Fresno is located in the center of California, in the fertile inland San Joaquin Valley. Surrounded by farm country, Fresno is a relatively young city with a diverse population. While the city isn't a prime tourist destination, easy access to the beautiful Sierra Nevada range and three national parks (Yosemite and Sequoia/King's Canyon) have made Fresno a frequent stop for area travelers.

Oakland has always struggled to forge an identity for itself separate from its famous sister across the bay. Once primarily a major port town, Oakland has a pleasant climate and convenient access to both the San Francisco area and East Bay spots like Berkeley.

Sacramento is California's state capital, located in the middle of the central Sacramento Valley. Visitors can check out a basketball game from hometown team the Kings, or take in the zoo, some theater, or fine cuisine in historic Old Sacramento.

Consistently voted as one of the sunniest, safest, and overall best places to live in the country, San Jose and the surrounding area is rapidly gaining a place in history alongside its other West Coast neighbors. Situated at the foot of rolling green hills at the south end of the San Francisco Bay, San Jose is one of California's oldest cities and is the eleventh largest in the nation.

The Sierra Nevada of eastern California are one of the country's most astounding treasures. These mountains are wild: wild geology, with glaciers and volcanoes, wild animal life like the state bear and the golden eagle, and even wild plant life in the immense sequoia forests. Encompassing three national parks, six national forests, and thousands of square miles of other protected areas, the Sierra Nevada is one of the largest islands of scenic wilderness remaining in the United States.

Yosemite National Park encompasses a spectacular tract of mountain-and-valley scenery in the Sierra Nevada. The park harbors a grand collection of waterfalls, meadows, and forests that include groves of giant sequoias, the world's largest living things. Most famous is the awe-inspiring Half Dome, a massive granite rock face that juts dramatically out of the glacially-carved valley.