Preliminary Assessment of Urban Growth in California's Central Valley

1870s The towns of Fresno and Modesto began due to the development of a railroad line through the valley. 1875 The raisin industry in Fresno County began when some grapes were accidentally left to dry on the vine. A.Y. Easterby and Clovis Cole developed extensive grain and cattle ranches. These and other citizens laid the groundwork for the cultivation of Fresno County. 1890 The route of the new railroad built in the 1890's determined the likely sites of new Valley towns. Turlock was one of many town sites that were selected as loading sites for the trains that carried the wheat crop to market. The railroad displaced the steam boats that previously carried the wheat that was not delivered by horse and wagon. 1924 The Army Corps of Engineers began planning projects of navigation and flood control in the Central Valley. 1933 At the repeal of Prohibition, Ernest and Julio Gallo started their winery in Modesto, California. 1937 Construction of the massive Central Valley Project began. Surplus waters from the Sacramento River and its northern tributaries were now transferred to the water-deficient areas of the San Joaquin Valley. Shasta Dam is the central feature of this project. 1945 GI Bill and Veteran Home loansstimulated suburban growththroughout the Central Valley. 1950 Increased urbanization in the LA Basin and San Francisco area pushed the production of citrus, other fruits, vegetables, and dairy products into the Central Valley. Significant increases in agricultural productivity are realized due to expansion of irrigation, increase in fertilizer use, and development of new crop varieties. 1973 Initial facilities of the State Water Project were completed and water delivery to Southern California began. Thirty-two storage facilities, reservoirs and lakes, 17 pumping plants, 3 pumping/generating plants, 5 hydroelectric power plants, and about 660 miles of open canals and pipelines were eventually constructed. 1988-90 18% of the state's irrigated farmland is converted to urban uses. 1990 The Central Valley is one of the leading agribusiness regions of the world and the predominant agricultural producer in the nation. 1990s The Silicon Valley has the fastest growing group of long distance commuters who drive to the Bay Area from the more affordable suburbs in Central Valley locations such as Tracy, Manteca, and Stockton. 1990s Bay Area pollution ends up in the Central Valley due to westerly wind currents. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates increased air pollution has been the culprit of lowered annual crop harvests. 1992-94 24% of the state's irrigated farmland is converted to urban uses. 1997 The San Joaquin River is one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the nation according to American Rivers, a Washington-based advocacy group.		1 9 0 0
		By 1900 small urban cores were established in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Stockton, and Alameda. The locations of many small Central Valley towns were found adjacent to the railroad that traversed the Valley and linked these towns to the urban centers around the San Francisco bay.
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		By 1925 the Valley had experienced slow but steady growth. Sacramento and Stockton continued to lead development, but urban centers were also growing in Fresno, Bakers-field, and Modesto.
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		Slow steady growth was the general trend leading into the 1940s. The Sacramento area was just beginning to expand to the northeast, while Fresno and Stockton remained similar in size and grew only slightly.
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		Significant changes occurred during the post-World War II era. By 1954 an urban corridor had developed on the San Francisco Peninsula and was stretching towards San Jose. Suburbs around Sacramento were expanding quickly.
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		New development was now common along the highway corridors between the Bay Area and Sacramento. Cities like Modesto and Lodi were growing in size, however, the towns in the southern portion of the Valley remained small and distinct.
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		During the 1970s major metropolitan regions enlarged as suburbs expanded past city boundaries. By the 1980s the need for affordable housing created commuter corridors between Stockton, Modesto, Tracy, and the Bay Area. Many other cities began to merge into localized population centers like Modesto, Oakdale, and Turlock.
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		By 1996 a strong national economy contributes to increased urban growth and significant infill development. The growing prominence of the Highway 99 corridor becomes apparent. The Central Valley approached a linear city anchored by Redding and Bakersfield at each end with numerous cities in-between.

This file last modified on: Wednesday, June 23, 1999. Document URL: http://ceres.ca.gov/calsip/cv/timeline.html Copyright © 1998-2003 California Resources Agency. All rights reserved.