CALIFORNIA(CHAPTER 15: PART 1)

INTRODUCTION

Tremendous diversity in our perceptions of California. • a modern, outdoor-oriented, ideal American

lifestyle • a region of problem plagued social chaos

California is home to one in nine Americans and is a central element in the American cultural fabric.

Regional Criteria• political unity• national image as a single place• growing role in influencing American lifestyles

The region is mapped on page 337 of the text.

HOLLYWOOD

YOSEMITE

YOSEMITE

SAN DIEGO

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Topography - The coast of California is lined by a series of long, linear mountain ranges-oriented NW>SE

Coast Ranges are from 3,000-5,000 ft - heavily folded and faulted as a result of pressure from plate contact

Plate Tectonics - refer to the geologic theory that the bending (folding) and breaking (faulting) of the solid surface of the earth results from the slow movement of large sections (plates) of the surface.

Ring of Fire - a name given by geologists to a belt of intense earthquake and volcanic activity that encircles much of the Pacific Ocean.

General location of the San Andreas fault and other major faults in California

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Earthquakes Common throughout large sections of the region,

especially from L.A. southeast through the Imperial Valley, and from San Francisco Bay to Bakersfield.

Devastating earthquakes occurred in 1906, 1989, 1992. Map on page 338 - principal earthquake fault zones. Earthquake Laws

Local laws which limited the building heights Many of the laws have been recently repealed,

thanks to technological innovations Impact of the laws is evident on the cultural

landscape.

15 Largest Earthquakes in the Contiguous US

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY The Central Valley

Extends 400 miles from north to south Nearly 95 miles wide in places. Extremely flat, and blessed with fertile soil

and favorable climate Perhaps the most productive agricultural

region in the world The Sierra Nevada

Rise to the east of the Great Valley. These fault-block mountains have

historically been a major barrier to movement.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Climate• A significant “pull factor”• Enables the region's tremendous agricultural output• Poses several environmental challenges• From San Francisco Bay north along the coast, the

region experiences a "Marine West Coast Climate” Mild temperatures with little seasonal variation Plentiful year around precipitation and overcast

skies

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Climate (CONT)

• From San Diego north along the coast to San Francisco Bay, and in the Northern Central Valley and the Western Southern Valley, North America's only Mediterranean climate prevails. Moderate precipitation occurs throughout

the mild winter Hot dry summers are the norm.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Climate Patterns Northern California has far more precipitation and

far fewer people than the southern half of the state.

More rainfall occurs in winter than in summer, with the pattern being most pronounced in Southern California.

Forest fire hazards occur almost yearly, during the late summer and early fall months, especially in Southern California, where a lack of seasonal precipitation and high winds create extremely dry conditions.

CLIMATE PATTERNS

SETTLEMENT HISTORY

Most of California was explored by the Spanish during the mid 1500s.

Spanish missions were established along the coast and were generally linked by pueblos (towns) and presidios (forts).

A gold strike occurred in the foothills of the Central Sierra Nevada’s in 1848, attracting thousands of fortune-seekers from all over the country.

The tremendous influx of people enabled California to rapidly transition from a newly acquired territory in 1846 to a state in 1850.

SETTLEMENT HISTORY

Gold rush >>growth of the San Francisco Bay Area• More than 40,000 people arrived through the port

within the first years of the strike. • San Francisco remained the largest city on the west

coast until WWI. Los Angeles boomed after the completion of the

Southern Pacific Railroad in 1881, and later, after the construction of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.

The Southern California land boom from 1881-1887 further increased L.A.'s population from 10,000 to 70,000.

VENICE BEACH

CALIFORNIA(CHAPTER 15: PART 1)