California

California, the third largest state in the Union, sits at the western edge of the country facing the Pacific, a salty surf-throwing ocean lapping at giant redwoods, rocky ridges, miles and miles of flat beaches and rows upon rows of beachfront houses. Its southern border, a landscape of sweeping sand dunes and flowering cacti, lies next to the country of Mexico.

North lies the state of Oregon and a terrain of evergreen forests and rugged mountains. The eastern border, next to the state of Nevada and Arizona, cuts through the lowest point in the nation, located in Death Valley.

California has more national parks and national forests than any other state Death Valley, Lassen Volcanic, Anza Borrego, Sequoia, Yosemite, Redwoods, Joshua, and Kings National Park.

California has Los Angeles, the second largest city in North America, and Disneyland, where Mickey Mouse was born. California has San Diego, where apparently the best weather in the world exists, and Hollywood, where Marilyn Monroe and Ronald Reagan became famous. California has Lake Tahoe, with dozens of ski hills, and San Francisco, resurrected after the devastating earthquake of 1906. And California has Palm Springs, where Sonny Bono was Mayor and Bob Hope was King.

California has millionaires and paupers, movie stars, computer whizzes, farmhands, and millions and millions of 9 to 5'ers. California has vineyards, strawberry farms and cattle ranches and more cars and more people (almost 33 million in the year 2000) than any other state, most of them living in three areas the Los Angeles-Long Beach, the San Francisco-Oakland and the San Diego regions. Consequently, California has more problems. The state needs more power, more water, more schools, more hospitals, and more highways.

The entire state is a highlight, however, to be more specific, attractions in California include national parks, theme parks, animal parks, marine parks, historical missions, golfing, skiing, health farms, beauty spas and all types of water sports: scuba-diving, surfing, whale-watching and sailing just to name a few.

California climate varies, from the snowy regions in the north to the mild foggy temperatures on the coastline to the record-breaking heat waves in the south.