California

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Sacramento

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Introduction

Southern California sunset

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Rugged national parks, world-class vineyards and of course the countless beaches keep travellers coming back to California.

Geography

Regions

• Bay Area
• Desert
• Central Coast
• Gold Country
• LA Area
• North Coast
• Sacramento Valley
• San Diego County
• San Joaquin Valley
• Shasta Cascades
• Sierra Nevada
• Southern California

Cities

The top 10 cities in California by population are^[1]

• Anaheim
• Fresno
• Long Beach
• Los Angeles
• Oakland
• Sacramento
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Santa Ana

Other significantly sized cities include Bakersfield, Riverside, Stockton, Chula Vista, Modesto, Fremont and Glendale, all of which are in the top 100 cities in the US by population.^[1]

Sights and Activities

National Parks

• Death Valley National Park
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Mojave National Preserve
• Pinnacles National Monument
• Redwood National Park
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
• Yosemite National Park
• Channel Islands National Park

Skiing

Most people think of the beach and the desert when they think of a vacation in California. But some of the worlds best skiing can be found in California and the Lake Tahoe area. Looking for some intense turns and extreme backcountry or just some cruisers California Ski Areas have it all. For more information read the articles:

• Ski Areas in California
• Ski Areas around Lake Tahoe

Events and Festivals

January

• Sonoma Valley Olive Festival Sonoma, CA http://www.olivefestival.com/
• Martin Luther King Junior Day Festival Long Beach, CA
• Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Santa Cruz, CA http://www.santacruzmuseums.org/
• Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival Morro Bay, CA http://www.morrobaybirdfestival.org

February

• Lenaea Festival Sacramento, CA http://www.csus.edu/lenaea
• Napa Valley Mustard Festival Napa Valley, CA http://www.mustardfestival.org/
• Migration Festival Santa Cruz, CA www.santacruzstateparks.org
• Cloverdale Citrus Festival Cloverdale, CA www.cloverdalecitrusfair.org
• Russian Festival San Francisco, CA www.russiancentersf.com
• Nevada City Mardi Gras Nevada City, CA www.nevadacitychamber.com
• Spam Festival Isleton, CA http://www.isletonjoes.com/
• Clam Chowder Cook-Off Santa Cruz, CA www.santacruzparksandrec.com
• Snow Festival North Lake Tahoe, CA http://www.tahoesnowfestival.com/

March

• Babyfest Bakersfield, CA http://www.baby-fest.com/
• Calaveras Celtic Faire Sonora, CA http://www.calaverascelticfaire.com/
• Fort Bragg Whale Festival Fort Bragg, CA http://www.mendowhale.com/
• Ceasar Chavez Day Festival Bell Gardens, CA http://www.hispaniceventsmarketing.com/

April

• Raisin Festival Selma, CA http://www.cityofselma.com/chamber/calendar.htm
• Strawberry Festival Roseville, CA www.strawberry-festival.com

Weather

As California stretches from the border with Mexico north almost up half of the western coastline of the USA and there deserts and high mountain ranges, the climate in California can be quite different from place to place.
Generally though, summers from May to October are quite warm almost anywhere and can be extremely hot in the southern and southeastern deserts, with Death Valley recording temperatures over 50 degrees almost every year. At the same time, the north and northwest might face some cooler conditions and it rarely gets overly hot in San Francisco for example. Temperatures vary from 25 to 35 degrees in most areas during this time, though mountainous areas can be colder, especially at night.
Winters last from December to March, with cold conditions in the northern and eastern mountain ranges, though still fairly warm in the south, with temperatures between 16 and 22 degrees. Nights can be particulary cold in the deserts during this time as well. The mountains can see heavy snowfall during this time and there are quite some ski areas, for example around Lake Tahoe along the border with Nevada.
Late Spring and early autumn are actually quite nice for a visit, although still you have to bear in mind that especially the higher areas can still be affected by cold and snow. Everywhere else is pleasantly warm though.
The northern parts have more rain, quite evenly distributed throughout the year though somewhat drier in summer. Some areas haven't seen decent amounts of rain though for several years, especially in the southern parts and deserts.

Getting There

By Plane

By Train

Several trains operated by Amtrak travel to and from California from a number of other states in the country. These include:

• The Sunset Limited between Los Angeles and New Orleans.
• The California Zephyr between Emeryville (San Francisco) and Chicago.
• The Coast Starlight between Los Angeles and Seattle.
• The Southwest Chief between Los Angeles and Chicago, via Albuquerque.
• The Texas Eagle between Los Angeles and Chicago three times a week. The San Antonio, Texas to Chicago part goes every day.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

Three trains operated by Amtrak travel throughout the state of California. These are:

• The Capitol Corridor between Auburn and San Jose, stopping Sacramento and Emeryville (San Francisco) among other places.
• The Pacific Surfliner between Paso Robles and San Diego, stopping in cities like Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
• The Sao Joaquins between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Eat

Drink

Sleep