Welcome to California, the state of golden opportunity. Traveling through California can be like taking a trip around the globe or recounting the pioneer days of the American West. You’ll be pleasantly surprised as you discover that frontier towns are as alive today as they were in 1848 when gold was first discovered. Or, you might find yourself in the middle of thriving cosmopolitan cities, in which you’ll experience delightful neighborhoods where different cultures create an exciting blend of Eastern and Western traditions.

California’s snow-capped mountains, crystal-clear rivers, spectacular beaches, lush greenery, and monumental redwood forests appeal to outdoor enthusiasts as well as vacationers who just want to relax. In addition, visitors have within their grasp numerous theme parks, fine restaurants, outstanding wineries, distinctive resorts and hotels, world-renowned museums and galleries, and the unparalleled entertainment industry. A wealth of exceptional attractions and natural wonders are waiting for you to enjoy.

Central Coast
A tranquil expanse between Los Angeles and San Francisco, this region is tagged the Middle Kingdom. It is a realm of small towns in lovely settings. Agriculture defines life amid the golden rolling hills, and the many coastal locales make idyllic destinations. It consists of shoreline communities with the Pacific Ocean at their doorsteps. The new 31-mile Scenic Coastal Drive weaves through the coastal cities of Port Hueneme, Oxnard and Ventura. The towns bustle with waterfront restaurants, hotels, and historic buildings. The Santa Ynez Valley has more than 30 wineries, including some of California's most honored vintner names. At San Simeon, high above the Pacific Ocean, stands stunning Hearst Castle. In Monterey County rugged California headlands shelter numerous campsites and the Big Sur. Drive Lighthouse Road to Cannery Row, where Steinbeck's novel was set.

San Francisco Bay Area
Nature blessed this region with ocean access, a bountiful bay, breathtaking hills from which to enjoy the inspiring views, and moderate weather. The culturally diverse interests and tastes of those who settled here did the rest. The East Bay and Marin in the north, combined with Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley in the south, make up four beautiful prongs to encircle the jewel, San Francisco. Be prepared to dine well: San Francisco has more than 3,000 restaurants. Most rate from good to terrific, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients—the hallmark of California cuisine.

Legendary sights here include the Union Square/Financial District, Chinatown/North Beach, Wharf Area/Telegraph Hill, South Market, Golden Gate Park, and, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge. At East Bay, Oakland's Museum of California actually is three museums that cover the state's art, history, and ecology. Of California's multiple winemaking areas, Napa Valley is the one of the most well known. Wineries between the towns of Napa and Calistoga offer tastings, tours, and picnic sites. Travel a short distance to see Old Faithful Geyser periodically erupt. In San Jose—the heart of Silicon Valley—take the family to the Tech Museum of Innovation, loaded with interactive exhibits.

Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles area dazzles. With its film stars, world-class museums, to-die-for shopping, and miles of parks, recreation areas, and sunny coastal fun spots, this area is one of the planet's great vacation destinations. A must-see for both its art and architecture is the Museum of Contemporary Art, a building as stunning as the art exhibited inside. Music and theater fans adore the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, often site of the Academy Awards. Los Angeles' multi-ethnic society provides many opportunities for travelers to experience various cultures, foods and colorful traditions. LA is celebrated for its exceptional jazz clubs. Hollywood is brimming with traces and faces of the stars. Take a snapshot of the famous Hollywood and Vine intersection, and then stroll down Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame and pay homage to your favorite movie star's plaque glimmering on the sidewalk.

North of Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley, visit Universal Studios Hollywood, the famous movie theme park, and check out Jurassic Park or go Back to the Future. For thrills and spills, head north along I-5 to the Santa Clarita Valley for Six Flags Magic Mountain with its daredevil rides. Legendary Rodeo Drive and neighboring streets offer famous designer shops and posh galleries that attract serious shoppers from around the world. If you're into serious surfing, head to Surf Riders State Beach, where the surfing craze began. But if "people watching" is what you're really after, go to the Santa Monica Pier for its boardwalk ambience. The mother lode for people watching is Venice Beach Boardwalk. This frenetic and colorful mélange of skaters, cyclists, joggers, entertainers, and eccentrics is about as LA as you can get.

Orange County
Quintessential California, Orange County is the state's favorite family destination, due to its many theme parks, amusements, historic and cultural facilities, mild climate, and great beaches. The county is anchored by Anaheim and Buena Park, Southern California's theme-park heaven. And, Orange County's splendid, 42-mile, picture-postcard-perfect coastline is recognized around the world. Things began humming for Orange County in 1955, when Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Donald Duck created the Magic Kingdom among the orange groves. Disneyland has made Orange County the happiest place on earth.

Knott's Berry Farm, in Buena Park, is the nation's oldest theme amusement park, dating back to the 1920s. The 150-acre theme park includes 165 rides and six distinctive areas such as Ghost Town and Mystery Lodge. At Wild Bill's Wild West Dinner Extravaganza, you'll relive the Old West with food, music, and costumed entertainers. Huntington Beach, which has 8 1/2 miles of pristine beach and miles of biking and jogging trails, is the home of the International Surfing Museum, Surfing Hall of Fame, and is one of the nation's most exciting surfing sites.

San Diego County
San Diego County is paradise. The warm and welcoming birthplace of California is blessed with an ideal climate, 70 miles of sandy beaches, a deep-sea harbor, a variety of fun-filled attractions, and a rich, distinctive Spanish-Mexican heritage. Play golf year-round at a myriad of scenic courses for both beginners and experts. Or surf, dive, sail, fish, water-ski, play tennis, ride horses, roller blade, or jog—the list of outdoor recreational possibilities is virtually endless.

