Northern California

{{Short description|American geographic and cultural region}} {{About|the northern part of the U.S. state|the historic region|Alta California|}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Northern California | image_skyline = {{multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 300 | caption_align = center | perrow = 2/2/2/2 | 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 = Marin County | image3 = Downtown San Jose (30001966530).jpg | caption3 = San Jose | image4 = Squaw Valley Gondola.jpg | caption4 = Lake Tahoe | image5 = Natural Bridges State Park (16328059535).jpg | caption5 = Natural Bridges State Beach |image6 = Financial District, San Francisco.jpg |caption6 = San Francisco | image7 = Sacramento,-California---State-Capitol (cropped).jpg | caption7 = The California State Capitol in Sacramento | image8 = Muir Woods National Monument (47879029461).jpg | caption8 = Muir Woods National Monument }} | 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 San Francisco Sacramento Fresno Oakland Stockton Fremont Modesto Roseville Elk Grove Santa Rosa Salinas Hayward Sunnyvale Visalia Chico Redding San Mateo San Rafael Eureka Susanville | subdivision_name3 = | seat_type = Largest city | seat = San Jose | population_as_of = 2020 | population_total = 15,775,319 | area_total_sq_mi = 107191 | area_footnotes = (10-county)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.counties.org/pod/square-mileage-county|title=Square Mileage by County |publisher=California State Association of Counties |access-date=March 2, 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227233117/http://www.counties.org/pod/square-mileage-county|archive-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref> | population_demonym = Northern Californian | demographics_type2 = GDP | demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{citation |title=Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/release?rid=397 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-date=March 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313103326/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/release?rid=397 |url-status=live }}</ref> | demographics2_title1 = Total | demographics2_info1 = $1.65 trillion (2022) }}

'''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 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> One of the 11 megaregions of the United States,<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> Northern California in its largest definition is determined by dividing the state into two parts, the other being Southern California. The region's main population centers include the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, Metropolitan Fresno, and the Monterey Bay Area.

Northern California is coterminous with the natural range of the coast redwood and the giant sequoia, with many well-known old-growth forests and smaller groves. It contains 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), and most of the 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 and most powerful companies in the world, including Alphabet Inc. (Google), Apple, Meta, and Nvidia.

Evidence of Native American habitation in the area dates from at least 19,000 years ago<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gannon |first=Megan I. |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 explorers from the early 16th to the mid-18th centuries did not establish European settlements in northern California. In 1770, the Spanish mission at Monterey was the first European settlement in the area, followed by other missions along the coast—eventually extending as far north as 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=== thumb|Map of northern California counties California experienced a population boom during 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 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>

[[File:California divided in 1859 by the Pico Act.png|left|thumb|upright|The Pico Act of 1859 proposed to divide California to create the Territory of Colorado in the south, with the northern area retaining the name of California.]] 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 started in the west 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 and San Luis Obispo counties. The proposed border bent southward to capture more of the Central Valley, then it angled northeast from Old Tejon Ranch to the California border.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rvdEAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA350 |pages=350–351 |title=Journals of the Legislature of the State of California |volume=2 |date=March 3, 1859 |last1=Legislature |first1=California }}</ref> The new southern portion was to be called the 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 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 37°N, near the latitude of Morgan Hill and Chowchilla. The geographic center of California is at {{coord|37|09|58|N|119|26|58|W|display=inline}} near 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 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, or more recently to introduce legislation to 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, touching the counties of Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, and 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 == thumb|Satellite image of Northern California at night 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, 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 the first to isolate and name fourteen transuranic chemical elements, 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, 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, San Francisco, 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 cities such as Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, Turlock and Modesto. These cities in the central part of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills may be viewed as part of a single 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 on the far North Coast, Redding, at the northern end of the Central Valley, Chico, and Yuba City in the mid-north of the Central Valley, as well as Fresno and Visalia on the southern end. Though smaller in each case, with the notable exception of 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, 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, 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, the fifth-largest city by population in Northern California. Oakland is the major port city of the region and the center of Northern California's African American community. </gallery>

== History == thumb|Map of negotiation of the border between Mexico and the United States (1845-1848) as part of the American intervention in México.

