Northern California

Northern California ( English Northern California or NorCal ) is the northern part of the US state California . The largest cities in the region are San José , San Francisco , Sacramento, and Oakland . Northern California is characterized by its Mediterranean climate and, apart from the metropolitan areas, its relatively thin population. Metropolitan areas are San Francisco Bay and Sacramento, the capital of California. Sonoma County is also heavily populated . This borders directly on the most important wine-growing region in the USA, the Napa County .

With Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley, two of the most renowned universities in the USA are located in Northern California .

See also : Southern California

Counties in Northern California