California TRAVEL GUIDE AND DEALS

California is a state on the west coast of the USA. The state offers something for everyone: Southern California is home to such popular attractions as Disneyland, Hollywood and the beaches that inspired the television show Baywatch, while the northern part of the state offers the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the hills of San Francisco, and the vineyards of Napa Valley. Further away from the state's major cities California is home to some of America's most rugged national parks, incredible skiing opportunities, and quiet northern forests.

Regions

California varies greatly, ranging from the forested northern coastal regions to the rugged interior mountains to the harsh southern desert. Sandwiched in the center of the state is the fertile Central Valley, home to a massive amount of agriculture.

Cities

These are some of the major cities of California.

Sacramento - The laid-back state capital
Bakersfield
Fresno
Los Angeles - The state's largest city and second-largest in the nation (behind New York)
Palm Springs
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose

Other destinations

Disneyland
Lake Tahoe — A large, gorgeous lake great for water sports and excellent skiing in the winter.
Napa Valley — Spas, wine tasting, wine tours.
Big Sur — one of the most scenic spots along the Pacific Coast Highway
California National Historic Trail - road to California carried over 250,000 gold-seekers & farmers to the gold fields & rich farmlands of California during the 1840's and 1850's
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail - first overland route established to connect New Spain with San Francisco
Old Spanish National Historic Trail - journey across the Southwest between Santa Fe and Los Angeles for history, culture, and scenic beauty
Pony Express National Historic Trail - used by young men on fast horses to carry the nation's mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only ten days

National Parks

Channel Islands National Park - five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment
Death Valley National Park - A place of legend and a place of trial
Joshua Tree National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park - witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction
Redwood National Park - Stand at the base of a coast redwood and even the huckleberry bushes tower over you
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks - These twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity
Yosemite National Park - one of the first wilderness parks in the United States

California State Parks

Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park []
Richardson Grove State Park []

Understand

History

The state of California was home to thirty different tribal groups prior to the arrival of European explorers in the 1500's. The Spanish were the first European power to build a settlement in California, establishing twenty-one missions in the state by the late 1700's. Many of these missions survive today, with examples including the mission in Santa Barbara.

After the Mexican War for Independence in 1821 California became a part of Mexico, and remained a part of that country until it was annexed by the United States in 1847 following the Mexican-American War. In 1848 the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada mountains kicked off the California Gold Rush, and the state's non-native population surged from 15,000 to over 300,000 within two years, resulting in statehood for California in 1850.

During the 1900's the state population increased steadily, and today California is the most populous state in the United States with over 33 millions residents.

Landscape

With over 160,000 square miles (411,000 km²) the landscape of California is vast and varied. The state contains extremes in elevation, with Mount Whitney at 14,505 feet being the tallest mountain in the lower-48 states, while less than 200 miles away Death Valley, at 282 feet below sea level, is North America's lowest point.

The state's border to the west is made up of a rugged coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The coastal mountains rise up from the ocean and are home to redwood trees in the state's northern half. The Central Valley bisects the state from north-to-south before giving way to the Sierra Nevada mountains, home of Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and other natural wonders. The southeastern part of the state is dominated by desert, which covers 25% of California's total area. The Mojave is a high desert, with elevations ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level. This area receives less than six inches of rain each year.

Climate

The state's climate varies from temperate at the coast to the brutal winters of the mountains, to one of the world's hottest regions in the desert. Rainfall is more common in the northern part of the state than in the south, and snow is rare except in the mountains.

The hottest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, 134°F (56.6°C) was at Death Valley in 1913, and temperatures regularly exceed 120°F (49°C) during the summer. In contrast, winter temperatures in the mountains can drop below 0°F.

People

California is a very diverse state with many ethnic groups. California large immigrant populations of Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Armenians, Iranians, Jews, Chinese, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Thai's, and Hmong's. California also has large populations of African Americans and Native Americans.

Californian's have a wide variety of political views. The Central Valley and Orange County tend to be more conservative, while the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area (except for Orange County) and the San Francisco Bay area tend to be more liberal.

Remember, California is a very large populous state, with very different cultures in each region.

Get in

All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations to ensure that some fruits and vegetables do not cross into a region where they may come into contact with the farms in the Central Valley. Often, travellers are subject to border inspection (somewhat strict for domestic travel) and asked if they have been on a farm or are carrying organic matter with them. These measures are likely to be increasingly stringent as extreme biosecurity problems arise from travel-carried fruit and vegetables, imported plants and animals, or even from packing material that may carry bioinvader species.

