Fresno anchors California's San Joaquin Valley, stretching from the Tower District and Old Fig Garden through downtown to the growing neighborhoods near Clovis and north toward Herndon Avenue. The city serves as the economic center for the Central Valley's agricultural industry, with major healthcare systems, California State University Fresno, and distribution centers providing year-round employment. The metro area extends from Madera in the north to Selma and Fowler in the south, with Highway 99 and 41 connecting valley communities to the Sierra Nevada foothills less than an hour east.