California: Difference between revisions

'''California''' is a big place. It's the third-largest and most populous state in the USA, nearly [[American Customary Measurements|800 miles]] from the northern border with Oregon to the southern border with Baja California, Mexico. To the west is the Pacific Ocean, and to the east is the state of Nevada on the northern half and Arizona on the southern half. In between these borders lies some of the most gorgeous geography on the face of the Earth, but also nightmarish urban hellscapes and artery-clogging atmosphere. Summing up California in one article would be extremely difficult. It is home to the highest peak of the lower 48 states (Mt. Whitney) and, 76 miles away, the lowest point in North America (Death Valley). California is home to 15 of the 17 types of biomes: vast elevated deserts, beautiful forests of mighty redwoods, valleys of sun-soaked vineyards nestled in golden hills, and majestic snow-capped mountains.

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== Cities ==

=== Major Cities ===

* '''Fresno:''' A giant freestanding suburb of one million people located in the San Joaquin Valley, near Yosemite National Park. Unremarkable except for its large immigrant population (Armenian, Hmong, and Mexican) and dingy yellow sky.<ref>This protective layer of smog prevents some sunburn, so it does prove useful</ref> Generally considered a hellhole, but the rent's cheap. Bulletproof vests are recommended to the intrepid researcher. Is also the fifth largest city in the state, and the largest city in America not served by an interstate highway, not that it matters anyway since [[Butt Monkey|it]] ''[[Butt Monkey|is]]'' [[Butt Monkey|Fresno]]. Due to wind currents, a large amount of Chinese pollution, of which there is nominal, ends up in Fresno. Not that you would notice. Outside of California, expect to encounter its name [http://www.irs.gov/file/content/0,,id=105690,00.html around tax season,] [[Schmuck Bait|if you're filing in the western US]].

* '''Sacramento:''' The state capital and county seat [[Department of Redundancy Department|of the Sacramento County]]. Known colloquially as [[Embarrassing Nickname|Sactown]], which pretty much sums up all you need to know. The city's official nickname is "The City of Trees". Also home to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento, Sutter's Fort, the Tower Bridge, and the California State Fair. The area is also one of the least seismically prone regions of California, though it floods occasionally. Sacramento has an NBA team (the Kings) and a ziggurat. Does ''your'' state or provincial capital have a ziggurat? We thought not.

* '''[[Los Angeles]]:''' [[California Doubling|So much to say]] that it has its own article, but is best described [[SoCalization|here]]. It's the largest city in California and the largest city on the West Coast, and its major metropolitan area spreads much farther. The city is central to the American film and television industries, making its culture perhaps the most influential of any city in the world. It's also a tremendous cultural crossroads and melting pot in its own right completely aside from the entertainment industry, being home to so many national and ethnic groups that it often has the largest population of many nationalities living abroad anywhere in the world. With four major league teams of various sports, plus two universities with insanely successful sports programs, the city has proven unwilling to shell out any more cash for an NFL team.

* '''San Diego:''' The state's oldest major city. A lovely city situated on a unique natural harbor and current home of the San Diego Comic Con. Situated between Tijuana and [[Los Angeles]] and shows signs (both good and bad) of this, such as terrible freeway traffic. It's California's second largest city, a fact that seems to escape most other Americans, and even other Californians, who often stereotype it as still being a sleepy beach town with a zoo. Birthplace of the San Diego Chicken (aka The Famous Chicken), Jack-In-The-Box, and [[wikipedia:Over-the-line|Over-The-Line]]. Thanks to several big Navy and Marine bases nearby, home to the largest concentration of military personnel in the Western United States, most famously depicted in ''[[Top Gun]]''. Also home to a huge number of undocumented Mexican immigrants in addition to the best Mexican food in the U.S. There may be a relation between the two. The weather in San Diego is also known for being particularly nice year-round. The large military and Latino populations and high concentration of family-friendly attractions tend to give it a reputation for being culturally conservative compared to the rest of the state's big cities, sort of like the opposite pole of San Francisco.

=== Other Cities and CDPs (Census Designated Places) ===

* '''Auburn:''' The county seat of Placer County, it is known for its California Gold Rush history.

* '''Citrus Heights:''' A city in between Roseville and Sacramento that only became incorporated as a city in 1997. Home to Sunrise Mall, the Sunrise Market Place, and a street called Madison Avenue ([[Big Applesauce|no, not the famous one]]).

* '''Berkeley:''' AKA: San Francisco goes to college. Located in the eastern Bay Area. Not very large, but culturally important out of proportion to its actual size. Home to UC Berkeley. Also known for liberal politics, [[The Sixties|Sixties-era]] civil unrest, and protesting students. Lovingly referred to in-state as "The People's Republic of Berkeley" and "Berzerkeley", [[Trope Namer|naming]] the liberal half of [[Strawman U]]. See also: [[Granola Girl]], [[New Age Retro Hippie]]. The flatlands along the Bay however culturally and economically resemble an extension of Oakland.

* '''Bodega Bay:''' A CDP on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor that was the location of the Alfred Hitchcock-directed film, ''[[The Birds]]''. The town markets itself with the film in many ways, including a ''Birds''-themed Visitor Center.

* '''Alturas:''' Located on the Pit River, this Modoc County's only incorporated city and also its county seat.

* '''Chico:''' A city and cultural, economic, and educational center in the northern Sacramento Valley that is home to Chico State University and Bidwell Park. Its official city nickname is "City of Roses." Not to be confused with Chino, which is in SoCal.

