California Description

The region I will be investigating the very diverse state of California. California was not always as popular as it currently is; the state started out as a part of Mexico, and then eventually was taken over by the United States. Even once it was part of the United States, it was quite empty up until the Gold Rush. After the Gold Rush people slowly began moving to the beautiful state. In the 1960’s and the 1970’s California rapidly began to grow, due to the beautiful beaches, and perfect weather. The absolute location of California is 37.0000° N, 120.0000° W. The relative location of California is east of Arizona and Nevada, and south of Washington. When I went to California we spent most of our time on the beach, and people watching. The most

common form of transportation in southern California is walking, because everything is close, and there tends to be a lot of traffic. I like this state because it is very relaxing, and California has a very chill, relaxing vibe to it.

California’s geography varies greatly.

You can go from the warm beaches to colder mountains. Southern California tends to be away from the mountains and cold, but as you move up toward northern California, it tends to get colder and more mountainous. Some parts of California are very relatable to the deserts of Arizona, while other, northern parts, are very green and full of life. Northern Arizona is also very well known for the trouble it can bring. This is because the forests provide good cover for drug operations, which is appealing to the cartel. This is also very appealing to the many farmers in the area; northern California provides good soil, and the right amount of

rain.

California also has a very many different plants that naturally grow, due to the very diverse climate. Palm trees grow naturally in California, along with evergreens in Northern California. Although several states currently grow palm trees, California is one of the few states that the palm tree is actually native to. California’s economy is also greatly affected by its plant life. The sale of medicinal marijuana is taxable, which greatly contributes to its flourishing economy. Possession of the plant has also been decriminalized in the state; a person with a normal amount on them will only receive a ticket. The growing, cultivation, and sale of this plant also generates many jobs for Californians, and aids people that need the plant to lean on. This in turn, lowers the unemployment rate of California, which improves the economy. Although it is currently legal for medicinal sale, cultivation, and use, a federal agent can come and bust a shop at any time, which happens often. This can negatively affect the economy and can cause a person to lose everything that they have. Even though some parts of California are considered to be “desert”, it is not very common to find saguaro cactuses, like you would in a normal desert, like in Arizona for example. Mohave yucca plants are a common, native desert plant that thrives in California.

California is well known for its very diverse climate.

This is due to the drastic changes in elevation, and its proximity to the equator. As you walk through San Francisco, you can go through areas where you wish you had a winter jacket and jeans, to wishing you only wore a tank top, all in a small area. For example, the beaches of California are at sea level, which will make it a little bit warmer, but you will also have the cool winds coming from the ocean, so it is very warm, but in a sense it also cool at the same time. The weather along the central coast will be consistently mild. The desert portions of California can reach triple digits, but the dry air, and abundance of pools makes life bearable. California’s high sierra is known for receiving heavy snow and lots of sunshine. This is due to the changes in elevation that occur while driving or hiking. Los Angeles provides a lot of sun and heat, with little humidity. The abundance of buildings, roads, and cars adds to the heat. Over time, the abundance in roads, and large buildings has also contributed to global warming, because the roads and buildings keep in heat longer from the

sun.

California is also very well known for its abundance in earthquakes. This is due to many of the tectonic plates meeting at different points in California. This is also what caused the San Andreas Fault. Hundreds of earthquakes occur in California every day, but most are too small to notice. Several earthquakes have happened last hundred years, that did substantial damage to buildings, and the land.

Most people would think that Native Americans were the first settlers of California. But, according to my sources, adventurous Asians settled the beautiful state. They made their way across the land bridge between Alaska and Russia thousands of years ago. Some of these people also continued to migrate, all the way to parts of South America. These people were of the first to settle and live in California, but short after Native Americans also began to inhibit the United States. They typically came in through the same route that the Native Americans came in. Although people could travel from Russia and other areas to the United States through the land bridge, the continents were slowly separating over time, trapping the inhabitants of the United States. Which lead to the controversy of Christopher Columbus “discovering” the United States, when in reality, many different groups had lived here for hundreds of years.

In California, many of its inhabitants are of Asian descent. Californians have greatly popularized surfing, snowboarding, and especially skateboarding. Many young Californians started skateboarding at a very young age, which contributes to the extraordinary skill that they tend to have when it comes to skateboarding. I am a huge fan of skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding. Anything with the word “board” in it, I tend to be pretty good at. I think this has affected California’s overall mindset, due to how skateboarding and surfing can affect a person. As you step onto your board, and you are cruising around, you have unlimited time to think. You can think about anything that’s bothering you, anything that makes you happy, anything that you would like. Which gives a person as much time as they would need to reflect upon themselves. This can also affect how other states view Californians, due to their overall different ways to go about life, and general situations. Music has also been greatly affected due to California’s influence on the rest of the world. For example, east coast rap tends to be a little faster, and more complex, while west coast rap (mainly California) tends to be very “chill”, relaxing, and simple.

There are also great opportunities for sports enthusiasts. California has several baseball teams, two professional football teams, and a hockey team. Their teams also happen to be ranked very high compared to other states, when it comes to professional sports. The giants for example, have won the world series 3 times, in the last 5 years. The San Francisco 49’ers also played in the super bowl two years ago.

California is also well known for its great diversity when it comes to its restaurant’s and popular foods. This is due to the cultural diffusion that has occurred over hundreds of years. Mexican food is extremely popular in California due to its proximity to the country, and the fact that California used to be a part of Mexico. Sushi is also very popular in California; this is due to the large population of Asians in California. One other reason sushi is very popular to Californians, is that it is typically healthier, than eating typical American food. California is also well known for growing much of the United States citrus fruits. This is because citrus trees grow very well in California’s mild heat. California is also very well known for their farmers markets, this is because many Californians are very particular about their food, and generally prefer organic foods.

California has also been enduring a budget crisis over the last 14 or so years. It also endured an electricity crisis, which shut off many people power, which created many random blackouts. Many different businesses and colleges are losing their funds due to the budget crisis that has been occurring. Things have gotten much better over the last 25 years in California. During the 1990’s California was at its worst.

The United States is full of varied lifestyles, and California is one of the states that appeal the most to me. The United States was formed on the premise of freedom. Different states express their freedom in different ways; for example, southern states typically express their freedoms with hunting, and the right to bear arms. California, expresses its freedom, by being accepting of many different lifestyles, and being very free flow. Other states however, tend to be very strict and by the book.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cbhtml/cbpeople.html
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2011/02/cali-f28.html
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/10/29/7086863/giants-world-series-dynasty
http://www.49ers.com/team/history/super-bowls.html
http://www.data.scec.org/recenteqs/