airport]]|| SJC || [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] || Medium Hub || 7,037,144
|-
| [[Oakland International Airport]]|| OAK || [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] || Medium Hub || 6,687,963
|-
| [[Sacramento International Airport]]||SMF|| [[Sacramento]]|| Medium Hub || 5,907,901
|-
| [[Fresno Yosemite International Airport]]|| FAT||[[Fresno]] || Small Hub || 853,538
|-
| [[Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport]]|| STS|| [[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]] || Non Hub || 217,994
|-
| [[Monterey Regional Airport]]|| MRY||[[Monterey, California|Monterey]] || Non Hub || 188,046
|-
| [[Stockton Metropolitan Airport]]|| SCK||[[Stockton, California|Stockton]] || Non Hub || 99,258
|-
| [[Arcata-Eureka Airport]]|| ACV||[[Arcata, California|Arcata]] || Non Hub || 69,604
|-
| [[Redding Municipal Airport]]|| RDD||[[Redding, California|Redding]] || Non Hub || 42,775
|-
| [[Mammoth Yosemite Airport]]|| MMH||[[Mammoth Lakes, California|Mammoth Lakes]] || Non Hub || 23,522
|}

=== Railroad ===
[[File:Upper platform at 19th Street Oakland station, March 2007.jpg|200px|thumb|The [[19th Street Oakland station|19th Street Oakland]] BART station in downtown Oakland]]
* [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]] (BART) – commuter subway connecting most of the core Bay Area including [[San Francisco]], [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], and [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
* [[Caltrain]] – commuter rail between San Francisco and [[Gilroy, California|Gilroy]] (south of San Jose)
* [[Muni Metro]] (San Francisco)
* [[VTA light rail]] (San Jose)
* [[Altamont Corridor Express]] (ACE) – commuter train connecting [[Stockton, California|Stockton]] and the Central Valley with San Jose and the Bay Area
* [[Sacramento Regional Transit District]] light rail
* [[Amtrak]]:
** ''[[California Zephyr]]'' – connects [[Chicago]] to the Bay Area
** ''[[Capitol Corridor]]'' – San Jose to [[Auburn, California|Auburn]] (eastern suburb of Sacramento)
** ''[[Coast Starlight]]'' – coastal train between [[Los Angeles]] and [[Seattle]] with northern California stops in San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento
** ''[[San Joaquin (Amtrak)|San Joaquin]]'' – Central Valley train linking [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] in the Central Valley to Sacramento and Oakland

=== Major transit organizations ===
* [[AC Transit]]
* [[Arcata and Mad River Transit System]]
* [[County Connection]]
* [[El Dorado Transit]]
* [[Eureka Transit Service]]
* [[Fairfield and Suisun Transit]]
* [[Fresno Area Express]]
* [[Golden Gate Transit]]
* [[Lake Transit]]
* [[Mendocino Transit Authority]]
* [[Monterey-Salinas Transit]]
* [[Porterville City Operated Local Transit]]
* [[Redwood Transit System]]
* [[SamTrans]]
* [[San Benito Express]]
* [[San Francisco Municipal Railway|SF MUNI]]
* [[San Joaquin Regional Transit District]]
* [[Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority]] (VTA)
* [[Santa Cruz Metro]]
* [[Solano Express]]
* [[SolTrans]]
* [[Sonoma County Transit]]
* [[Tri Delta Transit]]
* [[Visalia Transit]]
* [[VINE (Napa County)]]

=== Major transit ferries ===
[[File:San Francisco Ferry Building.jpg|250px|thumb|The historic [[San Francisco Ferry Building]] is the busiest ferry terminal on the West Coast and connects Downtown San Francisco to various parts of the Bay Area.]]
* [[San Francisco Bay Ferry]]
* [[Golden Gate Ferry]]
* [[Blue & Gold Fleet]]
* [[Angel Island – Tiburon Ferry]]

