What is usually considered to be Central California? (Los Angeles, San Jose: home, live)

[Brandon Graves]

Which counties in California are usually considered to be in Central California (CenCal), if it exists? According to Wikipedia, the following counties that are included in the region are:

Fresno County
Kings County
Madera County
Mariposa County
Merced County
Monterey County
San Benito County
Stanislaus County
Tulare County
Tuolumne County

Personally, I would also include Inyo, Kern, Mono, and San Luis Obispo Counties to be in CenCal. What do you think?

Any answers/insights are greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[BeauCharles]

For me its Stockton to Bakersfield (basically the San Joaquin Valley). The Bay Area is its own thing. The Sierra is its own thing. The Central Coast is its own thing. Those regions (to me) are too dissimilar to lump together as "Central California".

[Tanker-yanker]

The Central Valley is one thing, while Central California is something else. Most of your first list is the Central Valley.

[Flovis]

Santa Cruz to Yosemite to Bakersfield to San Luis obispo = central california aka cencal

Where do people from Fresno/bako usually go to for weekend trips? Usually Morro bay/pismo/Santa Cruz/ monterey, etc. Lots of people from the central coast who don't get into the better UC's end up at Fresno state or uc merced. there's quite a bit of interaction between both groups of people. More than bay areans/angelenos would know about.

Central coast = exclusive coastal sliver of land in central CA and nearby foothill cities(Salinas/atascadero)
Sj valley/lower sierras = rural, blue collar part of central ca

Riverside, palm springs, barstow , Santa Monica = socal
Placerville, redding, eureka, sj, Oakland, sac = norcal

Big Differences in culture arent exclusive to central California.

[nmnita]

When I think central CA. I think So to Bakersfield and north to Stockton or even Sac. and east of the bay area. I think the region depends on personal opinion. this is like defining the Los Angeles metro area; how far in what direction does one go? To me, the metro area in Los Angeles is east to Glendora, south to Palos Verdes, north to all of the San Fernando Valley and west to the ocean.

[MtnSurfer]

Its somewhat subjective with no definitive source. Its sort of like asking 'where does Sasquatch live?' The same is true for the Northern California boundary. Many think the Bay area is the start of NorCal. But is San Jose and Santa Cruz included? The Santa Cruz locals like to pride themselves in being NorCal surfers, for example. It sounds so macho. But what if they are simply Central Cal commoners like the rest of us in the Monterey Bay?

That being said, I came across this 'official' map which divides CA between Northern and Southern California with no Central portion.



Its put out by a Chess Foundation. So if you're into chess, this is it!

Or this entertaining rendition with Frenso residing in the DMZ as our focal point (Area 51/ no man's land).



Derek

[DMenscha]

I would rarely think of the central coast as central CA, nor would I think of the foothill areas as part of that. Given that many of the counties that have one foot in the valley and another in the high Sierra, it's more likely that it can't be broken down into geopolitical divisions.

[KC6ZLV]

The reference to Central California used to be the Central Coast, San Joaquin Valley, and the Southern Sierra Nevada. That has changed for tourism marketing purposes. Sometime in the 90s the Central Coast really made an effort to set themselves apart. I guess it makes it sound like you are going to someplace away from home when running those ads in Fresno and Bakersfield about getting away from the heat on the coast during the summer.

[majoun]

This map comes from the Federal Government. Its definition of Central CA looks like it includes Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

[img] http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ca/centralcalif.htm [/img]

[harob11]

Santa Barbara looks and feels much more central California than southern.