Eastern California is not a well-defined term. It generally refers to the strip of State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4.7%) Population ( 2000)  - Population 33,871,648... California to the east of the crest of the The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is mostly in eastern California. The range is also known as The Sierra or The Sierras. The Little Lakes Valley above Toms Place, California Geography The Sierra Nevada stretches 400 miles (650 km), from Fredonyer Pass in the north to Tehachapi Pass... Sierra Nevada, or to the easternmost counties of California:

• Modoc County is a county located in Californias far northeast corner, bounded by Oregon to the north and Nevada to the east. As of 2000, its population was 9,449. Its population in 2002 was estimated at 9,289. The county seat is Alturas, the countys only incorporated... Modoc County
• Lassen County is a county located in northeastern California. As of 2000 the population was 33,828. The county seat is Susanville, the only incorporated city in the county. History Lassen County was formed in 1864 from parts of Plumas and Shasta Counties. The countys name was derived from... Lassen County
• Plumas County is a county located in Californias Sierra Nevada. The county gets its name from the Spanish words for the Feather River (Rio de las Plumas), which flows through the county. As of 2000, the population is 20,824. The county seat is Quincy. The only incorported city... Plumas County
• Sierra County is a county located in Californias Sierra Nevada, northeast of Sacramento on the border with Nevada. As of 2000 the population is 3,555. The county seat is Downieville. The only incorporated city in the county is Loyalton. History Sierra County was formed from parts of Yuba... Sierra County
• Nevada County is a county located in Californias Sierra Nevada, in the Mother Lode country. As of 2000 its population is 92,033. The county seat is Nevada City. History Nevada County was created in 1851 from parts of Yuba County. The county was named after the mining town... Nevada County
• Placer County is a county located in Californias Sierra Nevada, in the Gold Country. It stretches from the suburbs of Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and the Nevada border. Because of the expansion of the Sacramento metropolitan area, Placer County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state... Placer County
• El Dorado County is a county located in the Gold Country of California, in the Sierra Nevada. Its 2000 population was 156,299. The county seat is Placerville. Much of the population of El Dorado County has become suburbanized, as the metropolitan Sacramento area has expanded. In addition, the population... El Dorado County
• Alpine County is Californias smallest county, by population. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 1,208. There are no incorporated places in the county. The county seat is Markleeville. Alpine County is located in the Sierra Nevada, between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. History... Alpine County
• Mono County is a county located in east central California, to east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. As of 2000 the population was 12,853. The county seat is Bridgeport. The only incorporated city in the county is Mammoth Lakes, which is located at the... Mono County
• Inyo County is a county located in east-central California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada south of Yosemite National Park. As of 2000 the county had a population of 17,945. The county seat is Independence. Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states, is... Inyo County
• San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States by area, containing more land than 9 states. Located in the southeast of the state of California, the deserts and mountains of this vast county stretch from the outskirts of the Los Angeles metropolitan area to the Nevada border... San Bernadino County
• Riverside County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, stretching from Orange County to the Colorado River, which is the border with Arizona. This county is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. As of 2000 the population was 1,545,387... Riverside County
• Imperial County is a county located in the far southeast of California, on the border with Arizona and Mexico, in the Imperial Valley. The 2000 population was 142,361. The county seat is El Centro. History Imperial County was formed in 1907 from eastern San Diego County, and is the... Imperial County

Eastern California does not fit the stereotypes of California. Because it is generally in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada or the The Transverse ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico. The Transverse ranges run predominantly east-west, while the other coast ranges tend north-south, including the Central Coast Ranges to... Transverse Ranges, the climate is extremely dry and can be considered a A dune in the Egyptian desert Desert in California In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. As a consequence, deserts have a reputation for supporting very little life. Compared to wetter regions this may be true, although upon closer examination, deserts often harbor... desert. Indeed, the hottest and lowest area in World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and in population after Eurasia and Africa. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the... North America lies in Eastern California: The Panamint Range, Death Valley, and the Black Mountains as seen from the Space Shuttle (NASA image) Death Valley is a deep arid basin in the northern Mojave Desert of southern California in the United States, extending for approximately 140 mi (225 km) along the California-Nevada border approximately 100... Death Valley.

Eastern California is also very sparsely populated (except for the area around Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe is one of the deepest (1645 feet/501 m), largest and highest (6229 feet/1898 m), and bluest lakes in the United States. Only Oregons Crater Lake is bluer and deeper at 1930 feet (588 m). Lake Tahoe is in the Sierra Nevada mountains, on... Lake Tahoe), and tends to be politically Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. There are also a number of Conservative political parties in various countries. They usually identify with the political right. While the intellectual roots of conservatism date back centuries, within the past two decades, conservatism has... conservative, much like the rest of the rural This article deals with the western United States. For information regarding the company US West, see US West (phone company). See here if you are looking for the American West. The U.S. West region refers to what are now the westernmost states of the United States. As defined by... Western United States.

Geologically, Eastern California is mostly part of the Basin and Range index map - USGS The Basin and Range Province is a particular type of topography that covers much of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico that is typified by elongate north-south trending arid valleys bounded by mountain ranges which also bound adjacent valleys. Death Valley is... Basin and Range Province, marked by crustal extension, with In physical geography and geology, a horst is the raised fault block bounded by normal faults. The raised block is a portion of the Earths crust that has remained stationary while the land has sunk on either side of it or has been crushed by a mountain range against... horsts and In geology, a graben is a depressed fault block bordered by normal faults. The Rhine valley below Basel, Switzerland is an example of a graben. Graben is the German word for ditch. See also rift (geology), and Horst. There are municipalities and communities names that have the name Graben: In... grabens. Volcanism is also very evident in this region.