The Handy California Answer Book

Kevin Hile

Description

Hollywood. Silicon Valley. The cities, beaches and redwoods. An enlightening look at the Sunshine State, people, history, and culture!

California is the country's most populous state. The home of the entertainment industry and silicon valley. It's known for its beaches, its redwood forests, and as the “land of fruit and nuts.” Its people, industries, politicians, climate, and allure captivates the world and draws millions of visitors each year. Exploring the state’s fascinating history, people, myths, culture, and trivia, The Handy California Answer Book takes an in-depth look look at this fascinating, quirky, and diverse state.

Learn about the original Indigenous peoples, the Spanish explorers, the independence from Spain, the secession from Mexico, the Gold Rush, the building of the Los Angeles Aqueducts, the earthquakes, the water shortages, and much, much more. Tour landmarks from Disney Land to the Golden Gate Bridge to Yosemite National Park. Learn about famous sons and daughters, including Ronald Reagan, Jeff Bridges, Tony Hawk, and John Steinbeck. Sports (college and professional) are illuminated. The government, parks, and cultural institutions are all packed into this comprehensive guide to the state of California. Find answers to more than 1,100 questions, including:

How did “Eureka!” become the state motto?

Why is a grizzly bear on the state flag when no grizzlies exist in California?

Was the coast of California ever attacked by pirates?

How did Russians come to colonize part of what is now California?

How did the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad drastically transform the state?

Does the ghost of Cary Grant still roam his favorite home in Palm Springs?

Is the “Big One” earthquake inevitable, and are Californians prepared for it?

How did Silicon Valley become a center for the high tech industry?

Can you eat the snails in your backyard in California?

Why do so many Californians want to divide the state into smaller states?

What is a “Valley Girl” fer shur fer shur?

Why did the Brooklyn Dodgers move to Los Angeles?

Did anyone ever escape the island prison on Alcatraz?

When you order your fast-food burger at In & Out “animal style,” what will land on your plate?

A convenient place to go to look up the basic—and fun—facts about California, its history and culture, The Handy California Answer Book illustrates the unique character of the state through a combination of facts, stats, and stories, as well as the unusual and quirky. This informative book also includes a helpful bibliography and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Golden State
• California Republic
• State
• Fresno, California
• Eureka
• Oakland, California
• Sacramento, California
• United States
• West
• République de Californie
• History
• Local
• California
• Fresno
• Oakland
• Long Beach
• San Diego
• Silicon Valley
• Sacramento
• Hollywood
• San Francisco
• San José
• Los Angeles

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 19 septembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578596225
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 15 Mo

