where is the san joaquin valley located on a map
The San Joaquin Valley (/ ˌsæn hw ɑː ˈkiːn / SAN whah-KEEN) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento -- San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven Northern California counties -- all of Kings County; a majority of Fresno, Merced, Stanislaus counties; segments of Madera and Tulare counties -- and a majority of Kern County, in Southern California. Although a majority of the valley is rural, it does contain cities such as Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto, Turlock, Porterville, Visalia, Merced, and Hanford.