The City of Madera is in the center of the State of California along Freeway 99 and approximately 22 miles north of Fresno, 240 miles north of Los Angeles, 166 miles southeast of San Francisco, and 150 miles south of Sacramento.

State Freeway 99 and State Route 145 transect the City.  State Route 152 is 15 miles to the north; Interstate 5 is 47 miles west via State Route 152; State Route 41 is 16 miles to the east.

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND THE PALM TREE AND THE REDWOOD?
Drive six miles north of the San Joaquin River on Highway 99 and you’ll notice an odd couple in the center of the highway divider: a palm tree paired up with an evergreen. Legend has it that this marks the divide between Southern California (the palm tree) and Northern California (the evergreen). While no one has been able to verify the origin of the trees, a public outcry went up in the late 1980s, when the trees were nearly bulldozed to make room for Highway 99. Cal-Trans relented, and the trees remain a symbolic reminder of Madera’s place in the center (between north and south) of the State.

The geographical center of the State is located in North Fork (Madera County) where an attractive wooden sign at the intersection of North Fork Road and Auberry Road marks the point. This is about 20 miles from the south entrance of Yosemite National Park.