=== Prehistory to 1847 === Inhabited for millennia by Native Americans, from the Shasta tribe in the north, to the Miwoks 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 in today's Oregon.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/cabr/juan.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011001559/http://www.nps.gov/archive/cabr/juan.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 11, 2006 | 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 galleons 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 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.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823164224/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ca/intro.htm#:~:text=The%20first%20explorers%20and%20settlers,first%20Europeans%20to%20visit%20California.|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 23, 2007|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

==== Spanish era ==== The first European inhabitants were Spanish missionaries, who built missions along the California coast. The mission at Monterey was first established in 1770, and at San Francisco in 1776. In all, ten missions stretched along the coast from Sonoma to Monterey (and still more missions to the southern tip of Baja California). In 1786, the 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 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 ''Californios'' (Spanish-speaking Californians) in these settlements primarily traded cattle hides and tallow with American and European merchant vessels.

[[File:Trees and sunshine.JPG|thumb|Coast Redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument, in Marin County]] In 1825, the Hudson's Bay Company established a major trading post 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}} centered on the area of today's 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 "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 (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 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.<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 people coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. 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-|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 steamships which came into regular service and railroads which now connected the coasts. The Gold Rush also had negative effects: American colonists chose to use genocide as a tool to remove the 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 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 – 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 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.

thumb|Map visualizing employment statistics in Northern California in 2017 == Economy == 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 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 the western branches of federal agencies and courts, including the Federal Reserve, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

===Megaregion=== {| class="infobox" style="width:320px; float:right; text-align:center;" |- | {{maplink | frame=yes | plain=yes | frame-align=center | frame-width=290 | frame-height=240 | zoom=6 | frame-coord={{coord|37.5500|-121.7100}}

