Welcome to the Central Valley of California.
Our valley is the farming center of California. It’s the richest farmland in the world, producing almost half of the food Americans consume. The mountains near us have hiking trails, lakes, rivers, and ski resorts. Calaveras Big Trees, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks are nearby. It is hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and blessed with beautiful weather in the spring and fall. We get very little rain between the months of May and October, with an average rainfall of 10 inches (25.5 cm).
We are between the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Ocean and desert are close enough to visit for the day or weekend. Fresno, Stockton, Bakersfield, and Modesto are large cities within our Area Team, with medium-sized cities and small towns making up the rest of the area. Our families and volunteers live in the mountains, on ranches or farms outside of town, and others in the cities. Family time usually revolves around school, music and theater, movies, church, and sports.