California is one of the largest states in the US (trailing Alaska and Texas in size) and is referred to as the Golden State, which originates from the gold rush of 1849. Very few miners did anything but become broke, while those that supplied the miners with materials grew very rich.
California is located along the west coast of the United States and is one of the most visited places on the planet. The capital has moved over time but is currently in Sacramento, located in the central part of the state.
Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and is located in the southern half of the state. It is a great and very diverse city; from Hollywood to East L.A. you can find every possible lifestyle represented in this microcosm. Los Angeles is home to traffic jams, smog, and political power in the state.
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, the 3rd largest California city and the nations 10th largest city, and Oakland. San Francisco is best known for its picturesque Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and the former prison on Alcatraz Island. Generally seen as one of the most liberal places on the planet, the Bay area also boasts the Silicon Valley, home to a multitude of high-tech companies and venture capitalists and Stanford University, legacy of capitalist titan and former California Governor Leland Stanford.
San Diego is located on the southern end of the state and offers good beaches and water-based sports. It is home to the west-coast submarine fleet for the US Navy. There are many family-friendly things to visit in San Diego including Sea World, Mission San Diego De Acala, and the Wild Animal Park. Avoid the World Famous San Diego Zoo unless you like crowds and prefer not to see large wild animals close-up. Though a package is available at the Wild Animal Park, San Diego Zoo, and Sea World that gives you one pass to all three. They don't have to be used in one day, and it's quite a bit cheaper than going to all three individually. The San Diego Zoo does have some wonderful displays, even if there are large crowds, and if the pandas are out, the crowds in the rest of the zoo tend to dim down. The tour buses are also nice to take around the zoo.
Las Vegas located just 5 hours by car from Los Angeles is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of casino resorts and associated entertainment. The major attractions in Las Vegas are the casinos. The most famous hotel casinos are located on Las Vegas Boulevard on the portion of that road known as the Las Vegas Strip. These larger casinos are located outside of the city. Many of these hotels are massive, providing thousands of rooms, with their large adjoining casino areas. There are many hotel casinos in the city's downtown area as well, which was the focal point of the city's gaming industry in its early days. Several large hotels and casinos are also located somewhat off the Strip, as well as in the county around the city. As of 2009, total number of hotel rooms in Las Vegas was over 140,000.
Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California. It takes approximately 3.5 hours to drive to the park from San Francisco, approximately 6 hours from Los Angeles. Yosemite is surrounded by wilderness areas: the Ansel Adams Wilderness to the southeast, the Hoover Wilderness to the northeast, and the Emigrant Wilderness to the north. Yosemite Valley represents only one percent of the park area, but this is where most visitors arrive and stay. El Capitan, a prominent granite cliff that looms over Yosemite Valley, is one of the most popular rock climbing destinations in the world because of its diverse range of climbing routes in addition to its year-round accessibility. Granite domes such as Sentinel Rock and Half Dome rise 3,000 and 4,800 feet (910 and 1,500 m), respectively, above the valley floor.
Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Visalia, California, in the United States of America. It was established in 1890 as the second U.S. national park, after Yellowstone National Park. The park spans 404,051 acres (1,635.14 km2). The park is most famous for its Giant Sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, one of the largest trees on Earth. The General Sherman tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five out of the ten largest trees in the world, in terms of wood volume. The Giant Forest is connected by the park's Generals Highway to Kings Canyon National Park's Grant Grove, home to the General Grant tree among other sequoias.
Often affectionately referred to as a modern-day Eden, Northern California's Napa Valley is beyond doubt the most famous winegrowing region in America. Just 30 miles long and a few miles wide, the geographically striking swath of land is home to hundreds of wineries - some stunning, some simple, many simply over the top - that produce wines proven to stand proudly alongside the top wines of the world. And while Napa's stellar reputation was inarguably built on the merits of its elegant Chardonnay and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon, many other grapes call the valley home and indeed thrive in its fertile soils.
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