California Central Valley
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The California Central Valley dominates the central portion of the state of California. Bounded by the Cascade Range to the north, the Sierra Nevada to the east, the Tehachapi Mountains to the south, and the Coast Range and San Francisco Bay to the west, this very large valley is a vast agricultural region drained by the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The northern area (north of the Mokelumne River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta) is called the Sacramento Valley; the southern area is called the San Joaquin Valley. Major tributaries of these two rivers that flow into the California Central Valley include:
- Sacramento Valley
- San Joaquin Valley
- Cosumnes River
- Mokelumne River
- Stanislaus River
- Tuolumne River
- Merced River
- Chowchilla River
- Kings River
- Kern River
Major cities in the Central Valley include Sacramento (California state capital), Stockton, Fresno, Redding, and Bakersfield.
The Central Valley Project was formed in 1935 to redistribute and store water for agricultural and municipal purposes with dams and canals.
Culturally, the Central Valley is very different than the rest of California. While California is identified with liberal politics, the Central Valley outside of the major cities tends to vote for Republicans or more conservative Democrats.
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