Extrait

About the Author
Raised in Laurel Canyon and Van Nuys, California, Kevin
Hile has had a long career as an author and editor. He
worked for several years with the late Jim Fordyce on news,
entertainment, and travel radio shows about California and
the Coachella Valley such as the Cruisin’ California program.
He wrote Visible Ink Press’ The Handy Weather Answer
Book, has edited many other titles in the “Handy Answer”
series, and is proud of his history book on Michigan’s oldest
zoo, Little Zoo by the Red Cedar: The Story of Potter Park
Zoo. He lives in Cathedral City, California.
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Please visit the “Handy Answers” series website at www.handyanswers.com.Copyright © 2017 by Visible Ink Press®THE
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright
laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and
other applicable laws.HANDY
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in
writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote briefCALIFORNIA passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine,
newspaper, or website.
All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.ANSWER
Visible Ink Press®
43311 Joy Rd., #414BOOK Canton, MI 48187-2075
Visible Ink Press is a registered trademark of Visible Ink Press LLC.
Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when
purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized
printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet
your needs. For more information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible
Ink Press, www.visibleink.com, or 734-667-3211.
Managing Editor: Kevin S. Hile
Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski
Typesetting: Marco DiVita
Proofreaders: Shoshana Hurwitz and Patricia Kot
Indexer: Larry Baker
Cover images: Shutterstock.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hile, Kevin, author.
Title: The handy California answer book / by Kevin S. Hile.
Description: Canton, MI : Visible Ink Press, 2016. | Series: Handy answers
series | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016026091| ISBN 9781578595914 (tradepaper) | ISBN
9781578596232 (epub) | ISBN 9781578596225 (updf)
Subjects: LCSH: California--Miscellanea.
Classification: LCC F861.6 .H55 2016 | DDC 979.4--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016026091
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Contents
DEDICATION vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS viii
PHOTO SOURCES ix
TIMELINE xi
INTRODUCTION xvii
CALIFORNIA BASICS … 1 NATURAL WONDERS … 79
Population (13) Mountains (83) … Valleys (89) … Fault Lines
and Earthquakes (90) … Lakes and Rivers (93)
… Fires and Droughts (98) … Beaches (100)EARLY CALIFORNIA:
… Deserts (102) … Islands (103) … MammalsFIRST PEOPLES TO THE
(106) … Birds (108) … Marine Life (108) …1849 GOLD RUSH … 15
Plant Life (110) … Refuges, Preserves, and
First Europeans in California (18) … Spanish
Parks (112) … Zoos and Aquariums (116)
Mission Period (21) … The Russian Presence
(31) … Rule under Mexico: 1821-1846 (33) …
The Gold Rush (42) SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA … 119
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles Area (119) … Pasadena (136) …
1850 TO THE PRESENT … 49 Riverside County (139) … Palm Springs and
the Coachella Valley (140) … Long Beach (143)California Becomes a U.S. State (49) …
Stagecoaches and Railroads (52) … Ghost … San Diego and Surrounding Area (144)
Towns (56) … The U.S. Civil War (57) …
Chinese Immigration (59) … Other
NORTHERNImmigrant Populations in California (61) …
CALIFORNIA … 149The Turn of the Twentieth Century (63) …
Wartime California (65) … The 1950s and San Francisco (149) … Golden Gate Bridge
1960s (69) … A More Conservative Era (74) and Park (161) … Other Bay Area Cities (170)
… The Twenty-first Century (74) … Sacramento (172) vCENTRAL CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL SPORTS … 275
AND AGRICULTURE … 177 Baseball (275) … Football (293) … Basketball
(303) … Hockey (319) Agriculture in the Land of Fruits and Nuts
(177) … Ranching in the Central Valley and
the State (182) … Organics (185) … MORE PROFESSIONAL,
Vineyards and the Wine Industry (186) … COLLEGE, AND AMATEUR
Labor Troubles (190) … Central Valley Cities SPORTS … 325
(192) … Central Coast Cities (195)
Early California Sports (325) … Auto Racing
(326) … Boxing (330) … Golf (332) … Horse
CALIFORNIA MEANS Racing (333) … Soccer (335) … Tennis (340)
BUSINESS … 201 … College Sports (341) … Other Amateur
Silicon Valley and More High Tech (201) … Sports and Outdoor Fun (345) … The
Other Technology and Medicine (206) … Olympics (350)
Food Industry (207) … Clothing and Fashion
(214) … Transportation (214) … Toys (223) QUIRKY CALIFORNIA … 355
… Big Money (223)
Odd Places (355) … Musical Wonders (358)
… Looney Landmarks (359) … The
MOVIES, TELEVISION, Supernatural, Paranormal, and Alien (360) …
AND OTHER A Taste of the Grotesque (366) …
ENTERTAINMENT … 225 Unconventional Religions, Beliefs, and
Hollywood and the Movie and Television Societies (366) … Cool and Kooky
Industry (226) … Radio and Television (240) Conventions (367) … Talk Like a Californian
… Music (242) … Art Movements (250) (369) … Odds and Ends (372)
POLITICS AND CALIFORNIA
THE LAW … 253 NOTABLES … 373
Establishing a State (253) … California’s Actors and Other Entertainers (373) …
Constitution (255) … Public Education (261) Artists and Authors (396) … Athletes and
… Utopian (or Near-Utopian) Societies (265) Coaches (401) … Businesspeople (414) …
… Actors in Politics (266) … Important State Politics, Law, and the Military (415) …
Legislation (269) … The Debate to Divide the Scientists, Engineers, Inventors, and
State (272) Educators (419)
CALIFORNIA GOVERNORS 423
FURTHER READING 425
INDEX 427
viDedication
This book is dedicated to the memory of my late husband,
Jim Fordyce, who passed away in October 2015. Although
Jim was born in New Jersey and raised in upstate New York,
he adopted California in his heart when we moved here. He
loved California and quickly became a Californian. He loved
everything, from the weather and attractions to the people
and culture.
Jim enjoyed a long career in radio and television in New
York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, and, finally,
California, covering everything from hard news to entertainment
stories. He produced and hosted several online radio shows covering life in the Coachella
Valley and California and did everything he could t