| type1=shape|id1=Q62|title1=San Francisco County|stroke-color1=#AA0000|stroke-width1=0.5|fill1=#AA0000|fill-opacity1=0.4 | type2=shape|id2=Q108101|title2=San Mateo County|stroke-color2=#AA0000|stroke-width2=0.5|fill2=#AA0000|fill-opacity2=0.4 | type3=shape|id3=Q107146|title3=Alameda County|stroke-color3=#AA0000|stroke-width3=0.5|fill3=#AA0000|fill-opacity3=0.4 | type4=shape|id4=Q108058|title4=Contra Costa County|stroke-color4=#AA0000|stroke-width4=0.5|fill4=#AA0000|fill-opacity4=0.4 | type5=shape|id5=Q108117|title5=Marin County|stroke-color5=#AA0000|stroke-width5=0.5|fill5=#AA0000|fill-opacity5=0.4 | type6=shape|id6=Q109656|title6=San Benito County|stroke-color6=#FF9200|stroke-width6=0.5|fill6=#FF9200|fill-opacity6=0.4 | type7=shape|id7=Q110739|title7=Santa Clara County|stroke-color7=#FF9200|stroke-width7=0.5|fill7=#FF9200|fill-opacity7=0.4 | type8=shape|id8=Q108499|title8=San Joaquin County|stroke-color8=#06A94D|stroke-width8=0.5|fill8=#06A94D|fill-opacity8=0.4 | type9=shape|id9=Q108503|title9=Stanislaus County|stroke-color9=#06A94D|stroke-width9=0.5|fill9=#06A94D|fill-opacity9=0.4 | type10=shape|id10=Q108083|title10=Solano County|stroke-color10=#FF00FF|stroke-width10=0.5|fill10=#FF00FF|fill-opacity10=0.4 | type11=shape|id11=Q109690|title11=Merced County|stroke-color11=#06A94D|stroke-width11=0.5|fill11=#06A94D|fill-opacity11=0.4 | type12=shape|id12=Q108122|title12=Santa Cruz County|stroke-color12=#FBBF00|stroke-width12=0.5|fill12=#FFFF00|fill-opacity12=0.4 | type13=shape|id13=Q108137|title13=Napa County|stroke-color13=#FF00FF|stroke-width13=0.5|fill13=#FF00FF|fill-opacity13=0.4 | type14=shape|id14=Q108093|title14=El Dorado County|stroke-color14=#0003FF|stroke-width14=0.5|fill14=#0003FF|fill-opacity14=0.4 | type15=shape|id15=Q156353|title15=Placer County|stroke-color15=#0003FF|stroke-width15=0.5|fill15=#0003FF|fill-opacity15=0.4 | type16=shape|id16=Q108131|title16=Sacramento County|stroke-color16=#0003FF|stroke-width16=0.5|fill16=#0003FF|fill-opacity16=0.4 | type17=shape|id17=Q109709|title17=Yolo County|stroke-color17=#0003FF|stroke-width17=0.5|fill17=#0003FF|fill-opacity17=0.4 | type18=shape|id18=Q196014|title18=Yuba County|stroke-color18=#00BCE4|stroke-width18=0.5|fill18=#00BCE4|fill-opacity18=0.4 | type19=shape|id19=Q156377|title19=Sutter County|stroke-color19=#00BCE4|stroke-width19=0.5|fill19=#00BCE4|fill-opacity19=0.4 | type20=shape|id20=Q109681|title20=Nevada County|stroke-color20=#0003FF|stroke-width20=0.5|fill20=#0003FF|fill-opacity20=0.4 | type21=shape|id21=Q108067|title21=Sonoma County|stroke-color21=#FF00FF|stroke-width21=0.5|fill21=#FF00FF|fill-opacity21=0.4 | type22=shape|id22=Q108072|title22=Monterey County|stroke-color22=#FBBF00|stroke-width22=0.5|fill22=#FFFF00|fill-opacity22=0.4 }} |- | {{center|'''Map of the Northern California Megaregion'''}} |- | {{Col-begin}} {{Col-break}} {{leftlegend|#AA0000|San Francisco–Oakland Metropolitan Area}} {{leftlegend|#FBBF00|San Jose Metropolitan Area}} {{leftlegend|#0003FF|Sacramento MSA and Truckee µSA}} {{leftlegend|#FF00FF|North Bay (Santa Rosa, Napa, Vallejo)<ref>North Bay sometimes also includes Marin County, which is part of the San Francisco, CA MSA</ref>}} {{leftlegend|#06A94D|Northern San Joaquin Valley}} {{leftlegend|#00BCE4|Yuba City Metropolitan Area}} {{leftlegend|#FFFF00|Monterey Bay Area}} {{Col-end}} |} Northern California is one of the 11 economic megaregions of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.america2050.org/northern_california.html|title=Northern California - America 2050|website=www.america2050.org|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.america2050.org/2007/04/the-northern-california-megare.html|title=The Northern California Megaregion – Definitions and Challenges - America 2050|website=www.america2050.org|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> Northern California is the fifth-most populous megaregion, has the highest gross regional product per capita of any megaregion ($96,029 per capita and $1.21 trillion in total),<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-metropolitan-area|title=GDP by Metropolitan Area {{!}} U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)|website=www.bea.gov|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> and makes up 5.9% of the U.S. economy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gross-domestic-product|title=Gross Domestic Product {{!}} U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)|website=www.bea.gov|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> 188,000 commuters cross among Northern California's population centers daily, including 132,000 people commuting into the San Francisco Bay Area.

The most common definition of the megaregion consists of the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, much of the San Joaquin Valley, and the Monterey Bay Area.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.spur.org/sites/default/files/publications_pdfs/SPUR_The_Northern_California_Megaregion.pdf|title=SPUR: The Northern California Megaregion|website=SPUR}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bayareaeconomy.org/report/the-northern-california-megaregion/|title=The Northern California Megaregion {{!}} Bay Area Council Economic Institute|language=en|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spur.org/news/2018-06-19/where-exactly-bay-area|title=Where Exactly Is "the Bay Area"?|date=2018-06-18|website=SPUR|language=en|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

