California is a U.S. state on the western coast of North America. Covering an area of 163,696 sq mi (423,970 km2), California is among the most geographically diverse states. The Sierra Nevada, the fertile farmlands of the Central Valley, and the arid Mojave Desert of the south are some of the major geographic features of this U.S. state. It is home to some of the world's most exceptional trees: the tallest, most massive, and oldest. It is also home to both the highest and lowest points in the 48 contiguous states. The state is generally divided into Northern and Southern California, although the boundary between the two is not well defined. San Francisco is decidedly a Northern California city and Los Angeles likewise a Southern California one, but areas in between do not often share their confidence in geographic identity. The US Geological Survey defines the geographic center of the state at a point near North Fork, California.
Alpine County is a county in Eastern California located within the Sierra Nevada on the state border with Nevada. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 1,175, which declined to 1,129 in 2019, making it California's least populous county. The county seat and largest community is Markleeville.
Mono County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,202. making it the fifth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridgeport. The county is located east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. The only incorporated town in the county is Mammoth Lakes, which is located at the foot of Mammoth Mountain. Other locations, such as June Lake, are also famous as skiing and fishing resorts. Located in the middle of the county is Mono Lake, a vital habitat for millions of migratory and nesting birds. The lake is located in a wild natural setting, with pinnacles of tufa arising out of the salty and alkaline lake. Also located in Mono County is Bodie, the official state gold rush ghost town, which is now a California State Historic Park.
Tuolumne County, officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 54,539. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora.
Douglas County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,997. Its county seat is Minden. Douglas County comprises the Gardnerville Ranchos, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Yuba City, CA–NV Combined Statistical Area.
Smith Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,603 at the 2010 census.
Owens Valley is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada, west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains, and north of the Mojave Desert. It sits on the west edge of the Great Basin. The mountain peaks on the West side reach above 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in elevation, while the floor of the Owens Valley is about 4,000 feet (1,200 m), making the valley the deepest in the United States. The Sierra Nevada casts the valley in a rain shadow, which makes Owens Valley "the Land of Little Rain." The bed of Owens Lake, now a predominantly dry endorheic alkali flat, sits on the southern end of the valley.
The Los Angeles Aqueduct system, comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system, built and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The Owens Valley aqueduct was designed and built by the city's water department, at the time named The Bureau of Los Angeles Aqueduct, under the supervision of the department's Chief Engineer William Mulholland. The system delivers water from the Owens River in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to Los Angeles, California.
The Walker River is a river in west-central Nevada in the United States, approximately 62 miles (100 km) long. Fed principally by snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, it drains an arid portion of the Great Basin southeast of Reno and flows into the endorheic basin of Walker Lake. The river is an important source of water for irrigation in its course through Nevada; water diversions have reduced its flow such that the level of Walker Lake has fallen 160 feet (49 m) between 1882 and 2010. The river was named for explorer Joseph Reddeford Walker.
The East Walker River is an approximately 90 miles (140 km) long, tributary of the Walker River, in eastern California and western Nevada in the United States. It drains part of the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in the watershed of Walker Lake in the Great Basin.
The West Walker River is a tributary of the Walker River, approximately 95 miles (153 km) long, in eastern California and western Nevada in the United States. It drains part of the Sierra Nevada range along the California-Nevada border in the watershed of Walker Lake in the Great Basin. The river derives its name from Joseph R. Walker, a mountain man.
The Owens River is a river in eastern California in the United States, approximately 183 miles (295 km) long. It drains into and through the Owens Valley, an arid basin between the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and the western faces of the Inyo and White Mountains. The river terminates at the endorheic Owens Lake south of Lone Pine, at the bottom of a 2,600 sq mi (6,700 km2) watershed.
Coleville is a census-designated place in Mono County, California. It is located in the Antelope Valley on the West Walker River 26 miles (42 km) northwest of Bridgeport, at an elevation of 5141 feet (1567 m). The population was 495 at the 2010 census.
Topaz Lake is a reservoir located on the California-Nevada border, about 75 miles (121 km) south of Reno. The census-designated place of Topaz Lake, Nevada, is located along its northwest shore.
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.
Fales Hot Springs is a hot spring in the Sonora Junction area of Mono County, eastern California.
Topaz is a census-designated place in Mono County, California. It is located 3 miles (5 km) north of Coleville, at an elevation of 5033 feet. Topaz's ZIP Code is 96133. The population was 50 at the 2010 census.
Walker is a census-designated place in Mono County, California. It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Coleville, at an elevation of 5403 feet. The ZIP Code is 96107, and mail to Walker should be addressed Coleville. The town was likely named for pioneer Joseph R. Walker, who started his ascension of the Sierra Nevada range in nearby Bridgeport. Its number one tourist attraction is the national woodpile, that was devastated in The Mountain View Fire. The population was 721 at the 2010 census, up from 558 as of 2000, according to the Mono County's government website.
Wheeler Crest is a small residential unincorporated community in southwestern Mono County, California. It functions as a bedroom community for workers in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes, and as a home for retirees. Geographically, it sits on the Sherwin Grade, which divides Round Valley in Inyo County from Long Valley in Mono County.
The Slinkard Fire was a wildfire in Mono County in California in the United States. The fire was reported on August 29, 2017. It was caused by a lightning strike. The fire was fully contained on September 12, after it had burned 8,925 acres (36 km2).