* '''Bakersfield:''' An industrial and agricultural city located in the southern San Joaquin Valley, historical home to a major part of California's oil industry. Most notable for producing [[nu-metal]] band [[Korn]], the "Bakersfield sound" movement in [[Country Music]], country music legends Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and NASCAR personality Kevin Harvick. A conservative stronghold. Has good Basque food and a lot of air pollution. Often considered a cultural dividing point between SoCal and NorCal.

* '''Bodie:''' A ghost town in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevadas that was once a bustling mining town with an estimated population of 8,000. This town has been a state historic park since 1962 and 200,000 visitors come every year.

* '''Merced:''' The county seat [[Department of Redundancy Department|of Merced county]], this city is named after the Merced River, which flows nearby. Nicknamed "Gateway to Yosemite," it's a less than two hour drive to Yosemite Natl. Park to the east and Monterey Bay to the west.

* '''Modesto:''' A city in the San Joaquin Valley (the southern part of the Central Valley) south of Stockton and north of Fresno. The town got its name from a Spanish-speaking railroad worker at a naming ceremony saying that William C. Ralston was "muy modesto" for declining the suggestion that the city be named after him. The hometown of [[Monsters vs. Aliens|Ginormica]].

* '''Parkfield:''' A town located on The San Andreas Fault that is known as "The Earthquake Capital of The World."

* '''Pismo Beach:''' Also a famous vacation spot. Mostly because [[Bugs Bunny]] kept looking for it. Also known as the "Clam Capital of The World."

* '''Anaheim:''' The location of [[Disneyland]] Resort, which basically put it on the map. Disney rules the western half of this fairly large city. The eastern half, called Anaheim Hills, is filled with some of the wealthier neighborhoods in the state.

* '''Beverly Hills:''' An affluent city surrounded entirely by [[Los Angeles]] that is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. See [[It Came From Beverly Hills]] for works with this city's name in it.

* '''Baker:''' A CDP located in the Mojave Desert between Barstow and [[Las Vegas]], that is home to the worlds tallest thermometer and the Mad Greek's Diner.

* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert that is home to [[Semper Fi|Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and is the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation. Also where Interstates 40 and 15 converge.

== Regions, Counties, Lakes, Mountains, Rivers, e.t.c. ==

* '''Central Valley:''' The main valley in California that is composed of the San Joaquin Valley (the semiarid southern part) and the Sacramento Valley (the wetter northern part). The whole valley is the size of Tennessee. Much of the valley (except Vacaville) is one of the least seismically prone regions of California. Traditionally one of the richest agricultural areas in the world, it's currently caught between an ecological or economic dilemma over the use of government-provided water rights.

** '''Sacramento Valley:''' The part of the valley that lies north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and south of the Siskiyou Mountains. The Sutter Buttes is a distinct geographic feature here.

* '''California Coast Ranges:''' The Pacific Coast Ranges in California that overlap the southern end of the Klamath Mountains for approximately 80 miles on the west at its northern end and are north of the Transverse Ranges. The North Coast Ranges are north of the [[San Francisco]] Bay and south of the Klamath Mountains. The South Coast Ranges are south of the [[San Francisco]] Bay and end at an area around Point Conception.

* '''The Central Coast:''' an area of California roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. Despite its coasts, its geographical isolation by the Coast Range makes it one of the least-populated regions of the state.

* '''The Greater Los Angeles Area:''' Also referred to as the Southland (which could also refer to all of SoCal), with about 17 million people, the second-largest urban area in the US after the Tri-State Area centered on New York City.

** '''Channel Islands:''' A chain of eight islands located off the coast of SoCal in the Pacific Ocean along the Santa Barbara Channel. Five of the islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Anacapa, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz islands) are part of the Channel Islands National Park.

* '''The Low Desert:''' a common name for southeastern California south of The High (or Mojave) Desert that includes the Colorado and Yuha deserts in the Southern California portion of the Sonoran Desert.

** '''Coachella Valley:''' A desert valley and subregion of the Inland Empire that is east of San Bernardino and Riverside and north of the Salton Sea that includes the city of Palm Springs. Overlaps with the Inland Empire.

* '''Inyo County:''' A county located on the east side of the Sierra Nevada and southeast of Yosemite Natl Park.

** '''Owens Valley:''' an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains. The Alabama Hills, which are in this valley, are a popular filming location for TV and movie productions, especially Westerns set in an archetypical "rugged" environment.

* '''Sierra Nevada Mountains:''' A mountain range in California and a small part of Nevada that is east of the Central Valley.

** '''Gold Country:''' Lies on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, reaching down to the Sacramento Valley, and stretches from Mariposa County in the south to Sierra County in the north.

* '''Cascade Range:''' A major mountain range in the U.S. and [[Canada]] extending from southern British Columbia through [[The Other Rainforest|Washington and Oregon]] and into Northern California. The part of the Cascade Ranges that's in California is called the Shasta Cascade Range.

** '''Lake Shasta:''' An artificial lake created by the construction of Shasta Dam across the Sacramento River, it is the state's largest reservoir, and its third largest body of water after Lake Tahoe and the Salton Sea.

* [[Affectionate Parody]]: Omnipresent in media due to most production companies being based in California. Some other common parodies of California culture exist in the various nicknames given by outsiders (and sometimes insiders)

** California, land of fruits and nuts