The concept of Northern California as an ecomomic megaregion is increasingly relevant in the context of a rapidly growing economy plagued by transportation issues and a lack of affordable housing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/Megaregion-a-vision-for-redistributing-the-13109347.php|title=Megaregion a vision for redistributing the California dream - SFChronicle.com|date=2018-07-27|website=www.sfchronicle.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> Multiple regional governance authorities have integrated the concept into commute pattern analyses and future transportation planning.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.capitolcorridor.org/vision-plan/|title=CCJPA Vision Plan, What the Capitol Corridor Can Become|website=Capitol Corridor|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mtc.ca.gov/our-work/plans-projects/economic-vitality/northern-california-mega-region-goods-movement-study|title=Northern California Mega-Region Goods Movement Study {{!}} Plans + Projects {{!}} Our Work {{!}} Metropolitan Transportation Commission|website=mtc.ca.gov|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

== Climate == [[File:Northern California Köppen.png|thumb|upright|Köppen climate types in northern California]] Northern California has a warm or mild to cool climate, in which the 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 °C) to 30s °F (−1 – +4 °C) in the winters while summers temperature range is 90s °F (32–37 °C) to 60s °F (15–20 °C) or 50s °F (10–15 °C), with highs well into the 100s °F (37–42 °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|archive-date=July 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729225602/https://www.ccul.org/click-here-list/257-economy-articles/4830-northern-california|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since the first decade of the 21st century, droughts and 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> 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 California state quarter. Other prominent parks are the 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 and 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 forests occupy large sections of northern California, including the Shasta–Trinity, Klamath, Modoc, Lassen, Mendocino, Eldorado, Tahoe, and Sequoia national forests, among others. Included within (or adjacent to) national forests are federally protected wilderness areas, including the Trinity Alps, Castle Crags, Granite Chief, and 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 in Inyo County, the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, and the Tule Lake National Monument outside of Tulelake.

=== Other === {{Incomplete list|date=August 2008}} {{div col|colwidth=28em}} * Tilden Regional Park * Alum Rock Park * Angel Island * Bidwell Park * Big Basin Redwoods State Park * Butano State Park * Calaveras Big Trees State Park * Castle Rock State Park * 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 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 Boalt Hall and Hastings law schools and 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 :* Chico State :* CSU East Bay :* CSU Monterey Bay :* Fresno State :* Cal Poly Humboldt :* Sacramento State :* San Francisco State :* San Jose State :* Sonoma State :* Stanislaus State {{Div col end}} * A large number of local 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

=== Research ===  ''(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 Research Station

