California Geography GEOG 140 Intro to California • “The Golden State” • Spanish maps from 1560s (Nueva; Alta) • Over 100 indigenous languages (300,000 people) prior to European Contact California Facts • 31st US State (September 9, 1850) • Capital City: Sacramento • Largest City: Los Angeles • 2016 Estimated Population (US Census): 39,250,017 • Canada has 35 million people • Largest US state by population, third largest by land area California Political Geography • 58 Total Counties • “Northern California” versus “Southern California” • Vernacular regions • SoCal… 10 southern most counties??? California’s Cultural Situation • High degrees of isolation • Tough terrine encourages diversification • Spanish Presidio-mission-pueblo plan to settle Coastal Valleys • Mexican control after 1822 • Mid 1800s “Gold Rush” drives (English speaking) American settlement California Location • Geographic Center – Madera County • Latitude 37°, 9’, 23” N • Longitude 119°, 26’, 59.3” W • 32°, 30’ N – Baja California Border • 42° N – Oregon Border • 120° W – Nevada Border; 114° W – Arizona Border (Colorado River) • 124° W – Near Eureka (Pacific Ocean) Extreme Vertical Relief in California • Mt. Whitney: 14,495 ft • Death Valley, Near Badwater Basin: -282 ft Sequoia National Park • Tallest living organisms on Earth! $$$ • California is the richest state in the US! • GDP of $2.5 trillion (2015) • 6th largest global GDP • USA, China, Japan, Germany, UK… California California’s Economic Situation • Pacific Rim (countries on coasts of Pacific Ocean) • China, Japan, and South Korea • Trade with Asia California’s Physical Situation • Tectonics! - Several plate boundaries involved • Latitude, landforms and currents • Extremely diverse climate distributions and biomes Human Environment Interactions in California • Landscape modification… e.g. Imperial Valley (AC and water) • Valleys and basins preferred for settlement (cismontane) • Coastal climates preferred for large populations • Access to irrigation via canal or ground water necessary for most farming • Recreate agricultural practices found in other parts for world with similar climates (Oranges, Sudan Grass, Dates) Settlement and Population Density • Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose… three largest cities, part of three largest metropolitan systems California’s Physiographic Regions Mountains Around Us in So Cal… • Peninsular Ranges • Santa Ana, San Jacinto, Temescal, Perris Block and Laguna Mountains • Transverse Ranges • Santa Ynez, San Rafael, Sierra Madre, Topatopa, Santa Susana, Santa Monica, San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains Northwestern California and the Klamath Mountains • Counties: Del Norte, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Shasta and Tehama • Major cities: Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna and Crescent City • Klamath Mountains – Subduction Zone with metamorphic rock (very rugged) • High degrees of erosion with dendritic drainage • Heavily forested (especially coastal ranges) North/Central California, Southern Cascades • Counties: Siskiyou, Shasta • Major City: Redding • Notable composite volcanoes • Mt. Shasta (second largest volcano in Cascades) • Some active volcanism (Mt. Lassen, erupted in 1917) • Glacial landscapes • More drier and continental climate than Klamaths The Northeast and Modoc Plateau • Counties: Modoc, Lassen, Plumas • Major city: Susanville • Volcanic mountains, but smaller than Cascades • Aspen Forest at higher elevations • Basalt lava flows • In two rain shadows, so low elevations are dry • Economic isolation and low population density Basin and Range • Counties: Mono, Inyo • Major settlement: Mammoth Lakes • Horst Graben landscape • Rain shadow of the Sierras • Mammoth Mountain and Mono Lake • Tourism major economic driver Sierra Nevada • Counties: Plumas, Sierra, Butte, Yuba, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kern • Cities Paradise, South Lake Tahoe, Truckee • Largest Mountain Range in CA • Classic rain show environment • Vertical zonation leads to a diversity of climates • Snow pack extremely important for State’s water budget • Tourism in Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Sierra Nevada Southern California Deserts • 20 percent of California • “Transmontane” Southern California • 2 Major zones: Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert Mojave Desert • Counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino • Cities: Palmdale, Victorville, Apple Valley • High Desert with deep valleys • Salt flats common (high evaporation, mineral rich water) • Cooler than the Colorado overall, due to higher elevation • Joshua Tree National Park • Mining and military activities Colorado Desert • Counties: Imperial, Riverside, San Diego • Major Cities: Indio, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, El Centro, Coachella, Calexico • Low Desert • Hotter, lower and drier than the Mojave • 5 inches of rain per year • Temps can hold in the 110s in the day and 80s at night • Heavily irrigated (long growing season) • More settlement than Mojave Desert Peninsular Ranges and South Coast • Greater San Diego, San Diego County • Major Cities: San Diego, Chula vista, Oceanside, Escondido • Military, Tourism, Retirement and Real Estate • Slightly drier climate than the rest of the So Cal coast • Most settlement on the windward side of mountains Inland Empire • Counties: San Bernardino, Riverside • Cities: Riverside, San Bernardino, Fontana, Moreno Valley • Urban sprawl extending east from Los Angeles • Citrus groves, Csa Climates to semi desert • Retirement communities and commuters • Issues with smog from the L.A. Basin • Rapid population growth until 2008 Orange County • Major Cities: Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove • Citrus growing • Suburbs of LA, that have grown into urban systems in and of themselves • Major urban establishment in 1960s and 1970s • Slightly flatter landscape than LA and SD counties until Santa Ana Mountains Los Angeles Area • LA is the second largest city in the US (3,971,883 people) • LA Metro Area has 12,828,837 people! • More people than any US state except for Texas, Florida and New York • Urban sprawl, low rise buildings extending out from downtown skyscrapers • Agglomeration economies • Extreme income inequality Transverse Ranges (North of LA) • Counties: Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles • Major Cities: Oxnard, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley • Agriculture meets industry • Many residents commute into LA • Santa Anna Winds cause winter heatwaves (wild fire hazard) • Universities and Beaches (Channel Islands) • Tourism (Lake Arrowhead; Big Bear) • Pivot Point… San Andreas meets Garlock Fault Central Coast and Coast Ranges • Counties: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, San Francisco, Contra Costa • Cities: Salinas, Santa Maria, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo • Coastal mountains follow the San Andreas fault, eventually blending with the Klamath Mountains • Lots of marine life, and historically good fishing • “Big Sur” Coastline • Mediterranean Csb climates • Excellent for grapes San Francisco Bay Area • Major Cities: San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Sunnyvale • Silicon Valley (High Tech) • An LA alternative, with much less traffic • Very expensive • Starting to experience suburban sprawl (San Jose) • People are priced out of down town SF The Central Valley • Counties: Tehama, Glenn, Butte, Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Placer, Yolo, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern • Cities: Fresno, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto • Huge flat basin with two major sections: Sacrament Valley and San Joaquin Valley • Highly productive agricultural area with ground water reserves.