California: a World of Our Own

California represents a blessed state with distinctive geographical landscape that offers an extensive range of scenic attractions and variety of climates. It has sandy beaches and rugged rocky coasts, bountiful farmlands, barren deserts, dense forests and snowcapped mountain peaks. In "The Geography of Desire: California and the sense of place" Sonia Maasik—a professor at UCLA—and Jack Solomon—a professor at California State University, Northridge—wrote, "Such scenic diversity makes California something of a global microcosm and a magnet for tourists from all over the world" (231). Beyond doubt, California remains as the favorite tourist destination for US natives as well as other world travelers. California's geographic diversity, as well as cultural diversity lures Americans and Non-Americans alike to the golden state. Does having no sense of a distinctive identity because of diversity makes California less of a state than others? Thus, California has no distinct landscape, ethnicity, culture or even economic activity. However, California's diversity accounts for the single attribute that makes the golden state more distinguished than others because of the wide range of cultural resources it provides, that exist nowhere else in the world.
The warm tropical beaches of Southern California that draw many sun loving vacationers epitomize the diversity of the Golden State—physically and culturally. One can bask in the sun in a quiet cove in Malibu, or bike or rollerblade along a path in Santa Monica, past the street performers of Venice Beach, the day sailors of Marina Del Ray, the volleyball players on Manhattan Beach, and the surfers and fishermen off Hermosa and Redondo (California). No other state's shoreline provides as much diverse activities than California. However, California does not only offer wide range of leisure under the sun, but also a climate that have greatly affected the Californian lifestyle. The popular beaches in California have come to... [continues]

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