California

C

State Parks

The California state park system includes about 128 units. The largest in area is Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, covering 243,000 hectares (600,000 acres) of desert and mountain country in southern California. Humboldt Redwoods State Park, in the northwest, is the best known of the several state parks that preserve some of the tallest remaining stands of redwood trees. Calaveras Big Trees State Park, in the Sierra Nevada, is noted for its fine stands of big trees. Point Lobos State Reserve, south of Monterey, preserves a rockbound stretch of the Pacific Coast, which forms, with its varied wildlife, a magnificent outdoor natural-history museum.

Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, nestled in the wooded hills overlooking the Pacific, midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, preserves the lavish residence and estate of the former journalist and publisher William Randolph Hearst. Among the many California state parks of historic interest is Columbia Historic State Park, in the tiny village of Columbia just north of Sonora. Columbia has been preserved as a typical example of a Mother Lode mining community during the gold rush.

D

Other Places to Visit

Among the most popular of California’s other tourist attractions are Disneyland, in Anaheim; Sea World, on the coast near San Diego; the motion-picture studios of southern California; and Chinatown, in San Francisco. Most of the early Spanish missions in California have been preserved and at least partially restored. The Santa Barbara Mission, known for its fine architecture, has been called the Queen of the Missions. Of particular interest to astronomers are California’s Palomar Observatory and Mount Wilson Observatory (see Hale Observatories), and Lick Observatory, among the nation’s major observatories.

E

Sports

California is the home of many professional sports teams. The baseball teams are the San Francisco Giants, the California (Anaheim) Angels, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and the Oakland Athletics. The football teams are the San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders, and the San Diego Chargers. The basketball teams are the Golden State (Oakland) Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Sacramento Kings. The hockey teams are the Los Angeles Kings, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and the San Jose Sharks.

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F

Annual Events

The Tournament of Roses, an event of national interest, takes place in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. It includes a spectacular parade and the Rose Bowl collegiate football game. In February the National Orange Show is held in San Bernardino. In May the Jumping Frog Jubilee is held in the small community known as Angels Camp, in Calaveras County. The contest was inspired by a story by American author Mark Twain. During the second week of August the Old Spanish Days Fiesta is held at Santa Barbara. The State Fair, held at Sacramento in late August and early September, is a popular annual event that dates from the 1860s. Admission Day, the annual statewide celebration of California’s admission to the Union, takes place on September 9. Many other colorful fairs and festivals occur during the year in California. Among them are the Bach Festival in Carmel, the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, the Los Angeles County Fair, and the Grand National Livestock Exposition, Horse Show, and Rodeo, which is held near San Francisco.

VII

Government

California’s first state constitution was ratified by popular vote in November 1849, almost a year before statehood. The second and present constitution was adopted in 1879. An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by the legislature, voter initiative, or a constitutional convention. To be ratified, it must be approved by a majority of the people voting on the issue in an election.

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