Northern California, often abbreviated
NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of
California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, in contrast to the 10 counties of
Southern California, its main population centers include the
San Francisco Bay Area (anchored by the cities of
San Francisco,
San Jose, and
Oakland), the
Greater Sacramento area (anchored by the state capital
Sacramento), and the
Metropolitan Fresno area (anchored by the city of
Fresno). Northern California also contains
redwood forests, along with the
Sierra Nevada including
Yosemite Valley and part of
Lake Tahoe,
Mount Shasta (the second-highest peak in the
Cascade Range after
Mount Rainier in
Washington), and the northern portion of the
Central Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions.