English: Coalinga is a city in Fresno County and the western San Joaquin Valley, in central California.

It was formerly known as Coaling Station A, Coalingo, and Coalinga Station.

The population was 13,380 at the 2010 census, up from 11,668 at the 2000 census. It is the site of both Pleasant Valley State Prison and Coalinga State Hospital.

Legendary bandit Joaquin Murrieta was killed in 1853 at his headquarters, Arroyo de Cantua, north of Coalinga. California Historical Landmark #344 marks the approximate site of where he was slain, near the junction of present-day State Route 33 and Route 198.

On May 2, 1983, Coalinga was struck by an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.5 that nearly destroyed more than 300 homes and apartment buildings; another 691 buildings saw major damage, and hundreds more had minor damage. Damage was severe in downtown Coalinga, where the eight block commercial district was close to being totally destroyed. The shock was felt as far away as Los Angeles and western Nevada, and was followed by a series of aftershocks that caused additional minor damage and some injuries.

Underlying rock formations include the occurrence of Vaqueros sandstone. Surrounding the town in a semicircle from the west, around the north, and to the east are several anticlinal formations containing considerable accumulations of petroleum as the Coalinga Oil Field, from which oil has been withdrawn for more than a hundred years. The city is located near a particularly active portion of the San Andreas Fault, and earthquakes are frequent.

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