The Golden State

An essay on Californias Wonders

Alyssa

Has California ever triggered your traveling side? It should. The scenery, tourist attractions, unique wild-life, and vacation spots. California is a place of true natural wonders! The most important economic industry in California, is agriculture. Without agriculture, California just isnt California. Surprisingly, Fresno is the leading county in which agriculture is produced. Also California has around 88,000 farms, which provide 200 different kinds of produce. Several of these products arent grown any-where else in the nation. Fruits and nuts take up over 25 percent of the harvest. California grows nearly all of the nations almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwi, nectarines, olives , pistachios, prunes, and walnuts! In California milk is the most produced item; in fact live-stock prove to be close to 30 percent of the agriculture in this state. Vegetables take up roughly 25 percent of farm income, Field crops provide 10 percent, and greenhouse/nursery is 10 percent. Who knew California was that humungous of an agricultural state! The beautiful land in California brings awe to the eye of the traveler. Tourist attractions in California provides visitors in the millions. In fact Yosemite, Redwood National Park, Disneyland, Hollywood, San Diego zoo, Joshua Tree, and Catalina Island are among them. Redwood has the loftiest trees on earth, Yosemite has beautiful wildlife and is home to Yosemite falls, Joshua Tree is great for rock-climbers, San Diego zoo has lots of exciting animals to visit, Disneyland is amidst the world of imagination, Hollywood is Home to the acting and illustrative movies, while Catalina is a famous little island just off the coast of Southern California. All of them are a privilege no-one should miss. Beautiful God-given nature, famous folks homes, imaginative Illustrations, and more; all a part of California! So dont miss the impact of these sites; jump right in! Schools are absolutely not a thing to overlook. Its to be taken seriously. Numerous schools have been set-up in California. Biola, California Culinary Academy, California College/institute of the Arts, and the California Institute of Technology are some of the many others. Education is an important aspect of

life. California takes agricultural tasks seriously; so a sound education will help in life! Sadly many schools have gone in the wrong direction over the years. Many wildlife animals make California their home. Such animals include: opossums, Black-tailed jackrabbits, Yellow-bellied marmots, Mountain beaver, Bottas pocket gopher, American beaver, Muskrats, Brown rat, House rat, House mouse, and the North American porcupine. Mountains are a great pass-way for wild passers-by. Again these are examples: red fox, grey fox, coyote, American black bears, Northern raccoon (they also live in urban places), Elk, Bobcat, puma, American Badgers, ermine, Northern American river otter, wolverine, American mink, Fisher, and striped skunks also live in California. Around the ocean, rivers and lakes, birds flock to the scene: Common loon, red-throated loon, black-necked grebe, western grebe, pie-billed grebe. Brown pelican, double-crested cormorant, great egret, spotted sand-piper, Herring gull, Caspian tern, common murre, belted kingfisher, black-crowned night heron, red-winged blackbird American bittern, Canada goose, and the mallard. Aloft in the sky, lives these birds of all kinds: the Rock dove, mourning dove, European starling, black phoebe, acorn woodpecker, northern flicker, common raven, American crow, turkey vulture, osprey, California condor, Bald eagle, Golden eagle, Peregrine falcon, Barn owl, great-horned owl, short-eared owl, burrowing owl. Of course we must consider the game-birds; they cant be left-out: Common turkey, California quail, ring-necked pheasant, and (by witness) the peacock. Californias oceanic wonders include those that live in the Pacific Ocean, which runs along the west coast of California. Such are these water- dwellers: Grey whale, northern right whale, Blue whale, Humpback whale, Minke whale, Dalls porpoise Bottle-nose dolphin, Killer-whale (Shamu), Sperm whale, Northern fur seal, California sea lion, steller sea lion, and the harbor seal.

Reptiles are part of the world of animals in California, too. There is the loggerhead turtle, hawksbill turtle, olive ridley turtle, leatherback turtle. Also a few snakes: rubber boa, rosy boa, common king snake, common garter snake, western diamondback rattlesnake, sidewinder, and the western fence lizard. Amphibians are also living here: pacific giant salamander, California newt, California slender salamander, aboreal salamander, ensatina salamander, Mount Lyell salamander, tailed frog, North American bullfrog. Sharks and fish: Zebra shark, whale shark, thresher shark, shortfin mako shark, leopard shark, tiger shark, smooth hammer-head shark, blue shark, rainbow trout, California grunion, opah, pilot fish, dolphin fish, sword-fish, blue-fin tuna, spiny puffer fish, oceanic sun fish, and the milkfish. Animals and land-scape are like the scene to the set. These animals live under-water, urban places, dark corners, the sky, or around rivers, streams, and lakes. Cant have one without th e other! From the urban towns to the open wilderness, California is a sight to behold. California has eight land regions. Five out of eight regions in California are mountainous. In central California there lies a fertile valley, called the central valley. Southern California is home to several deserts including: the Great Basin Desert and the Mojave Desert. The lowest point in North America lies in Death Valley in California. It is 282feet below sea level. In northern California, temperatures can reach up to ~119 degrees Fahrenheit! Mountains that belong to the Redding area include that of Mount Tehama; before it erupted, Mount Lassen (active), and Mount Shasta (dormant). These volcanoes take their place in the Cascade Mountains. In 1913, the hottest recorded temperature in the US, took place in Death Valley, CA. It reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit! The predominant rivers of California are the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The Colorado River, which provides water for the southern nook, is the boundary line between southern California and Arizona. This makes it an important river. The coast-line of California, including all of the bays and

