Eastern California

Last updated
Eastern California
Downtown San Bernardino.jpg
Downtown San Bernardino, anchor of the largest metro area in East California and 12th in the United States.
Eastern California county map.png
Counties on California's Eastern Border
Country United States
State California
Time zone Pacific Standard Time
  Summer (DST) Pacific Daylight Time
Area codes 530, 442/760, 909, 951

Eastern California is a region defined as either the strip to the east of the crest of the Sierra Nevada or as the easternmost counties of California.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, the population of the eastern border counties of California was 5,129,384. However, 4,224,851 (82.4%) lived in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, which are very large and whose populations are concentrated near Los Angeles and Orange counties to the southwest.

Culture and history

Eastern California's history differs significantly from that of the coastal regions and the Central Valley. Northeastern California is very sparsely populated (except for the area around Lake Tahoe): the three least-populated counties of California lie in the northeast. [1] The area tends to be politically conservative, much like the rest of the rural Western United States. However, the counties of San Bernardino and Riverside form the 13th-largest metropolitan area of the United States, [2] [3] and El Dorado and Placer Counties are part of the Greater Sacramento area [2] and are culturally influenced by their respective metropolitan areas. Imperial County in the Southeast, though rural and agrarian, is heavily Democratic and has ties with the Mexicali Valley to the south.

Northeastern California has had strong ties to Nevada, with the exact boundary between the two states having once been a matter of dispute. [4] Residents of an area near Susanville, California tried to break away from the state in 1856, first by declaring themselves part of the Nataqua Territory [5] and then through annexation to Nevada. The two states further squabbled over ownership of Susanville in 1863. The town of Aurora, Nevada, was temporarily the county seat of both Mono County, California, and Esmeralda County, Nevada. Finally, the line between the two states was settled by a survey in 1892. [6] Over time, droughts and wildfires have increased in frequency and become less seasonal and more year-round, further straining the region's water security. [7] [8] [9]

There are many unique historical aspects of Eastern California including the Manzanar internment camp and the historical Carson and Colorado Railway. [10] [11]

Geography

The easternmost counties of California are (from north to south):

Cities within this region include San Bernardino, Riverside, Ontario, Corona, Rancho Cucamonga, Roseville, Victorville, Temecula, Palm Springs, Lincoln, El Centro, Barstow, South Lake Tahoe, Susanville, Truckee, Grass Valley, Placerville, and Alturas.

Cities larger than 50,000 population

The following incorporated places have a population of 50,000 or greater, according to the 2020 census: [12]

Placer County

San Bernardino County

  • Apple Valley: 75,791
  • Chino: 91,403
  • Chino Hills: 78,411
  • Colton: 53,909
  • Fontana: 208,393
  • Hesperia: 99,818
  • Highland: 56,999
  • Ontario: 175,265
  • Rancho Cucamonga: 174,453
  • Redlands: 73,168
  • Rialto: 104,026
  • San Bernardino: 222,101
  • Upland: 79,040
  • Victorville: 134,810
  • Yucaipa: 54,542

Riverside County

  • Beaumont: 53,036
  • Cathedral City: 51,493
  • Corona: 157,136
  • Eastvale: 69,757
  • Hemet: 89,833
  • Indio: 89,137
  • Jurupa Valley: 105,053
  • Lake Elsinore: 70,265
  • Menifee: 102,527
  • Moreno Valley: 208,634
  • Murrieta: 110,949
  • Palm Desert: 51,163
  • Perris: 78,700
  • Riverside: 314,998
  • San Jacinto: 53,898
  • Temecula: 110,003

Geology

Sand dunes in Death Valley Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley.jpg
Sand dunes in Death Valley

Because Eastern California is generally in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada or the Transverse Ranges, the climate is extremely dry and can be considered a desert. Indeed, the hottest and lowest area in North America lies in Death Valley, in the heart of Eastern California.

Geologically, Eastern California is mostly part of the Basin and Range Province, marked by crustal extension, with horsts and grabens. Volcanism is also evident in this region.