== Counties == {{div col|colwidth=18em}} * Alameda * Alpine * Amador * Butte * Calaveras * Colusa * Contra Costa * Del Norte * El Dorado * Fresno * Glenn * Humboldt * Inyo * Kings * Lake * Lassen * Madera * Marin * Mariposa * Mendocino * Merced * Modoc * Mono * Monterey * Napa * Nevada * Placer * Plumas * Sacramento * San Benito * San Francisco * San Joaquin * San Mateo * Santa Clara * Santa Cruz * Shasta * Sierra * Siskiyou * Solano * Sonoma * Stanislaus * Sutter * Tehama * Trinity * Tulare * Tuolumne * Yolo * 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 * Central Valley * Coastal California * East Bay (SF) * Eastern California * Emerald Triangle * Gold Country * Greater Sacramento * Klamath Basin * Lake Tahoe * Lassen Peak * Lost Coast * Metropolitan Fresno * Mount Shasta * North Bay (SF) * North Coast * Russian River * Sacramento Valley * San Francisco Bay Area * San Francisco Peninsula * San Joaquin Valley * Santa Clara Valley * Shasta Cascade * Sierra Nevada * Silicon Valley * South Bay (SF) * Telecom Valley * Tri-Valley * Trinity Alps * Wine Country * 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 File:SF From Marin Highlands3.jpg|2 – San Francisco File:Fresno skyline.jpg|3 – Fresno File:Tower Bridge Sacramento edit.jpg|4 – Sacramento File:Oakland California skyline.jpg|5 – Oakland File:Commercial & Savings Bank - Stockton, CA.jpg|6 – Stockton File:Mission-Peak-2006.jpg|7 – Fremont File:Modesto Arch.JPG|8 – Modesto File:SR vineyard.jpg|9 – Santa Rosa File:Laguna Springs Dr and Laguna Blvd.jpg|10 – Elk Grove File:Main Street, Salinas.jpg|11 – Salinas File:Hayward City Hall number 3 front.jpg|12 – Hayward File:Murphystreetsunnyvale.jpg|13 – Sunnyvale File:Roseville - City Civic Center.jpg|14 – Roseville File:Visalia Transit 2011.jpg|15 – Visalia File:Santaclaraconventioncenter.jpg|16 – Santa Clara File:DK From Parking Lot.jpg|17 – Vallejo File:Todos Santos Plaza (Concord, California) Dec 2009.jpg|18 – Concord File:Berkeley-downtown-Bay-bridge-SF-in-back-from-Lab.jpg|19 – Berkeley File:Pollasky Ave. Clovis.JPG|20 – Clovis File:Aerial view of Fairfield, California.jpg|21 – Fairfield File:Point Richmond, Richmond, California.jpg|22 – Richmond File:Shannon-Williamson Ranch (Antioch, CA).JPG|23 – Antioch File:MCB-san-mateo-aerial.jpg|24 – San Mateo File:Daly City.jpg|25 – Daly City File:Aerial view of Vacaville, California.jpg|26 – Vacaville File:Bidwell Park Chico.jpg|27 – Chico File:Sundialbridge2.jpg|28 – Redding File:11th and Central Tracy California 14-May-2006.jpg|29 – Tracy File:San Leandro Marina 07830.JPG|30 – San Leandro File:Downtown Livermore California.jpg|31 - Livermore File:Citrus Heights - Police.jpg|32 – Citrus Heights File:Merced Theatre.JPG|33 – Merced File:SanRamonPanorama.jpg|34 – San Ramon File:Redwoodcitypanorama.jpg|35 – Redwood City File:MantecaCA.jpg|36 – Manteca File:Mountainviewcentennialplaza.jpg|37 – Mountain View File:Lake Folsom.JPG|38 – Folsom File:Footbridge to Great Mall Main station, March 2018 (cropped).JPG|39 – Milpitas File:MCB-pleasanton-ca.jpg|40 – 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 | 78,280 |- ! scope="row" | Antioch | 115,291 |- ! scope="row" | Berkeley | 124,321 |- ! scope="row" | Brentwood | 64,292 |- ! scope="row" | Chico | 101,475 |- ! scope="row" | Citrus Heights | 87,583 |- ! scope="row" | Clovis | 120,124 |- ! scope="row" | Concord | 125,410 |- ! scope="row" | Cupertino | 60,381 |- ! scope="row" | Daly City | 104,901 |- ! scope="row" | Davis | 66,850 |- ! scope="row" | Dublin | 72,589 |- ! scope="row" | Elk Grove | 176,124 |- ! scope="row" | Fairfield | 119,881 |- ! scope="row" | Folsom | 80,454 |- ! scope="row" | Fresno | 542,107 |- ! scope="row" | Fremont | 230,504 |- ! scope="row" | Gilroy | 59,520 |- ! scope="row" | Hanford | 57,990 |- ! scope="row" | Hayward | 162,954 |- ! scope="row" | Livermore | 87,955 |- ! scope="row" | Lodi | 66,348 |- ! scope="row" | Madera | 66,224 |- ! scope="row" | Manteca | 83,498 |- ! scope="row" | Merced | 86,333 |- ! scope="row" | Milpitas | 80,273 |- ! scope="row" | Modesto | 218,464 |- ! scope="row" | Mountain View | 82,376 |- ! scope="row" | Napa | 79,246 |- ! scope="row" | Novato | 53,225 |- ! scope="row" | Oakland | 440,646 |- ! scope="row" | Palo Alto | 68,572 |- ! scope="row" | Petaluma | 59,776 |- ! scope="row" | Pittsburg | 76,416 |- ! scope="row" | Pleasanton | 79,871 |- ! scope="row" | Porterville | 62,623 |- ! scope="row" | Rancho Cordova | 79,332 |- ! scope="row" | Redding | 93,611 |- ! scope="row" | Redwood City | 84,292 |- ! scope="row" | Richmond | 116,448 |- ! scope="row" | Rocklin | 71,601 |- ! scope="row" | Roseville | 147,773 |- ! scope="row" | Sacramento | 524,943 |- ! scope="row" | Salinas | 163,542 |- ! scope="row" | San Francisco | 873,965 |- ! scope="row" | San Jose | 1,013,240 |- ! scope="row" | San Leandro | 91,008 |- ! scope="row" | San Mateo | 105,661 |- ! scope="row" | San Rafael | 61,271 |- ! scope="row" | San Ramon | 84,605 |- ! scope="row" | Santa Clara | 127,647 |- ! scope="row" | Santa Cruz | 62,956 |- ! scope="row" | Santa Rosa | 178,127 |- ! scope="row" | South San Francisco | 66,105 |- ! scope="row" | Stockton | 320,804 |- ! scope="row" | Sunnyvale | 155,805 |- ! scope="row" | Tracy | 93,000 |- ! scope="row" | Tulare | 68,875 |- ! scope="row" | Turlock | 72,740 |- ! scope="row" | Union City | 70,143 |- ! scope="row" | Vacaville | 102,386 |- ! scope="row" | Vallejo | 126,090 |- ! scope="row" | Visalia | 141,384 |- ! scope="row" | Walnut Creek | 70,127 |- ! scope="row" | Watsonville | 52,590 |- ! scope="row" | West Sacramento | 53,915 |- ! scope="row" | Woodland | 61,032 |- ! scope="row" | Yuba City | 70,117 |}

