Emerald Triangle

Emerald Triangle
Map of the Emerald Triangle
Map of the Emerald Triangle
Coordinates: 40°00′N 123°30′W / 40.0°N 123.5°W / 40.0; -123.5
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesMendocino County, Humboldt County, Trinity County
Largest cityEureka
Area
 • Land10,253.58 sq mi (26,556.7 km2)
Population
 • Total236,250
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
234,592
 • Density23/sq mi (9/km2)

The Emerald Triangle is a region in Northern California that derives its name from being the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. The region includes three counties in an upside-down triangular configuration:

Growers have been cultivating Cannabis plants in this region since the 1960s, during San Francisco's Summer of Love. Growing cannabis in the Emerald Triangle is considered a way of life, and the locals believe that everyone living in this region is either directly or indirectly reliant on the cannabis industry.[3] The industry exploded in the region with the passage of California Proposition 215 (1996), which legalized the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes in California.[4] The passage of Proposition 64 in 2016 legalized the general sale and distribution of cannabis.

  1. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 Estimates". Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Ferran, Lee (August 1, 2010). "Legal Pot: Death of the Emerald Triangle?". ABC News.
  4. ^ Regan, Trish (January 22, 2009). "Pot growers thrive in Northern California". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.