Get around

California is the third largest state in terms of land size, and is larger than many countries. However, getting around California can be quite simple. In addition to interstates and US highways, California has one of the most expansive state highway systems in the United States. As with all trips in the United States, a car is usually the best way to get around and see all destinations. However the trip from the top of California to the bottom can take well over ten hours. Flying may be a more reasonable option. Many major (like American and United) and low fare airlines (like jetBlue and Southwest) link cities within the state of California.

For those that don't wish to drive, one can also use the state's various rail services, which provide cheap and resonably comfortable way to see and get around much of the state. Caltrain operates commuter service in the Bay Area, between San Francisco and San Jose. Amtrak and Amtrak California offer more traveller-oriented services throughout much of the state. Visit their websites, and this Wikitravel article for more information.

Talk

English is the official language of California. However, in reality California is a multilingual state. Spanish is very widely spoken by California's large Hispanic population, and the state is highly influenced by the spanish language. In fact, many of California's cities were named after spanish bishops or phrases (such as Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose). Store and street signs are sometimes written in English and Spanish in major metropolitan areas. Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog, Korean, Vietnames, Hindi, Punjabi, and Cambodian are also widely spoken among Asian American populations.

See

Some of the most famous sights in California include:

Golden Gate Bridge. Something of a world wonder when it opened during the depression, the bridge is free to cross for cyclists and walkers. It's famous for its red color but also for the over 1,000 people who've comitted suicide by jumping off of it
Alcatraz. The notorious prison island that held many famous convicts, including Al Capone
San Francisco's Chinatown. The largest Chinatown in the country, it is full of great restaurants and shops
Beverly Hills. Many stars homes, plus Rodeo Drive shopping
Hollywood. There are several great museums of varying subjects, plus Mann's Chinese Theater and famous streets like Sunset Boulevard lined with nightclubs and restaurants

Do

Ski at one of the great resorts near Lake Tahoe or Big Bear.

Try your hand at surfing or work on your tanning The OC or Santa Monica.

Climb a mountain and camp in the Sierra Nevadas or Shasta Cascades.

California Wildflower Hotline, (818) 768-3533, . From March through May, the California Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533 or visit www.theodorepayne.org offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. The hotline covers Southern California and the website covers the entire state. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, now in its 25th year, is operated by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc.

Northern California Blues Festival, Fastest growing festival of its kind comes in June to Sacramento County around Father's day each year and usually features a spectacular line-up of Blues artists. Event benefits Through the Mind, a non-profit providing free alternative mental health to America's Veterans.

Eat

Almost anything you can imagine can be found somewhere in California. Immigration has had a strong influence on the state's culinary landscape, with the cuisines of Central America and Asia heavily represented, and those of nearly every other country available to a lesser-extent. More "American" fare includes everything from burger shacks to vegetarian, organic and even completely vegan restaurants; the Californian love for food has left it with one of the most diverse restaurant scenes in the States. The large cities have the most variety, while things get simpler and more meat-heavy as you get more rural.

Drink

California is known for its fine wines. Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino are premier wine districts north of San Francisco, but there are others in the Central Coast region and even the San Diego region where suitable microclimates have been found. The inland Central Valley region has hotter summers and traditionally produced inexpensive bulk wines, but quality has been improving with winemaking innovations.

Californians tend to view wine as a natural accompaniment of food or socializing, overlooking its alcoholic content more easily than with distilled spirits. However police crackdowns on drinking and driving are increasingly severe with roadblocks and random checks. Conviction for driving with a blood alcohol level over .08 percent is likely to bring serious legal and financial consequences. Drivers with lower blood alcohol can still be convicted for DUI (driving under the influence) if they fail field sobriety tests such as walking a straight line. You must be 21 years of age to drink any alcoholic beverage.

Stay safe

California is a very safe place to visit. However larger cities such as Los Angeles and Oakland do carry the usual inner city crime problems. Avoid south central LA, especially areas like Compton. Cities such as San Jose and San Francisco are some of the safest cities in the United States. The capital, Sacramento is very safe as well, however avoid the areas outside of the city. Usually outside of the other major cities are very safe and are well patroled by police. Dial 911 for medical, fire, or police help.

California is prone to earthquakes, although large ones come rather infrequently. If you keep your head and go to a stable area far from objects that could topple upon you, you usually run a only a slight risk of injury from most quakes.