Climate

The majority of Eastern California experiences two seasons, a long, dry summer and a milder winter in which the rain is concentrated. Most higher elevations experience four distinct seasons. There are some areas where the weather is very diverse. The Sierra Nevada mountain range has larger amounts of snowfall, while the Imperial Valley has more arid conditions. [13] The Sierra Nevada's average temperature is around 47 °F (8 °C) and the Imperial Valley is on average 73 °F (23 °C). A record-breaking heat temperature was recorded in Death Valley, at 134 °F (57 °C) on July 10, 1913. [14] With its low and often sporadic rainfall, California is susceptible to drought, and in many parts of the state including Eastern California, there is very high fire danger and there have been several devastating wildfires. [13]

Economy

Snowy forest at Boreal Mountain Resort Snowy forest in Boreal, California.jpg
Snowy forest at Boreal Mountain Resort

The northern counties of Eastern California are heavily timbered areas. The timber industry is a major contributor to the economy from sale of timber and forest products and the number of jobs that it provides. These timbered areas not only provide valuable income, but are also the main growing sector for the economy for recreation and tourism. In the Sierra Nevada National Forests they experience 50 million recreational visitor days per year. [15] When California became a state, it was one of the leading producers of these timber and forest products. Since then, it has held the third place for the top producer of softwoods since the 1940s. In California there were five counties that contributed to 55 percent of the wood harvested for the state. One of those counties, Plumas, is located in Eastern California. [16]

Transportation

Major highways

Map of El Dorado County in Northern California Edcmap1.png
Map of El Dorado County in Northern California
View from State Route 158 Silver Lake Mammoth September 2016 001.jpg
View from State Route 158

Educational Institutions

Students at Deep Springs College driving cattle DeepSpringsCattleDrive.jpg
Students at Deep Springs College driving cattle

Private institutions

Community Colleges

Public Institutions

National Parks

Mount Lassen Mount Lassen (3639369082).jpg
Mount Lassen

[17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inyo County, California</span> County in California, United States

Inyo County is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is on the east side of the Sierra Nevada and southeast of Yosemite National Park in Central California. It contains the Owens River Valley; it is flanked to the west by the Sierra Nevada and to the east by the White Mountains and the Inyo Mountains. With an area of 10,192 square miles (26,400 km2), Inyo is the second-largest county by area in California, after San Bernardino County. Almost one-half of that area is within Death Valley National Park. However, with a population density of 1.8 people per square mile, it also has the second-lowest population density in California, after Alpine County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lassen County, California</span> County in California, United States

Lassen County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,730. The county seat and only incorporated city is Susanville. Lassen County comprises the Susanville, California, micropolitan statistical area. A former farming, mining, and lumber area, its economy now depends on employment at one federal and two state prisons; the former in Herlong and the latter two in Susanville. In 2007, half the adults in Susanville worked in one of the facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern California</span> American geographic and cultural region

Northern California is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's 58 counties. Its main population centers include the San Francisco Bay Area, the Greater Sacramento area, the Redding, California, area south of the Cascade Range, and the Metropolitan Fresno area. Northern California also contains redwood forests, along with most of the Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite Valley and part of Lake Tahoe, Mount Shasta, and most of the Central Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 395</span> Highway in the United States

U.S. Route 395, also known as U.S. Highway 395, is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that traverses the inland areas of the western states of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. It travels for over 1,300 miles (2,100 km) from a junction in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 (I-15) in Hesperia to the Canada–U.S. border near Laurier, Washington. Major cities along its route include Carson City and Reno in Nevada; Kennewick and Pasco in Washington's Tri-Cities region; and Spokane, Washington. US 395 is an auxiliary route of US 95 but never intersects its parent route, which runs further east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shasta Cascade</span> Mountainous region of California

The Shasta Cascade region of California is located in the northeastern and north-central sections of the state bordering Oregon and Nevada, including far northern parts of the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The State Scenic Highway System in the U.S. state of California is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as scenic highways. They are marked by the state flower, a California poppy, inside either a rectangle for state-maintained highways or a pentagon for county highways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lassen National Forest</span> United States national forest

Lassen National Forest is a United States national forest of 1,700 square miles (4,300 km2) in northeastern California. It is named after pioneer Peter Lassen, who mined, ranched and promoted the area to emigrant parties in the 1850s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plumas National Forest</span> National Forest in northern California, United States

Plumas National Forest is a 1,146,000-acre (4,640 km2) United States National Forest located at the northern terminus of the Sierra Nevada, in northern California. The Forest was named after its primary watershed, the Rio de las Plumas, or Feather River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 89</span> Highway in California

