Chapter 15: California

Good old California. Home of some of the greatest legends. And a place I like to call home as well. Many people have skewed vision of California. Whether they believe a lot of dumb people live here or if they believe it's the best place to be, all the rumors are probably true. California is home to 12 percent of Americans. With that many people you are bound to have a melting pot of people, which is just what California is. There are many contrasts in California, from the Northern parts to the Southern parts, or even the varied topography. California has the lowest and highest elevations in the coterminous United States; Death Valley and Mount Whitney. Even the weather is dramatic, 90 degrees one day and the next day could be rainy and 60 degrees. People either love California or hate it.















Luckily we don't have to worry about hurricanes or tornadoes. However, earthquakes are definitely our enemy. Small earthquakes are very common across California and the large ones come occasionally. Wildfires are also something we have to be cautious of. In the hot and dry months in the fall, wildfires always seem to kick our butts.

The climate in California is called Mediterranean climate. It is climate with moderate precipitation concentrated almost always in the winter months, and one that has mild winters and hot summers.

The variety of climatic regions and the market demand of California's own bulging population are the principle contributors to the state's crop diversity. Many cities are located in the midst of good farmland, and urban land users prefer the same flat land that is most valuable to farmers. One problem is that urban expansion, may become even more so as some farmers choose not to sell their land until surrounding land is urbanized.

Overall, I think most people would agree California isn't such a bad place to live after all.