There's plenty of entertainment, too. The region boasts the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, the Wild Animal Park, and is home to several professional sports teams. The San Diego Zoo is a subtropical garden with more than 3,200 animals, including many endangered species. On Mission Bay, America's largest aquatic park, Sea World, spreads over 100 acres of ocean frontage. Tropically landscaped, the marine-life park's star attraction is the Shamu show, with giant killer whales performing dramatic stunts. Nearby is Torrey Pines Golf Course, a picturesque public course overlooking the Pacific Ocean. On Mount Palomar, see the Hale Telescope, the world's second-largest telescope that has a lens with a range surpassing one billion light years.

Shasta Cascade
Whether you seek high adventure on a rugged peak, a leisurely time in a houseboat on a lake, or exhilarating winter sports, escape to an unspoiled wonderland in California's northeastern corner. With soaring eagles and plunging waterfalls, snowcapped mountains and geothermal mud pots, glistening lakes, dense forests, giant volcanoes, and many rivers running through it, Shasta Cascade is where you'll find a great time in the great outdoors. Majestic Mt. Shasta provides great downhill and cross-country skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. At its base lies the quaint city of Mt. Shasta, with lodging and dining. Lake Siskiyou offers camping, fishing, boating, and windsurfing. To the west, the Klamath River teems with salmon—and anglers. For views of migrating birds that will make your spirits soar, head to the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, north of the Lava Beds, and to the nearby Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge.

Gold Country
Gold once lured more than 300,000 fortune seekers into this region from the far reaches of the world. From 1848 onward, the '49ers, as they were called, staked their claims in the streams and foothills of the Sierra Nevada, covering a 300-mile-long area known as the Mother Lode. Today, those who venture along Highway 49, the Golden Chain Highway, discover an abundance of history, nature, and outdoor recreation. The Mariposa County Museum and History Center features gold-mining memorabilia, a miner's cabin, and a Native American village. Ride a stagecoach, sip a sarsaparilla, and pan for gold. Explore Hidden Mine, the state's only operating hard rock mine. A few miles north, in Coloma, you can see a replica of Sutter's Mill, where gold first was discovered in 1848.

High Sierra
The majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range, the highest on the continent, is an outdoor-adventure seeker's paradise. The range is home to the largest, deepest, alpine lake in North America, glorious wilderness areas with ancient pines and giant sequoias, spectacular falls, tranquil valleys and meadowlands, resorts, historic Old West towns, and the best snow sports in America. Most accessible in summer, Bodie State Historic Park is just north of the lake, not far from Bridgeport. "Big, Bad Bodie" is one of the best-preserved ghost towns in the West. On the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, Mammoth Mountain offers 30,000 feet of downhill runs plus superb cross-country skiing in winter. Around the community of Mammoth Lakes, you can enjoy fishing, golfing, and horseback riding, and you'll find plenty of places to stay. Stop in Lone Pine for its spectacular mountain views, especially Mt. Whitney-the tallest peak in the continental United States.

Experience one more phenomenon in the land of superlatives: descend into Kings Canyon, the deepest canyon in the country. Yosemite awes visitors with its towering monoliths and dramatic waterfalls, especially Yosemite Falls. Glacier Point offers sweeping views. A complete all-seasons travel destination, the Lake Tahoe area offers boating, water-skiing, fishing, camping, hiking, mountain biking, and snow skiing as well as fine dining. You'll also find Squaw Valley, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Deserts
California's deserts—the high desert in the north and the low desert in the south—are lands of extremes: heat and cold, bright light and deep shadows. You'll find soft sand dunes and deeply eroded cliffs, golden poppies and spiny cacti, creeping tortoises and soaring golden eagles-viewed against the backdrop of jagged mountains. With the area's silent and austere beauty studded with glittering yet relaxing resort cities, the deserts offer the ideal spot for re-energizing your senses. Come and give yourself over to this perfect antidote to a too-busy life.

Passionate golfers, tennis buffs, and sun seekers throng to the Desert Resorts of the Coachella Valley, where plush resort playgrounds line up along the base of the stunning San Jacinto Mountains. Havens for rest and relaxation include Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, and Indio. An 850-square-mile plant-and-wildlife sanctuary, Joshua tree National Park is noted for its striking landscape of massive granite monoliths and stands of otherworldly Joshua trees. And, there's off-road recreation at the Imperial Sand Dunes, and excellent day hikes during winter throughout the Imperial Valley. Along the state's eastern border, you can boat through the spectacular Topock Gorge or fish on Lake Havasu. The desolation of Death Valley is inspiring.

Location: 38.54623 N, 121.42660 W.

Area: 163707 sq.mi, Coastline 840 mi., 3rd - Shoreline 3,427 mi.

Statehood: September 9, 1850.

Topography: Long mountainous coastline, central valley, Sierra Nevada on the east, southern desert basins, and rugged mountains in the north.

State Capital: Sacramento.

State Population: 33,145,121; 1st, 12/99.

Bordering States: Arizona - Nevada - Oregon.

State Agriculture: Vegetables, fruits and nuts, dairy products, cattle, nursery stock, grapes.

State Industry: Electronic components and equipment, aerospace, film production, food processing, petroleum, computers and computer software, tourism.

State Flag: Historic Bear Flag raised at Sonoma on June 14, 1846, by a group of American settlers in revolt against Mexican rule. William Todd on a piece of new unbleached cotton designed the flag. The star imitated the lone star of Texas. A grizzly bear represented the many bears seen in the state. The word, "California Republic" was placed beneath the star and bear. It was adopted by the 1911 State Legislature as the State Flag.

Largest Cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, and Long Beach<./font>