California is known for so many things, some of them extremely famous and some of them surprising. For instance, although everyone knows that Hollywood is in California and that it's the home of movie stars, not as many know that it is one of the major cheese producers in the United States. California is a forward thinking, experimental minded state that is always on the cutting edge, whether it's technology, fashion, or social thought. It's no wonder that so many people are "California Dreaming." This state has a fascinating history and a future that promises to be just as interesting.

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 pollutant 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.

Needless to say, the most characteristic part of California is its Film industry. Not only is it the home to Hollywood, it is the home of many movie and music stars as well. The Pacific Coast Highway or Route 101, twists and turns throughout its length with no regular patterns. On these challenging curves and mountains many hot chase movie scenes have been filmed. Major A-list movie stars have their homes on the mountain of Malibu. But these homes are the first victims of seasonal wild fires too!

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 resulting 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.

The thought of geological plates moving and causing earthquakes terrifies most of us, but not all fault movement is violent and destructive. Near the city of Hollister in central California, the Calaveras Fault creeps at an average rate of 5-6 mm a year and experiences 20,000 earthquakes a year, most of which are too small for the inhabitants to notice. That the Big One will come and Los Angeles and California will break off and fall into the ocean is myth. Yes, the two plates that meet here are moving, but they are sliding past each other, not riding up on each other (transverse not converging boundaries; usgs.gov and extremescience.com) So instead of part of California falling into the ocean, it may end up adjoining Alaska - given a billion years or two! Meanwhile, whether you love to surf, sunbathe, ski or shop, the pleasures of California await you.

Rusty Vecali
http://www.uccalifornia.com/
-------------------------

Picture: Hollywood sign, Los Angeles
Courtesy of http://freedigitalphotos.net