=== Freeways ===
{{Category see also|San Francisco Bay Area freeways}}

==== Interstate highways ====
* [[File:I-80 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 80 in California|Interstate 80]] (Eastshore Freeway/Lincoln Highway)
* [[File:I-280 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 280 (California)|Interstate 280]] (Southern Embarcadero Freeway/Southern Freeway/Junipero Serra Freeway/Sinclair Freeway)
* [[File:I-380 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 380 (California)|Interstate 380]]
* [[File:I-580 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 580 (California)|Interstate 580]] (Eastshore Freeway/MacArthur Freeway/Brown Freeway)
* [[File:I-680 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 680 (California)|Interstate 680]] (Joseph P. Sinclair Freeway/Donald D. Doyle Highway/Blue Star Memorial Highway/Luther E. Gibson Freeway)
* [[File:I-780 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 780]]
* [[File:I-880 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 880 (California)|Interstate 880]] (Nimitz Freeway)
* [[File:I-980 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 980]] (Grove-Shafter Freeway)
* [[File:I-238 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 238]]
* [[File:I-5 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 5 in California|Interstate 5]] (Golden State Freeway/West Side Freeway)
* [[File:I-205 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 205 (California)|Interstate 205]] (Robert T. Monagan Freeway)
* [[File:I-505 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 505]]
* [[File:Business Loop 80.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 80 Business (Sacramento, California)|Interstate 80 Business]] (Capital City Freeway)

==== U.S. Routes ====
[[File:GoldenGateBridge.jpg|thumbnail|The [[Golden Gate Bridge]] is one of northern California's most well-known landmarks and one of the most famous bridges in the world.]]
* [[File:US 6 (1961 cutout).svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 6 in California|U.S. Route 6]]
* [[File:US 50 (CA).svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 50 in California|U.S. Route 50]] (El Dorado Freeway)
* [[File:US 101 (1961 cutout).svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 101 in California|U.S. Route 101]] (South Valley Freeway/Bayshore Freeway/James Lick Freeway/Central Freeway/Redwood Highway/Michael J. Burns Freeway/Redwood Highway)
* [[File:US 395 (1961 cutout).svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 395 in California|U.S. Route 395]]
* [[File:US 97 (1961 cutout).svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 97 in California|U.S. Route 97]]
* [[File:US 199 (CA).svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 199]]
[[File:I-80 Eastshore Fwy.jpg|250px|thumb|I-80 and I-580 in [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] in the Bay Area]]

[[File:SR 120 Yosemite.jpg|250px|thumb|State Route 120 is one of the many highways that traverse the isolated areas of inner northern California.]]

