California
March 27, 2012
Technically encompasses all of California as well as two tiny slices of Nevada o These two slices composed of Las Vegas and Reno basically Why is California (a single state) its own region? o Physically separated from most of the rest of the populated country o Culturally oriented towards Latin America and Asia o Is the most populous state o Most economically important state in the US GSP (Gross State Product) 2 trillion dollars (13% of US) Top 10 economy in world if it was its own country
Cultural Character Oriented to the West (Asia) and South (Latin America) A dream land (Disney) Laid-back surfing lifestyle Eccentric and wealthy celebrities (Hollywood) Physical Character Mountains and deserts Coastal paradise Four Important physiographic features: o Coast Range Mountains o Central Valley Agricultural producing region o Sierra Nevada Mountains o Intermontane and Desert Instability in the region due to tectonics and the Ring of Fire o Area prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides o Major Earthquakes San Francisco 1906 and 1989 Northridge 1994 1. Coast Range Mountains Tectonic activity the San Andreas Fault 2. Sierra Nevada Mountains Range of mountains as high as over 10 000 ft o A significant barrier to travel Gently sloping as you approach from the West, but have an abrupt steep Eastern side o Ex. Yosemite National Park 3. Central Valley
Valley between the two previous mountain ranges Heavily irrigated for agriculture due to lack of precipitation o Sunlight and temperature s perfect Two distinct halves of the valley o The Sacramento valley (Northern half) o San Joaquin valley (Southern half) Very windy regions on both sides of the valley, generation of electricity
4. Intermontane and Desert Extension of the Intermontane area of the Vast Empty Interior o Ex. Death Valley and Mojave Desert Climate Two major sub-regions o Interior The central valley is in the middle of the coastal region, yet is dry and arid lie the deserts o Coastal and Interior Mild temperatures and Mediterranean precipitation Northern part of the region resembles Pacific Northwest Cooler climates and more precipitation The Santa Ana winds o In the fall winds from the inland come, bringing hot dry air o Causes very hot temperatures and produces many forest and grassland fires Vegetation Dry regions have grasslands and Shrublands More moisture rich areas are more heavily forested o Giant Sequoia trees of the Yosemite region o Giant Redwoods trees of the northern reaches of California Human Settlement Population in 2010 37.2 million (12% of US) o Growth of over 3 million since 2000 o A portion of this growth is due to illegal immigrants Approx. 2.6 million (7% of population), with more than 50% from Mexico Diversity o White 40% o Hispanic 37.5% (Over 80% are Mexican) o Asian 13% (Approx. 1/3 of the US Asians) o Black 6% o Natives and Others 3.5%
Urbanism The second most urbanized region in the US o Most found in two large conurbations Los Angeles Area (Southern) Los Angeles San Diego San Bernardino Ventura San Francisco Bay Area (Northern) San Francisco-Oakland San Jose Also an urban cluster in the Central Valley o Sacramento o Stockton o Modesto o Fresno o Bakersfield Los Angeles Conurbation Centered around the second largest city in the USA One of the fastest growing cities in the entire world over the last 100 years o 1900 250 000 o 1950 5 million o 2010 13 million Comprised of many semi-independent municipalities such as: o Anaheim o Irvine o Santa Monica Geography of the city is different than most cities in the USA o Low density, sprawling population o Not a very large downtown area, but rather defined by its numerous auto-centric suburbs More cars per capita than any other city in USA Chronic traffic congestion and smog Ethnic Diversity o Primary destination for immigrants from Latin America and Asia o Largest Mexican metropolitan area outside of Mexico (technically the 2nd largest Mexican city) Same can be said for Japanese, Chinese, Filipino etc. San Francisco Bay Conurbation Comprised of 3 or 4 major cities o San Francisco o Palo Alto o San Jose
o Oakland San Francisco is opposite to Los Angeles o Very dense, walk-able city (Similar to New York) o Golden Gate Bridge connects San Fran and Marin county Palo Alto o Center of Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley) o Technological center of the world Oakland o Very industrious city
Cities of the Central Valley Primarily regional commercial centres and agricultural processing centres Sacramento o State capital o US military aerospace industry Economic Livelihood Generates approx. 2 trillion dollars per year (Top 10 worldwide) 2007-2009 recession and credit crunch o Estimates 44% of homeowners owe more on their mortgages than the houses are worth Key sectors for revival of economy o High tech industry o Tourism and entertainment o International trade Diverse economy with an important service sector o Health, education, retail, tourism, insurance and financial services Manufacturing sector o High tech and aerospace Agricultural sector o Worlds 5th largest supplier of food o Region of highest value of crops (not necessarily the most land for crops) o High production is due to fertile soil, abundant sunshine (growing season) Despite this irrigation must be used to water plants Diverts water from the north and east to the south o Leading producer of almost 60 different crops in the USA Ex. Avocados, grapes, marijuana o Sub regions of agriculture in the Central Valley (Differ based on where they get their water from) Sacramento Valley San Joaquin Valley Salinas Plain Oxnard Plain
California and The Pacific Rim European orientation Most American (non-oil related) trade is with Asia o Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland-San Fran have 40% of all shipping container traffic California or Californias? A big state, but a regionally divided state o Rural vs. Urban regions o Coastal vs. Interior o North vs. South Since 1850s there have been arguments for partitioning of California o One such proposal is north, central and south California
