California: A World Of Our Own

California represents a blessed state with distinctive geographical landscape that offers an extensive range of scenic attractions and variety of climates. It has sandy beaches and rugged rocky coasts, bountiful farmlands, barren deserts, dense forests and snowcapped mountain peaks. In "The Geography of Desire: California and the sense of place" Sonia Maasik--a professor at UCLA--and Jack Solomon--a professor at California State University, Northridge--wrote, "Such scenic diversity makes California something of a global microcosm and a magnet for tourists from all over the world" (231). Beyond doubt, California remains as the favorite tourist destination for US natives as well as other world travelers. California's geographic diversity, as well as cultural diversity lures Americans and Non-Americans alike to the golden state. Does having no sense of a distinctive identity because of diversity makes California less of a state than others? Thus, California has no distinct landscape, ethnicity, culture or even economic activity. However, California's diversity accounts for the single attribute that makes the golden state more distinguished than others because of the wide range of cultural resources it provides, that exist nowhere else in the world.

The warm tropical beaches of Southern California that draw many sun loving vacationers epitomize the diversity of the Golden State--physically and culturally. One can bask in the sun in a quiet cove in Malibu, or bike or rollerblade along a path in Santa Monica, past the street performers of Venice Beach, the day sailors of Marina Del Ray, the volleyball players on Manhattan Beach, and the surfers and fishermen off Hermosa and Redondo (California). No other state's shoreline provides as much diverse activities than California. However, California does not only offer wide range of leisure under the sun, but also a climate that have greatly affected the Californian lifestyle. The popular beaches in California have come to represent the state to the rest of America as Rawls--a professor at Diablo Valley College--calls it, "the land of perpetual sun" (22). In Hidden Southern California: Hidden Travel, author Ray Riegert--writer for journals New West and Travel and Leisure--says, "In the iconography of American life, sunshine is synonymous with Southern California" (1). True to the words of Riegert, the mere mention of California brings up images of endless blue skies and cool summer breezes. Because of the mild climate, outdoor recreations--especially going to the beach--have taken a big segment of Californian lifestyle.

Without doubt, the Golden State's proximity to the ocean have influence many aspects of California culture and daily life. In the 1960s, the Beach boys--a famous band of the 60s--celebrate the California's beach culture; they popularized the idea of California as a laid back state where people can loosen up and relax. Maasik--UCLA professor--and Solomon--CSUN professor--added, "... it has always been a place that people escape to, where they forget places of their past ..." (229). One of the Californians favorite past time indeed includes going to the beach; from a day's hard work, one can go for a drive and relieve stress in the accessible sandy beaches & enjoy the picturesque views that comes with it. Not only Californians adore the beaches of the Golden State, the tourists as well; tourists enjoy the natural diversity of it that exhibits beauty that only the Golden State has to offer.

California's picturesque charm and beauty that does not only reside in the seashores of the Golden State, but also in the rocky coastline at Big Sur, in the alpine finery of Yosemite Valley, and in the striking grandeur of the enormous Sequoia forests. All these places unite to make this one of the favorite vacation destinations for hikers, bikers, campers, wilderness backpackers, skiers and just plain tourists (California). No other state offers more diverse recreation than the golden state. However, these spectacular places do not only exist to embellish the state and attract tourists, these places play a big part in California's history. When Maasik and Solomon say, "California is less a place than a dynamic mosaic of places where tradition counts for relatively little and change and innovation are ever the orders of the day," it seems to contradict the idea of preservation of national parks. California houses over 200 National parks and historical landmarks that until now continue to live to offer Californians and non-Californians the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the golden state's history; the areas considered of educational and scientific importance for habitat and wildlife, of great beauty, and of recreational value. Preservation of these places is of extreme importance as through these, the state developed and grown as what we know the land today. These places will forever exist for they do not only offer exquisiteness, but also in every corner of the Golden State they stand as witnesses of the state's history that contributed a lot to America's identity.

California's diverse geological landscapes create portraits and glimpses of its history that did not only shape the Golden State, but also influence the entire country as well. Maasik and Solomon say, "California's special place in American history and consciousness can be attributed, in large part, to its geography" (2). Lying at the far west of the west, California has represented the ultimate frontier to a nation built upon a frontier history. The nature of the state's social, economic, and culture has been shaped so largely by the arrival of people from other states and even outside of the country, gives California the aura of a laboratory for testing new modes of living that later on adapted by the rest of the nation. Maasik and Solomon added, "... it is so inevitable that so much that happens in America happens in California first" (3). California proves itself as the bellwether state. The Golden State's rich geographical and cultural diversity--that is incomparable to other states--has