34 Must Know Central Valley California Facts: Must Read!

California's Central Valley is commonly known as 'The Valley' by the residents of Central Valley California.

The Central Valley of California is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, located between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range. The Valley is home to over 7 million people and boasts diverse agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism economy.

The Central Valley is a great place to live, and there are plenty of interesting facts about this region that you should know. If you're looking for some interesting facts about this great region, you've come to the right place. Read our 34 must-know Central Valley California facts if you're a long-time resident or just visiting.

Tourism-Related Facts About The Central Valley Region Of California

The Central Valley lies between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range, divided by San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley. And there are many rivers and dams constructed under the Central Valley Project. Learn all the tourism-related facts about the Central Valley region of California.

Within the Central Valley and the interior of Coast Range, California has over 18 million acres of rangelands. And millions of Pacific Flyway birds migrate through various regions every year.

The Valley region of California is home to many musicians like Buck Owens, Billy Mize, The Maddox Brothers, and Rose, Red Simpson, Merle Haggard, the Paradons, Brittany Tanny, and the Colts from genres Funk, Jazz, Country, Nu Metal, Soul, and Doowop.

The Valley has American music influences of the '50s and '60s through the 'Bakersfield Sound' and 'Doowop Era.' The Bakersfield Sound is often referred to as Central California Hip Hop, Central Valley Hip Hop, Indie Hip Hop, West Coast Rap, and Underground Rap.

Many tourist attractions in the Valley are the flatness of the valley floor contrasts with gentle mountains and rugged hills of California terrain and river systems.

Tourist places include the Sacramento river with too little fresh water, Yosemite National Park, best known for its waterfalls, Kings Canyon National Park, known for its largest remaining grove of sequoia trees in the world, and Sequoia National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada.

The Central Valley is the known unknown hero in California's wine industry. The Valley produces more than half of the state's grapes.

The Central Valley is also known for its almonds. The Central Valley is known as the 'World Almond Capital,' with almonds production of millions of pounds each year by the local farmers and corporations. It is the top crop in Fresno County and the second-largest in the state.

The Central Valley is also home to many museums and historical sites, such as the California State Railroad Museum, which is home to polar express and also regarded as North America's railroad system. Another historic site is Fresno Chaffee Zoo, which houses over 190 species.

The Central Valley Project of California helped establish many dams. Some dams constructed under the Central Valley Project include Shasta Dam, Oroville Dam, Folsom Dam, New Melones Dam, Don Pedro Dam, Hetch Hetchy Dam, Friant Dam, Pine Flat Dam, and Isabella Dam. These dams were constructed on rivers, many of them being part of the Central Valley Project.

California Central Valley Animal Facts

The Central Valley's floor is combined with the fertile soil and expansive area ideal for agriculture and farming. The Valley is home to many different species of animals, including the California condor, the largest land bird in North America. Learn more about the animals in the Valley region.

The Central Valley is also home to the bumblebee bat, the smallest mammal in the world.

There are over 200 species in the Central Valley, including bass, trout, and catfish.

With the fertile soil and native grasslands, Valley is home to several herbivores like Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocarpa Americana), The Tule Elk, Elk, California Ground Squirrels, Mice, Rabbits, Hare, Gopher, Kangaroo Rats, and Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).

Endangered species and migrating birds that live here are San Joaquin Kit Fox. Other reptiles and amphibians in the Valley include Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia sila), Western Aquatic Garter Snake (Thamnophis couchii), San Joaquin Coachwio Snake (Masticophis flagellum ruddocki), and Gilbert's Skink (Eumeces gilberti).

The Central Valley is home to endemic fish species like Sacramento blackfish, Sacramento pikeminnow, Sacramento splittail, and Sacramento perch.

Nutrition Facts About Central Valley California

The Central Valley region in California is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Learn the nutrition facts about the Central Valley region in California.

Over 250 different crops are grown in the Central Valley, with an estimated $17 billion per annum. The climate and fertile soil make the central Valley ideal for agriculture.

Roughly 12% of the Central Valley area in Madera County alone have over 1500 farms and ranches.

Some of the most popular fruits and vegetables are grown in the Central Valley include tomatoes, grapes, almonds, pistachios, and citrus fruits.

Four of the five best olive oils from California are produced and exported from the Central Valley.

Nearly 20% of the nation's groundwater supply is from Central Valley aquifers. The Valley is recognized to have the second most pumped aquifer system in the United States of America.

Tulare County in Central Valley is the statewide and nationwide leader in milk production.

California Central Valley Geography Facts

Over centuries, the Central Valley was filled with sediments and the rising Sierra Nevada to the east; it created an extraordinary flatness above sea level. California has a massive flood control and aqueduct system, with the annual snowmelt turning much of the Valley into an inland sea.