State Route 89 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels in the north–south direction, serving as a major thoroughfare for many mountain communities in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. It starts from U.S. Route 395 near Topaz Lake, winding its way up to the 8,314-foot (2,534 m) Monitor Pass, down to the Carson River, and up again over the 7,740-foot (2,359 m) Luther Pass. From that point on, the route generally loses elevation on its way past Lake Tahoe, through Tahoe and Plumas National Forests until Lake Almanor. For roughly nine miles the route is then a part of State Route 36. The route then ascends to the 5,753-foot (1,754 m) Morgan Summit. After it enters Lassen Volcanic National Park it continues to gain elevation until it reaches its highest point in an unnamed pass in the middle of Lassen Peak and Bumpass Mountain. The road then descends and heads northwest, finally terminating at Interstate 5 at the foot of Mount Shasta at around 3,600 feet (1,100 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 36</span> Highway in California

State Route 36 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that is routed from U.S. Route 101 in Humboldt County to U.S. Route 395 just east of Susanville in Lassen County. The highway passes through Red Bluff, the county seat of Tehama County, on the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley. The portion of SR 36 travelling past Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lake Almanor is part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway. Also, Route 36 between Alton and Susanville is a designated Blue Star Memorial Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 139</span> Highway in California

State Route 139 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. Running from SR 36 in Susanville north to Oregon Route 39 at the Oregon state line, it forms part of the shortest route between Reno, Nevada, and Klamath Falls, Oregon. SR 139 cuts through much of Modoc National Forest and passes near Antelope Mountain and Tule Lake. North of SR 299 near Canby, SR 139 was built by the federal government and turned over to the state in about 1940; the remainder was built by a joint highway district of Lassen and Modoc Counties, completed in 1956, and given to the state in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area code 530</span> Area code in northern California

Area code 530 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in northeastern and Northern California. It was created in 1997 in an area code split of 916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nataqua Territory</span> Unofficial territory

The Nataqua Territory was a short-lived, unofficial territory of the United States. It consisted of a portion of what is now northeastern California and northwestern Nevada. Nataqua Territory was the first incarnation of the proposed "State of Jefferson". In 1849, the border between California and the Utah Territory was defined by geographical coordinates that were not surveyed. On April 26, 1856, local residents took advantage of this ambiguity and justified their resistance to tax collectors from Plumas County, California, by proclaiming themselves part of a new "Territory of Nataqua." The twenty men of the Susanville convention who announced the Nataqua Territory had defined a rectangle-shaped territory by latitude and longitude, which inadvertently did not include their own Honey Lake Valley but did encompass most of what soon became western Nevada, along with 600 unsuspecting inhabitants. The Territory of Nataqua was a frontier land club or claim association, designed to protect the property rights of individual settlers until regular government reached the area. The movement was led by Peter Lassen and Isaac Roop. Association with the Utah Territory was unpalatable to the residents due to anti-Mormonism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 395 in California</span> Highway in California

U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a United States Numbered Highway, stretching from Hesperia, California to the Canadian border in Laurier, Washington. The California portion of US 395 is a 557-mile (896 km) route which traverses from Interstate 15 (I-15) in Hesperia, north to the Oregon state line in Modoc County near Goose Lake. The route clips into Nevada, serving the cities Carson City and Reno, before returning to California.

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is the largest conservancy in the U.S. state of California, and the largest state conservation effort of its kind in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of California</span> Overview of and topical guide to California

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of California.

There are 28 routes assigned to the "A" zone of the California Route Marker Program, which designates county routes in California. The "A" zone includes county highways in Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, and Tehama counties.

References

  1. "Data and Research". California State Association of Counties. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. OMB Bulletin 20-01. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  3. "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2010-2019". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. April 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  4. Bruce A. Metcalfe. "A Moving Monument". Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2006-03-28.
  5. "US395:Lassen County (Susanville to Modoc County Line)". Floodgap Roadgap. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
  6. Brean, Henry (April 27, 2009). "Four Corners mistake recalls long border feud between Nevada, California". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
  7. "National Integrated Drought Information System" . Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  8. Boxall, Bettina; St. John, Paige (November 10, 2018). "California's most destructive wildfire should not have come as a surprise". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  9. "Advancing Drought Science and Preparedness across the Nation". National Integrated Drought Information System. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  10. "Eastern California Museum | Inyo County California". www.inyocounty.us. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  11. "Carson & Colorado Railway". Carson & Colorado Railway. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  12. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  13. 1 2 Worldmark Encyclopedia of U.S. and Canadian Environmental Issues. Ed. Susan Bevan Gall and Margaret K. Antone. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2012. p61-72.
  14. "Climate - California". City-data.com. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  15. "Forest Economics". Sierra Forest Legacy. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  16. "California's Forest Products Industry: A Descriptive Analysis" (PDF). USDA.
  17. "California (U.S. National Park Service)". NPS.gov. Retrieved 2018-10-20.

Further reading