==== Principal state highways ====
* [[File:California 1.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 1|State Route 1]] (Pacific Coast Highway/Cabrillo Highway)
* [[File:California 3.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 3|State Route 3]]
* [[File:California 4.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 4|State Route 4]]
* [[File:California 9.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 9|State Route 9]]
* [[File:California 12.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 12|State Route 12]]
* [[File:California 13.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 13|State Route 13]] (Ashby Avenue/Tunnel Road/Warren Freeway)
* [[File:California 16.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 16|State Route 16]]
* [[File:California 17.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 17|State Route 17]]
* [[File:California 20.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 20|State Route 20]]
* [[File:California 24.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 24|State Route 24]]
* [[File:California 25.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 25|State Route 25]]
* [[File:California 26.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 26|State Route 26]]
* [[File:California 29.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 29|State Route 29]]
* [[File:California 32.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 32|State Route 32]]
* [[File:California 33.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 33|State Route 33]]
* [[File:California 35.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 35|State Route 35]] (Skyline Boulevard)
* [[File:California 36.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 36|State Route 36]]
* [[File:California 37.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 37|State Route 37]] (Sears Point Tollway)
* [[File:California 41.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 41|State Route 41]] (E.G. Lewis Highway, Yosemite Freeway, Southern Yosemite Highway, Wawona Road)
* [[File:California 43.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 43|State Route 43]]
* [[File:California 44.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 44|State Route 44]]
* [[File:California 49.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 49|State Route 49]] (Golden Chain Highway)
* [[File:California 59.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 59|State Route 59]]
* [[File:California 61.svg|20px]]/[[File:California 112.svg|20px]]/[[File:California 260.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 61|State Route 61]] (Webster Tube/Posey Tube/Doolittle Drive/Davis Street)
* [[File:California 63.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 63|State Route 63]]
* [[File:California 65.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 65|State Route 65]]
* [[File:California 68.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 68|State Route 68]]
* [[File:California 70.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 70|State Route 70]]
* [[File:California 82.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 82|State Route 82]] (Monterey Highway/El Camino Real/Mission Street)
* [[File:California 84.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 84|State Route 84]]
* [[File:California 85.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 85|State Route 85]] (Stevens Creek Freeway/West Valley Freeway/Norman Y. Mineta Highway/CHP Officer Scott M. Greenly Memorial Freeway)
* [[File:California 87.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 87|State Route 87]] (Guadalupe Parkway)
* [[File:California 88.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 88|State Route 88]]
* [[File:California 89.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 89|State Route 89]]
* [[File:California 92.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 92|State Route 92]] (J. Arthur Younger Freeway/Jackson Street)
* [[File:California 96.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 96|State Route 96]]
* [[File:California 99.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 99|State Route 99]]
* [[File:California 104.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 104|State Route 104]]
* [[File:California 108.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 108|State Route 108]]
* [[File:California 113.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 113|State Route 113]]
* [[File:California 116.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 116|State Route 116]]
* [[File:California 120.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 120|State Route 120]]
* [[File:California 121.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 121|State Route 121]]
* [[File:California 128.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 128|State Route 128]]
* [[File:California 130.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 130|State Route 130]]
* [[File:California 132.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 132|State Route 132]]
* [[File:California 137.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 137|State Route 137]]
* [[File:California 139.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 139|State Route 139]]
* [[File:California 140.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 140|State Route 140]]
* [[File:California 152.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 152|State Route 152]]
* [[File:California 156.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 156|State Route 156]]
* [[File:California 160.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 160|State Route 160]] (North Sacramento Freeway/River Road)
* [[File:California 162.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 162|State Route 162]]
* [[File:California 165.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 165|State Route 165]]
* [[File:California 168.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 168|State Route 168]]
* [[File:California 174.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 174|State Route 174]]
* [[File:California 180.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 180|State Route 180]]
* [[File:California 185.svg|20px]]/[[File:California 77.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 185|State Route 185]] (International Boulevard/East 14th Street/Mission Boulevard)
* [[File:California 190.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 190|State Route 190]]
* [[File:California 193.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 193|State Route 193]]
* [[File:California 198.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 198|State Route 198]]
* [[File:California 201.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 201|State Route 201]]
* [[File:California 216.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 216|State Route 216]]
* [[File:California 219.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 219|State Route 219]]
* [[File:California 236.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 236|State Route 236]]
* [[File:California 237.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 237|State Route 237]]
* [[File:California 238.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 238|State Route 238]] (Mission Boulevard, Foothill Boulevard)
* [[File:California 245.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 245|State Route 245]]
* [[File:California 254.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 254|State Route 254]] (Avenue of the Giants)
* [[File:California 262.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 262|State Route 262]] (Mission Boulevard)
* [[File:California 267.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 267|State Route 267]]
* [[File:California 269.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 269|State Route 269]]
* [[File:California 275.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 275|State Route 275]] (Tower Bridge Gateway)
* [[File:California 299.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 299|State Route 299]]

== Communication ==

=== Telephone area codes ===
* [[Area code 209|209]]&nbsp;— Northern [[San Joaquin Valley]] ([[Stockton, California|Stockton]], [[Modesto, California|Modesto]], and [[Merced, California|Merced]]).
* [[Area codes 408 and 669|408/669]]&nbsp;— Most of [[Santa Clara County]] ([[San Jose, California|San Jose]] and [[Gilroy, California|Gilroy]]).
* [[Area codes 415 and 628|415/628]]&nbsp;— [[San Francisco]], [[Daly City, California|Daly City]], and [[Marin County]]. One of the three original [[Telephone numbering plan#Area code|Area Codes]] in California.
* [[Area codes 510 and 341|510/341]]&nbsp;— Inner [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]] ([[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]], [[Richmond, California|Richmond]], and [[Fremont, California|Fremont]]). Originally part of area code 415.
* [[Area code 530|530]]&nbsp;— A large northeastern section of the region including [[Tehama County]], [[Shasta County]], [[Lassen County]], [[Yuba County]], [[Sutter County]], [[Butte County, California|Butte County]], and [[Nevada County, California|Nevada County]]. Split from area code 916 in 1997–1998.
* [[Area code 559|559]]&nbsp;— Southern [[San Joaquin Valley]] ([[Madera, California|Madera]], [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], and [[Visalia, California|Visalia]]).
* [[Area code 650|650]]&nbsp;— [[San Francisco Peninsula]] ([[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]], [[Redwood City, California|Redwood City]], and [[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]]). Originally part of area code 415.
* [[Area code 707|707]]&nbsp;— The [[North Coast, California|North Coast]] section of the region from [[Sonoma County]] to the [[Oregon]] border. Cities include [[Eureka, California|Eureka]], [[Ukiah, California|Ukiah]], [[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]], [[Napa, California|Napa]], [[Vallejo, California|Vallejo]] and [[Fairfield, California|Fairfield]].
* [[Area code 831|831]]&nbsp;— [[Monterey County, California|Monterey]], [[San Benito County, California|San Benito]] and [[Santa Cruz County, California|Santa Cruz Counties]]. Originally part of area code 408.
* [[Area code 916|916/279]]&nbsp;— [[Sacramento County]] and the [[Sacramento]] suburbs in western [[Placer County, California|Placer]] and [[El Dorado County, California|El Dorado Counties]]. One of the three original area codes in California, formerly covered all areas now within 530.
* [[Area code 925|925]]&nbsp;— Outer [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]] ([[Concord, California|Concord]], [[Pittsburg, California|Pittsburg]], [[Walnut Creek, California|Walnut Creek]], [[San Ramon, California|San Ramon]], [[Pleasanton, California|Pleasanton]] and [[Livermore, California|Livermore]]). Originally part of area codes 415 and 510.<ref>For current information, see [http://www.nanpa.com/ nanpa.com], the North American Numbering Plan Administration site.</ref>

