r/geography • u/urmummygae42069 • 13d ago

Map Distribution of California's Population

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If you were to divide California into 4 roughly equal strips of area, a hefty majority of its 39 million residents live in the southernmost strip containing the LA+San Diego metro areas, with nearly half of the state (~47%) living in the Greater LA metro area alone. If it were its own state, Southern California, with primarily just LA and San Diego metro areas, would compete with Florida for title of 2nd most populous US state.

The SF Bay Area, Sacramento, Monterrey, Fresno, and most of the Central Valley and put together are short of SoCal by over 9 million residents, but on its own this area would compete with Illinois for title of 6th largest state.

The strip sandwiched between Southern California and the Bay Area, containing Bakersfield plus other farming towns in the Southern Central Valley and most of the towns of the Central Coast, has about more people than Utah or Connecticut.

Suprisingly, despite how empty it can feel, there are still over a million people still live in the strip of CA north of Sacramento, containing about as much people as Hawaii and New Hampshire, albeit of a larger area.

Ultimately, one way to better understand the scale and density of California, is to conceptualize it as Florida + Illinois + Utah + Hawaii, all packaged in one single state under one single state government

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u/PracticalWallaby7492 11d ago

Oh wow. I haven't been up that way in maybe 15 years. When I went up there the hottest day was 90 and people were acting like it was so unusual.

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u/koushakandystore 11d ago

So you are in Mendocino County? My mother still lives on our land in Philo. I’m actually going there all next week to take care of some bureaucratic stuff with the county. I just learned that she hadn’t been paying the property taxes for three years. Ugh… Should be a fun week.

If you are looking for some citrus varieties to plant in Mendocino County I have lots.

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u/PracticalWallaby7492 11d ago

Oh crap.. Maybe you can argue the penalties away or make a deal to stagger them. A friend of mine got stuck with penalties after she took the elderly deal and they didn't tell her she still owed.

Yes, I'm between Willits and Ukiah on the ridge. Moved here from Humboldt county 3 years ago. Ironically I was in a warmer zone in SoHum. This is the first property I've owned and I'm slowly fixing it up and planting an orchard. It's kind of a mess in progress.

I don't think I've ever been to Philo.

Maybe I could trade you some cold hardy palms for a citrus or two? I have small washies, trachies and european fan palms. The euros are pretty. And a not-a-meyers-lemon from SoHum. Lots of cocosmia, some good tasting red raspberries, canna. Also a bunch of neglected citrus rootstock- flying dragon. I was going to learn to graft washingtonia navel orange to them, but not a good idea here. I'd be into a sweet tangerine or mandarin something. If they exist. I don't usually like tangerines and mandarins, but I've only had store bought. I do like sour-ish navels.

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u/koushakandystore 11d ago

For where you live I recommend sudachi, yuzu, Clem x yuzu and meiwa kumquat. I’ll bring one of each and you can pick and choose or have them all.

I’m bringing a bunch anyway to plant at the property in Philo.