Indeed, why does anybody talk about "The Central Valley" at all? The northern part is sopping wet at all times, prone to flooding, and the main problem for agr

Indeed, why does anybody talk about "The Central Valley" at all? The northern part is sopping wet at all times, prone to flooding, and the main problem for agriculture in many counties is that the groundwater is only 8 inches under the surface. That's the Sacramento Valley. The southern part has a dramatic gradient from somewhat dry in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties to extremely dry in Kern County. That's the San Joaquin Valley. It makes as much sense to conflate these areas as it would to talk about El Paso and Austin as being part of the same ecosystem.