== Sports ==
{{See also|Bay Bridge Series|Sports in California#Northern California–Southern California rivalry}}

=== Major league professional sports teams ===

{| class="wikitable"
!Sport!!League!!Team!!Venue !!City
|-
| rowspan=2 style="padding:0 10px;" | [[Baseball]]
| rowspan=2 style="padding:0 10px;" | [[Major League Baseball|MLB]]
| style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | [[Oakland Athletics]] <small>([[American League]])</small>
| style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" |[[O.co Coliseum|RingCentral Coliseum]]
| [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]
|-
| style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | [[San Francisco Giants]] <small>([[National League (baseball)|National League]])</small>
| style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | [[Oracle Park]]
| [[San Francisco]]
|-
| rowspan=2 style="padding:0 10px;" | [[Basketball]]
| rowspan=2 style="padding:0 10px;" | [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | [[Golden State Warriors]]
| style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" |[[Chase Center]]
| [[San Francisco]]
|-
| style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | [[Sacramento Kings]]
| style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | [[Golden 1 Center]]
|[[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]
|-
| style="padding:10px;" | [[American football|Football]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[National Football League|NFL]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[San Francisco 49ers]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[Levi's Stadium]]
| [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]]
|-
| style="padding:10px;" | [[Ice hockey]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[National Hockey League|NHL]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[San Jose Sharks]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[SAP Center at San Jose|SAP Center]]
| [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
|-
| style="padding:10px;" | [[Association football|Soccer]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[Major League Soccer|MLS]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[San Jose Earthquakes]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[Avaya Stadium]]
| [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
|-
| style="padding:10px;" | [[Indoor American football|Indoor football]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[Indoor Football League|IFL]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[Bay Area Panthers]]
| style="padding:10px;" | [[SAP Center]]
| [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
|}

=== College sports teams ===
* [[California Golden Bears]]
* [[Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks]]
* [[Stanford Cardinal]]
* [[Fresno State Bulldogs]]
* [[San Jose State Spartans]]
* [[Sacramento State Hornets]]
* [[UC Davis Aggies]]

=== Sports venues ===
* [[Laguna Seca Raceway]] (motorsport)
* [[Sonoma Raceway]] (motorsport)
* [[Olympic Club]] (golf)
* [[Silverado Country Club]] (golf)
* [[TPC Harding Park]] (golf)
* [[TPC Stonebrae]] (golf)

=== Sporting events ===
* [[Pac-12 Football Championship Game]] (college football)
* [[Emerald Bowl]] (college football)
* [[AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am]] (golf)
* [[Safeway Open|Frys.com Open]] (golf)
* [[Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic]] (golf)
* [[Grand Prix of Sonoma]] (motorsport)
* [[Toyota/Save Mart 350]] (motorsport)
* [[Monterey Sports Car Championships]] (motorsport)
* [[Superbike World Championship]] (motorsport)

== See also ==
{{Portal|California|San Francisco Bay Area}}
* [[Northern California Megaregion]]
* [[California megapolitan areas]]
* [[Central California]]
* [[History of California through 1899]]
* [[History of the west coast of North America]]
* [[Jefferson (proposed Pacific state)]]
* [[Megaregions of the United States]]
* [[Southern California]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*Real Estate Engineering and Architect Service in California. {{Cite web|title=Leading Pre-Construction Service Providers in California|url=https://designeverest.com/|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=Design Everest|language=en}}

{{California}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Northern California| ]]
[[Category:Megapolitan areas of California]]
[[Category:Regions of California]]