Merced County topographic map

San Francisco is characterized by its striking and varied topography, making it one of the most distinctive cities in the United States. The landscape features a mix of rolling hills and steep inclines, with the highest elevation reaching approximately 922 feet at Twin Peaks. The average elevation across the…

Average elevation: 207 ft

San Diego is characterized by a diverse topography that features coastal plains, rolling hills, and rugged mountain ranges. The city is situated along the Pacific Ocean, where it boasts an extensive shoreline with sandy beaches and tidal zones. As you move inland, the landscape transitions from the flat…

Average elevation: 410 ft

San Jose, located in Santa Clara County, California, features a diverse topography characterized by a mix of low-lying plains and rolling hills. The city sits at an average elevation of approximately 82 feet (25 meters) above sea level, with the surrounding terrain including the foothills of the Santa Cruz…

Average elevation: 866 ft

Berkeley, located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, features a diverse topography characterized by rolling hills and steep slopes. The city sits at an elevation that ranges from sea level along the bay to about 1,300 feet (396 meters) in the Berkeley Hills. This hilly landscape provides stunning views…

Average elevation: 358 ft

Los Angeles is characterized by a diverse and dynamic topography. The city is predominantly situated in a basin bordered by mountain ranges, including the Santa Monica Mountains to the north and the San Gabriel Mountains to the east, with elevations reaching up to about 10,000 feet in certain areas​. This…

Average elevation: 791 ft

Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) native to the Mojave Desert. Originally declared a national monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated…

Average elevation: 2,096 ft

Sonoma County, as is often the case with coastal counties in California, has a great degree of climatic variation and numerous, often very different, microclimates. Key determining factors for local climate are proximity to the ocean, elevation, and the presence and elevation of hills or mountains to the east…

Average elevation: 689 ft

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 994 square miles (2,570 km2), of which 965 square miles (2,500 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75 km2) (3.0%) is water. Most of the county is at an elevation close to sea level, with some areas below sea level. The highest point in the…

Average elevation: 203 ft

In the mid-1950s, the Ventura Freeway was completed from Los Angeles to points north, making it an easy one-hour trip to Camarillo. The Old Town was bisect by the Ventura Freeway. On the southern side of the freeway contains a strip of businesses, churches, schools, and parks. The freeway was originally…

Average elevation: 295 ft

Walnut Creek's warm summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb) is typical of California's interior valleys. In summer, high pressure results in almost unbroken sunshine and virtually no precipitation. Days start out cool but quickly warm up, with high temperatures normally in the 80s…

Average elevation: 390 ft

San Diego County has a varied topography. On its western side is more than 70 miles (113 km) of coastline. Most of San Diego between the coast and the Laguna Mountains consists of hills, mesas, and small canyons. Snow-capped (in winter) mountains rise to the east, with the Sonoran Desert farther to the east.…

Average elevation: 1,785 ft

Average elevation: 33 ft

Mount Shasta (Shasta: Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki; Karuk: Úytaahkoo) is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of 14,179 feet (4,321.8 meters), it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth-highest in the state. Mount Shasta…

Average elevation: 12,195 ft

The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granite rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and tilted to form its unique slopes, which increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in the formation of deep, narrow canyons. About one…

Average elevation: 7,667 ft

Average elevation: 3,524 ft

Average elevation: 12,756 ft

Average elevation: 604 ft

Escondido has a borderline semi-arid climate (Köppen: Bsh) and hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with hot summers and cool wet winters. Owing to its inland setting it is considerably warmer than coastal cities like San Diego, Carlsbad or Oceanside during the summertime, and cooler in the winter.…

Average elevation: 896 ft

An obscure portion of the Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2) in the San Gabriel Mountains cuts through Pasadena near the Angeles Crest Ranger Station. This 2-mile (3.2 km) stretch of highway in the Angeles National Forest is north of La Cañada Flintridge and west of Mount Wilson and is approximately 3,000 feet (910…

Average elevation: 1,804 ft

Oakland features a diverse topography shaped by its location along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay and the presence of the nearby coastal hills. The city sits on a flat coastal plain that gradually ascends toward the Oakland Hills to the east, where elevations can exceed 1,700 feet. The highest point…

Average elevation: 167 ft

Average elevation: 696 ft

Lake Tahoe is renowned for its dramatic topography, characterized by rugged mountain ranges and deep, crystal-clear waters. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada, the lake itself lies at an elevation of approximately 6,225 feet (1,897 meters) and spans about 22 miles (35 kilometers) in length and 12 miles (19…

Average elevation: 6,814 ft

Average elevation: 686 ft

Average elevation: 2,533 ft

Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in North America, at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. It is 84.6 miles (136.2 km) east-southeast of Mount Whitney — the highest point in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m). On the afternoon of July 10, 1913,…

Average elevation: 3,560 ft

Average elevation: 1,115 ft

Average elevation: 794 ft

Average elevation: 3,842 ft

Santa Clara County features a diverse and varied topography characterized by both low-lying valleys and rugged mountainous regions. The county encompasses a significant portion of Silicon Valley, where flat, urbanized areas are interspersed with rolling hills and foothills that rise sharply in the Santa Cruz…

Average elevation: 1,060 ft

At a surface elevation of 6,743 ft (2,055 m) above sea level, it has an east-west length of approximately seven miles (11 km) and is approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a little more than 1⁄2 mi (0.8 km). These approximations are based on the…

Average elevation: 7,247 ft

One possible origin of palm in the place name comes from early Spanish explorers who referred to the area as La Palma de la Mano de Dios or "The Palm of God's hand". The earliest use of the name "Palm Springs" is from United States Topographical Engineers who used the term in 1853 maps. According to William…

Average elevation: 2,818 ft

Oceanside features a diverse topography characterized by its coastal setting and gentle inland elevations. The city is predominantly flat, with its elevation averaging around 66 feet (20 meters) above sea level, allowing for expansive views of the Pacific Ocean along its roughly 3.5 miles of coastline. Inland,…

Average elevation: 105 ft

Average elevation: 902 ft

Catalina is primarily composed of two distinct rock units: Catalina Schist from the Early Cretaceous (95 to 109 million years ago), and Miocene volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks. The island is rich in quartz, to the extent that some beaches on the seaward side have silvery-grey sand. These formations…

Average elevation: 197 ft

Average elevation: 1,270 ft

Johannesburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, in a mining district of the Rand Mountains. Johannesburg is located 1 mile (1.6 km) east-northeast of Randsburg, at an elevation of 3,517 feet (1,072 m). The terminus of the Randsburg Railway was here from 1897 to 1933. The population…

Average elevation: 3,619 ft

Average elevation: 79 ft

The climate in San Diego, like most of Southern California, often varies significantly over short geographical distances, resulting in microclimates. In San Diego, this is mostly because of the city's topography (the Bay, and the numerous hills, mountains, and canyons). Frequently, particularly during the "May…

Average elevation: 187 ft

Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The municipality is located at an elevation of 1,242 feet (379 m). As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North…

Average elevation: 1,499 ft

The San Francisco Bay Area is characterized by a diverse and dynamic topography shaped by geological processes over millions of years. This region features a combination of coastal plains, steep hills, and rugged mountains, all influenced by the tectonic activity associated with the nearby San Andreas Fault…

Average elevation: 371 ft