inlets, is 3,427 mi. long! If the measurement were not precise in this way, the coast would measure only 840 miles in length. Californias true wonders are not to question; they are plainly the marks of a profound creator! Now for what every-one thinks California was set on the globe for, Hollywood. Although California is famous for this land mark, as you may now see, it isnt the greatest. Hollywood is located near Los Angeles, CA. The icon of Hollywood stands in the hills above the section of Los Angeles known as Hollywood. Built in 1922, each letter of the sign stands 45 feet tall. The first movie set was erected in 1911! Why did they choose the location of Hollywood? It is because, every scenic background is within a 200 mile span, and the weather is always ardent. Also, many television shows are filmed in Hollywood, not only movies. Disneyland and Walt Disney studios are also located in southern California. In the end, then, even Hollywood notes Californias vast land value! Although California is known for Hollywood, thats really not Californias specialty; the states specialty is actually agriculture. Even though Californias weakness is taxes, Califfornias tourist attractions and natural beauty covers for that! The most important economic industry in California, is agriculture. Without agriculture, California just isnt California. Surprisingly, Fresno is the leading county in which agriculture is produced. Also California has around 88,000 farms, which provide 200 different kinds of produce. Several of these products arent grown any-where else in the nation. Fruits and nuts take up over 25 percent of the harvest. California grows nearly all of the nations almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwi, nectarines, olives, pistachios, prunes, and walnuts! In California milk is the most produced item; in fact live-stock prove to be close to 30 percent of the agriculture in this state. vegetables take up roughly 25 percent of farm income, Field crops provide 10 percent, and greenhouse/nursery is 10 percent. Who knew California was that humungous of an agricultural state!

The beautiful land in California brings awe to the eye of the traveler. Tourist attractions in California provides visitors in the millions. In fact Yosemite, Redwood National Park, Disneyland, Hollywood, San Diego zoo, and Catalina Island are among them. Redwood has the loftiest trees on earth, Yosemite has beautiful wildlife and is home to Yosemite falls, San Diego zoo has lots of exciting animals to visit, Disneyland is amidst the world of imagination, Hollywood is Home to the acting and illustrative movies, while Catalina is a famous little island just off the coast of Southern California. All of them are a privilege no-one should miss. Beautiful God-given nature, famous folks homes, imaginative Illustrations, and more; all a part of California! So dont miss the impact of these sites; jump right in! Schools are absolutely nota thing to overlook. Its to be taken seriously. Numerous schools have been set-up in California. Biola, California Culinary Academy, California College/institute of the Arts, and the California Institute of Technology are some of the many others. Education is an important aspect of life. California takes agricultural tasks seriously; so a sound education will help in life! Sadly many schools have gone in the wrong direction over the years. Including all this, California has several other mentionable topics. The population of women fulfill 50% of California citizenship, and it has 38,041,430 citizens out of the 313,914,040 that live in the U.S.A. Shocking! Seniors (65 and older) in 2011 were 11.7% of the population, and 50.8 percent is male population. The people per square mile in 2010 was 239.1! The immense population makes California what it is! A few pivotal moments in Californias history shaped what it is today. Junpero Serra established the first California Mission in San Diego. The Franciscan friars under the inspiration of Serra built 20 more missions 1 days walk apart. The 21 missions led to the settlement of Mexicans in California. Nearly seventy years later, in 1848, John A. Sutter discovered gold in the American River. James W. Marshall discovered the first gold nugget while working the saw mill. This led to a frenzied desire for gold, known

as the Gold-rush. The population skyrocketed from 15,000 to over 100,00 in just over a year. Seeing dollar signs, the railroad rushed in. Connecting California with the rest of the United States, The Central Pacific Railroad was established in 1869. On September 9, 1850, California joined the U.S. as the thirty first state. By 1963 California had the largest population of any state in the Union. Simi Valley is a small valley in California. Many people complete memories in this fantastic little place. Cattle farms, berry harvesters, and citrus growers all take their place in this little valleys history. Though not very expansive, many people, who like ardent weather, dwell in this welcoming valley. Simi Valley is surrounded by tiny, friendly, rolling hills. An industrial town indeed! It is a place one would be instantly willing to call home!

The legislature consists of 40 senators and 80 Assembly members. Senatorial or Assembly district partakers are represented by one of these senators or Assembly members. Senators can only serve two 4-year terms. While the Assembly members are limited to two-year terms, they may serve for up to 3 years. On each even-numbered year, the legislature runs a two-year session, beginning on the fore-most Monday in December, and ending on November 30 (of the next even numbered year). This is a regular practice. California is unique in several ways. The history, land-marks, tourist attractions, wild-life, and geography of it, is a wondrous thing! The greatest thing about California is its example of a handi-work by an engineer who cares! Who could have planned this, and set its boundary lines? It definitely has the seal of a perfect creator; God. (Job 38)

Bibliography: Bowen, William A., Davis, Clark. California World Book Encyclopedia. 2004 ed. Print.

Reich, Kenneth. Hollywood World Book Encyclopedia. 2004 ed. Print. Simi Valley Historical Society and Museum. Simi Valley. 1997 ed. Print. Smithsonian Institution. Animals. 2001 ed. Print. http://collegestats.org/colleges/california http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html http://traveltips.usatoday.com/major-tourist-attractions-california-12914.html http://www.123rf.com/photo_7868154_upper-yosemite-falls-yosemite-national-park-california.html
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