The Coast Ranges extend from Cape Mendocino in the
north to Point Conception in the south. Consisting of uplifted sedimentary
material, much of which has been metamorphosed, the Coast Ranges
average less than 4,000 feet in height. On the seaward slopes of
the northern ranges are forests of coast redwoods, greatly diminished
by more than a century of commercial logging.
Mount Hamilton, a 4,261-foot peak located east of San
Jose, is the site of the Lick Observatory, built in 1888. Mount Diablo,
rising to 3,849 in eastern Contra Costa County, was the scene of
coal-mining activity in the 1860s.
Mount Hamilton, a 4,261-foot peak located east of San
Jose, is the site of the Lick Observatory, built in 1888. Mount Diablo,
rising to 3,849 in eastern Contra Costa County, was the scene of
coal-mining activity in the 1860s.