San Joaquin Valley Fact SheetThe San Joaquin Valley is the state's top agricultural producing region, sometimes called "the nation's salad bowl" for the great array of fruits and vegetables grown in its fertile soil. The valley is 250 miles long and bordered on the west by the coastal mountain ranges. Its eastern boundary joins the southern two-thirds of the Sierra bioregion, which features Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks.
Location, Cities, People
Eight counties comprise the San Joaquin Valley, including all of Kings County, most of Fresno, Kern, Merced, and Stanislaus counties, and portions of Madera, San Luis Obispo, Tulare counties. The San Joaquin Valley is home to more than 3 million residents. The largest cities are Fresno, Bakersfield, Modesto, and Stockton. At its northern end, the San Joaquin Valley borders the southern end of the Sacramento Valley. To the west, south, and east, the San Joaquin Valley extends to the edges of the valley floor.
Interstate 5 and State Highway 99 are the major north-south roads that run the entire length of the valley. Other main routes include State Highways 33, 41, 43, 65, 132, 140, 178, 180, and 198.
Pollution and the Valley
The Valley is also one of the most polluted regions in the state and country. The Valley does not currently meet health-based standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for ozone and particulate matter. On average the Valley exceeds the federal health-based standards for ground-level ozone 35-40 days and more than 100 days over the state ozone standard. While levels of airborne particles exceed the federal standard less than five times annually, because the California standard is set at a lower and more protective level, the Valley exceeds this limit an average of 90-100 days per year.
The bowl-shaped Valley collects and holds emissions caused by the activities of the Valley's three million residents and their two million vehicles, as well as vehicles from other areas traveling on Highway 99 and Interstate 5. Farming and industry activity also plays a large role in the emission of particulates and ozone in the Valley.
Air pollution transported from the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento areas account for approximately 27% of the total emissions in the Northern portion of the District (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced Counties). In the Central region (Fresno, Madera and Kings Counties), the percentage drops to 11%, and in the south valley (the Valley portion of Kern and Tulare Counties), transported air pollution accounts for only 7% of the total problem.
Currently, the Valley is federally classified as severe non-attainment for the federal ground-level ozone and particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) standard. Additionally, the Valley is classified as severe non-attainment for the California ozone standard and non-attainment for the state's PM10 standard. The Valley is designated as attainment for all other criteria pollutants.
Tourist Attractions, Industries
The San Joaquin Valley is California's leading agricultural producing bioregion, and five of its counties -- Fresno, Kern, Tulare, Merced, and Stanislaus-- rank among the state's top 10 counties in farm production value. Oil and gas also are important industries in the San Joaquin Valley. The deepest wells and about half of the largest oil fields are found in Kern County. Lemoore Naval Air Station west of Visalia also is in the valley.
Climate and Geography
Well-suited for farming, the San Joaquin Valley is hot and dry in summer with long, sunny days. Winters are moist and often blanketed with heavy fog. The broad, flat valley is ringed by the Diablo and Coast Ranges on the west and the Sierra Nevada foothills on the east.
Source: Adopted from San Joaquin Valley Air Control District
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