Central California

Central California is dominated by the Central Valley, a fertile agricultural heartland that includes the state capital, Sacramento. It is bounded to the east by the Sierra Nevada, and to the west by the Coast Range, which includes the smaller Salinas Valley. Most visitors are drawn instead to the coastal section between Santa Cruz and Morro Bay, which includes picturesque small towns and vasts stretches of rugged and scenic coast, all linked up by Highway 1, that forms there one of the most scenic drives in the country.