California - The Golden State. It is famous for many things everyone knows but also for things that'll probably surprise you. Most of us know that California is the home of movie stars (of course Hollywood is there), but very few people know that it is one of the major cheese producing States in the USA! California is a progressive state, with an experimental culture that always thinks ahead, whether in technology, fashion or social issues. There are many who dream about moving to California. And why not, for its the state that has an attractive past and a very promising future.
California has developed forward moving politics and revolutionary social policies. When the sky of Los Angeles started getting covered with the clouds of automotive pollutants, a regulation was passed that limited polutant emissions from every automobile. Because of this effective regulation, the air of Los Angeles is much cleaner now. This decision has not only cleaned the atmosphere of Los Angeles but has also set example for rest of United States. Example setting is not only the habit but is also in the culture of California.
Hollywood and the movie industry will be typical talking points when the subject of California comes up. High speed car chases through cities or on lonely mountain roads, high speed boat races on the waters of lake or ocean, designer fashions that take one?s breathe away, all add up to the movie industry?s portrayal of life in the fast track. Add to it all those designer homes, more fantastic than the mind of most of us can conceive, and the rest of the world is left panting. California is a land of pioneers who still lead the way today, just as Hollywood portrayed those ancient pioneers drawn thousands of miles to enjoy the mild climate and to explore the natural resources hidden in the majesty and drama of the landscape.
The unique geography of California is largely made up of desert. Even sprawling Los Angeles overlaps large desert areas. To make Los Angeles a more comfortable place a large amount of water is piped in from neighboring states of Oregon, Washington etc. The tough landscape characteristic of California is formed in scarps resluting from tectonic plate movement. A part of the state is placed on the plate that moves northward, with large part of Pacific Ocean on it and the rest of the portion is placed on the plate which is continental United States.
Although plates of Los Angeles and California are moving in different directions, the belief that one-day Los Angeles or California is going to break off remains a popular myth. However, the difference in plate movements result in the huge earthquakes California is famous for. It is possible that after billions of years, Los Angeles might be located at the place of Juneau Alaska, but till then we have lots of time to enjoy California with its lovely southern weather, skiing, sun tanning, shopping, amusement parks and much more. Surely, California has so much more to offer than any other state.
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Copyright 2006 Rusty Vecali. All rights reserved. Rusty Vecali runs UC California - a popular site on California and related topics. See Rusty's article archive at: http://www.uccalifornia.com/newsletters/
Author: Rusty Vecali