The Central Valley is one of the most important agricultural regions in the world, producing over 250 different crops.

The Central Valley has a semi-arid desert climate, with hot summers and cool winters. Learn the geographical features of the Central Valley Region of California.

Central Valley, or the Great Valley of California, has a well-known structural depression divided into two smaller valleys, north Sacramento Valley and South San Joaquin Valley. The Sacramento River and the north San Joaquin river converge to San Francisco Bay-delta through two significant river systems drain.

The Central Valley's watershed is at 60,000 sq mi (160,000 sq km) covers over a third of California, with 46% of water draining into the Sacramento River, 26% of water draining into the San Joaquin, and 27% of a river draining into Tulare Basin essentially.

There are four major rivers of Sierra Nevada where the south part of San Joaquin would expand during spring to the Southernquin Valley coast ranges. The rivers are Kings, Kaweah, Tule, and Kern. The Southernquin valley is rich in alluvial soil, and its basin gets filled during heavy annual snowmelt and spills out into the San Joaquin River.

The Central Valley is prone to flooding, especially in the old Tulare Lake, Buena Vista Lake, and Kern Lake rivers. The Kings, Kaweah, Tule, and Kern rivers originally flowed into the seasonal lakes like Tulare and Buena, which expand spring to flood large parts of the southern San Joaquin Valley.

The construction of towns and lakebeds infrastructure flows roughly northwest, south, southeast and helps avoid the risk of flood by preventing them from levee systems. A levee system has the primary function of acting as a physical barrier to prevent the risk of flooding.

Many of the islands in Central Valley now lie below sea level because of intensive agriculture and have a high risk of flooding, which would cause saltwater to rush back into the San Francisco Bay delta, especially when there is too little fresh water flowing in from the Valley.

In 2003, Sacramento had both the least protection and nearly the highest risk of flooding.

The Central Valley length is 8,000 sq mi (47,000 sq km), and the flat valley floor covers more than 40-60 mi (60-100 km). The Valley is home to more than 6.5 million people.

The Sierra Nevada bounds the Valley to the east, the Cascade Ranges, Klamath Mountains to the north, Coast Range, San Francisco to the west, and Tehachapi Mountains to the south.

The Valley has a hot Mediterranean climate with cool winters and hot summers. It is hot and dry during the summer and cool and damp in winter when frequent ground fog, known as 'tule fog,' can obscure vision.

Mid-autumn to mid-spring would be the best visit for experiencing coast ranges streams in rainy seasons. During summer, southeastern winds can bring tropical-origin thunderstorms.

The storms are mainly recorded in the southern half of the San Joaquin Valley and sometimes in the Sacramento Valley. The northern half of the Central Valley receives greater atmospheric water vapor compared to the southern half of the semidesert.

The valley floor is mostly farmland, with some urban areas with productive agriculture regions. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, which run through the Central Valley, are abundant in rains and melting snows.

The Valley is one of the most important agricultural regions in the world, producing crops such as rice, grapes, whole grains, tomatoes, fruits, nuts, and cotton.

The population centers of Central Valley, California, are Bakersfield, Sacramento, Redding, and Fresno. The cities act as regional commerce and transportation.

There are many flat valley floors and volcanoes; one of the notable flat valley floors is the Sutter Buttes, an extinct volcano located in the northwest of Yuba City.

Yet another significant geographical feather of the Valley is 'The Stockton.' Stockton is the crust beneath the valley sediments, extending southwest to northeast across the Valley.

FAQs

What is so important about the Central Valley?

A: The Valley supplies nearly 8% of US agricultural output with only 1% of US farmlands. The products produced from the valley cover 1/4 of the nation's food. It includes 40% of the nation's table foods, fruits, and nuts.

How long is California's Central Valley?

A: Central Valley is 450 mi (720 km) long and around 30-60 mi (78-155 km) wide. It is divided by San Joaquin Valley in the southern Central Valley and the Sacramento Valley in the northern Central Valley.

What cities are in the Central Valley of California?

A: The Valley has fertile soil with productive agricultural regions in the United States of America. The Valley encompasses significant cities in this region, the state's capital Sacramento County, Stockton, Fresno, and Modesto.

What animals live in the Central Valley region of California?

A: With the fertile soil and native grasslands, Valley is home to several herbivores like Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocarpa Americana), The Tule Elk, Elk, California Ground squirrels, mice, rabbits, Hare, Gopher, Kangaroo rats, and Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).

What irrigation system provides water for the Central Valley in California?

A: The primary irrigation system CVP was built in 1933. The purpose is to provide irrigation and municipal water to all of the Valley region.

What makes the Central Valley region important to California?

A: The central valley region is important to California, as it supports 8% of the US agricultural output with less than 1% of farmland of the United States of America.