=== Metropolitan areas === Northern California is home to three of the state's four combined statistical areas (CSAs): the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, and Metropolitan Fresno. Three-fourths of Northern Californians live in these CSAs as of the 2010 United States census.<ref>Excerpted from 2010 United States census</ref> The constituent metropolitan statistical areas of these CSAs are listed below:

{| class="wikitable" |+List of metropolitan statistical areas in Northern California !Metropolitan statistical area !Population (2018)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau|website=www.census.gov|language=EN-US|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> !GDP (2022) |- |San Francisco–Oakland–Berkeley, CA MSA |4,729,484 |$729.105 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP41860|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA |1,999,107 |$403.513 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP41940|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA MSA |2,345,210 |$176.276 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP40900|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Stockton, CA MSA |752,660 |$40.228 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Stockton-Lodi, CA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP44700|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA MSA |499,942 |$36.877 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Santa Rosa, CA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP42220|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Vallejo, CA MSA |446,610 |$35.408 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Solano County, CA|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL06095|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Salinas, CA MSA |435,594 |$33.249 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Salinas, CA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP41500|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Modesto, CA MSA |549,815 |$28.674 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Stanislaus County, CA|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL06099|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA |274,255 |$19.176 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP42100|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Napa, CA MSA |139,417 |$13.166 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Napa County, CA|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL06055|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Merced, CA MSA |274,765 |$11.560 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Merced County, CA|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL06047|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- |Yuba City, CA MSA |174,848 |$8.608 billion<ref>{{citation|title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Yuba City, CA (MSA)|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP49700|website=fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref> |- !Total !12,621,707 !$1,535.840 billion |}

=== Major business districts === The following are major central business districts: * 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

=== Airports === {{Main|List of airports in California}}

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 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 || Medium Hub || 7,037,144 |- | Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport|| OAK || 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 || Non Hub || 217,994 |- | Monterey Regional Airport|| MRY||Monterey || Non Hub || 188,046 |- | Stockton Metropolitan Airport|| SCK||Stockton || Non Hub || 99,258 |- | Arcata-Eureka Airport|| ACV||Arcata || Non Hub || 69,604 |- | Redding Municipal Airport|| RDD||Redding || Non Hub || 42,775 |- | Mammoth Yosemite Airport|| MMH||Mammoth Lakes || Non Hub || 23,522 |}

=== Railroad === [[File:Upper platform at 19th Street Oakland station, March 2007.jpg|200px|thumb|The 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, and San Jose * Caltrain – commuter rail between San Francisco and Gilroy (south of San Jose) * Muni Metro (San Francisco) * VTA light rail (San Jose) * Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) – commuter train connecting 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 (eastern suburb of Sacramento) ** ''Coast Starlight'' – coastal train between Los Angeles and Seattle with northern California stops in San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento ** ''Gold Runner'' – Central Valley train linking 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 * 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 ==== * 20px Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway/Lincoln Highway) * 20px Interstate 280 (Southern Embarcadero Freeway/Southern Freeway/Junipero Serra Freeway/Sinclair Freeway) * 20px Interstate 380 * 20px Interstate 580 (Eastshore Freeway/MacArthur Freeway/Brown Freeway) * 20px Interstate 680 (Joseph P. Sinclair Freeway/Donald D. Doyle Highway/Blue Star Memorial Highway/Luther E. Gibson Freeway) * 20px Interstate 780 * 20px Interstate 880 (Nimitz Freeway) * 20px Interstate 980 (Grove-Shafter Freeway) * 20px Interstate 238 * 20px Interstate 5 (Golden State Freeway/West Side Freeway) * 20px Interstate 205 (Robert T. Monagan Freeway) * 20px Interstate 505 * 20px 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.]] * 20px U.S. Route 6 * 20px U.S. Route 50 (El Dorado Freeway) * 20px U.S. Route 101 (South Valley Freeway/Bayshore Freeway/James Lick Freeway/Central Freeway/Redwood Highway/Michael J. Burns Freeway/Redwood Highway) * 20px U.S. Route 395 * 20px U.S. Route 97 * 20px U.S. Route 199 [[File:I-80 Eastshore Fwy.jpg|250px|thumb|I-80 and I-580 in Berkeley in the Bay Area]]

250px|thumb|State Route 120 is one of the many highways that traverse the isolated areas of inner northern California.

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

== Communication ==

=== Telephone area codes === * 209 — Northern San Joaquin Valley (Stockton, Modesto, and Merced). * 408/669 — Most of Santa Clara County (San Jose and Gilroy). * 415/628 — San Francisco, Daly City, and Marin County. One of the three original Area Codes in California. * 510/341 — Inner East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, and Fremont). Originally part of area code 415. * 530 — A large northeastern section of the region including Tehama County, Shasta County, Lassen County, Yuba County, Sutter County, Butte County, and Nevada County. Split from area code 916 in 1997–1998. * 559 — Southern San Joaquin Valley (Madera, Fresno, and Visalia). * 650 — San Francisco Peninsula (San Mateo, Redwood City, and Palo Alto). Originally part of area code 415. * 707 — The North Coast section of the region from Sonoma County to the Oregon border. Cities include Eureka, Ukiah, Santa Rosa, Napa, Vallejo and Fairfield. * 831 — Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. Originally part of area code 408. * 916/279 — Sacramento County and the Sacramento suburbs in western Placer and El Dorado Counties. One of the three original area codes in California, formerly covered all areas now within 530. * 925 — Outer East Bay (Concord, Pittsburg, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Pleasanton and 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;" | MLB | style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | Athletics (baseball) (American League) | style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" |Sutter Health Park | West Sacramento |- | style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | San Francisco Giants (National League) | style="padding:2px 10px 2px 10px;" | Oracle Park | San Francisco |- | rowspan=2 style="padding:0 10px;" | Basketball | rowspan=2 style="padding:0 10px;" | 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 |- | style="padding:10px;" | American football | style="padding:10px;" | NFL | style="padding:10px;" | San Francisco 49ers | style="padding:10px;" | Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara |- | style="padding:10px;" | Ice hockey | style="padding:10px;" | NHL | style="padding:10px;" | San Jose Sharks | style="padding:10px;" | SAP Center | San Jose |- | style="padding:10px;" | Soccer | style="padding:10px;" | NWSL | style="padding:10px;" | Bay FC | style="padding:10px;" | PayPal Park | San Jose |- | style="padding:10px;" | Soccer | style="padding:10px;" | MLS | style="padding:10px;" | San Jose Earthquakes | style="padding:10px;" | PayPal Park | San Jose |- |Basketball |WNBA |Golden State Valkyries |Chase Center |San Francisco |- |Cricket |MLC |San Francisco Unicorns |Oakland Coliseum |Oakland |}

=== 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 * USC Trojans

=== 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) * 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}} {{commons category|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}}

Category:Northern California Category:Megapolitan areas of California Category:Regions of California