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* '''Inglewood:''' A predominantly Latino/African-American city that is mostly enveloped by Los Angeles proper. Home to many of the landmarks commonly associated with Los Angeles, including the Randy's Donut donut. Due to being outside of L.A.'s jurisdiction while still being located close to downtown, also hosts the Forum (home to [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation the Lakers]] in the 20th century) and [=SoFi=] Stadium (home to [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague the Rams and Chargers]] and the most expensive sports venue ever built).

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* '''Inglewood:''' A predominantly Latino/African-American city that is mostly enveloped by Los Angeles proper. Home to many of the landmarks commonly associated with Los Angeles, including the Randy's Donut donut. Due to being outside of L.A.'s jurisdiction while still being located close to downtown, LAX, also hosts the Forum (home to [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation the Lakers]] in the 20th century) and [=SoFi=] Stadium (home to [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague the Rams and Chargers]] and the most expensive sports venue ever built).built), and starting in 2024, the Intuit Dome (new home of the NBA's Clippers).
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* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert founded as a railroad town (adopting the middle name of railroad president William B. Strong). At the junction of Interstates 40 and 15, it's typically viewed as the dividing line between civilization and the desert. It has a surprisingly diverse population for an isolated town, with large African-American and Hispanic communities, often traced to families leaving South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. Also home to [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation. The nearby town of Yermo was the birthplace of regional favorite fast food chain Del Taco, and many SoCal residents travelling to Las Vegas tend to stop at the original Del Taco outlets because [[SuperPrototype they taste better and still serve menu items that have been discontinued elsewhere]]

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* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert founded as a railroad town (adopting the middle name of railroad president William B. Strong). At the junction of Interstates 40 and 15, it's typically viewed as the dividing line between civilization and the desert. It has a surprisingly diverse population for an isolated town, with large African-American and Hispanic communities, often traced to families leaving South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. Also home to [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation. The nearby town of Yermo was the birthplace of regional favorite fast food chain Del Taco, and many SoCal [=SoCal=] residents travelling to Las Vegas tend to stop at the original Del Taco outlets because [[SuperPrototype they taste better and still serve menu items that have been discontinued elsewhere]]
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* '''Sacramento:''' The state capital and county seat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment of Sacramento County]]. (The state's supreme court, however, sits in San Francisco.) Known colloquially as [[EmbarrassingNickname Sactown]] (which pretty much sums up all you need to know), the city's official nickname is "The City of Trees". It's home to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento (a Wild West tourist trap district adjacent to downtown), Sutter's Fort, the Tower Bridge, the California State Fair, the anime convention [=SacAnime=], the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo rather]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace important]] ArmsDealer [=GenCorp=] (Aerojet Rocketdyne), and the bands Music/{{Cake}} and Music/{{Deftones}}. "Sacto" is one of the most ethnically diverse and integrated in the USA. The area is also one of the least seismically-prone regions of California, though it floods occasionally. Sacramento has just one major pro sports team for now (the NBA's Kings, which residents fought hard to keep in town despite them being terrible for years), will temporarily have a second in 2205 when MLB's Oakland Athletics stop over on their way to Las Vegas in 2028 or so, and a ziggurat. Does ''your'' state or provincial capital have a ziggurat? We thought not. Hometown of two [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Best Actress]] winners (Creator/BrieLarson and Creator/JessicaChastain) and of Creator/GretaGerwig, who lovingly captured her adolescence in the sleepy capital in ''Film/LadyBird''.

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* '''Sacramento:''' The state capital and county seat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment of Sacramento County]]. (The state's supreme court, however, sits in San Francisco.) Known colloquially as [[EmbarrassingNickname Sactown]] (which pretty much sums up all you need to know), the city's official nickname is "The City of Trees". It's home to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento (a Wild West tourist trap district adjacent to downtown), Sutter's Fort, the Tower Bridge, the California State Fair, the anime convention [=SacAnime=], the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo rather]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace important]] ArmsDealer [=GenCorp=] (Aerojet Rocketdyne), and the bands Music/{{Cake}} and Music/{{Deftones}}. "Sacto" is one of the most ethnically diverse and integrated in the USA. The area is also one of the least seismically-prone regions of California, though it floods occasionally. Sacramento has just one major pro sports team for now (the NBA's Kings, which residents fought hard to keep in town despite them being terrible for years), will temporarily have a second in 2205 2025 when MLB's Oakland Athletics stop over on their way to Las Vegas in 2028 or so, Vegas, and a ziggurat. Does ''your'' state or provincial capital have a ziggurat? We thought not. Hometown of two [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Best Actress]] winners (Creator/BrieLarson and Creator/JessicaChastain) and of Creator/GretaGerwig, who lovingly captured her adolescence in the sleepy capital in ''Film/LadyBird''.
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Oakland A's will be in Sacto from 2025–2027. Or 2028.


* '''Sacramento:''' The state capital and county seat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment of Sacramento County]]. (The state's supreme court, however, sits in San Francisco.) Known colloquially as [[EmbarrassingNickname Sactown]] (which pretty much sums up all you need to know), the city's official nickname is "The City of Trees". It's home to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento (a Wild West tourist trap district adjacent to downtown), Sutter's Fort, the Tower Bridge, the California State Fair, the anime convention [=SacAnime=], the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo rather]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace important]] ArmsDealer [=GenCorp=] (Aerojet Rocketdyne), and the bands Music/{{Cake}} and Music/{{Deftones}}. "Sacto" is one of the most ethnically diverse and integrated in the USA. The area is also one of the least seismically-prone regions of California, though it floods occasionally. Sacramento has just one major pro sports team (the NBA's Kings, which residents fought hard to keep in town despite them being terrible for years) and a ziggurat. Does ''your'' state or provincial capital have a ziggurat? We thought not. Hometown of two [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Best Actress]] winners (Creator/BrieLarson and Creator/JessicaChastain) and of Creator/GretaGerwig, who lovingly captured her adolescence in the sleepy capital in ''Film/LadyBird''.

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* '''Sacramento:''' The state capital and county seat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment of Sacramento County]]. (The state's supreme court, however, sits in San Francisco.) Known colloquially as [[EmbarrassingNickname Sactown]] (which pretty much sums up all you need to know), the city's official nickname is "The City of Trees". It's home to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento (a Wild West tourist trap district adjacent to downtown), Sutter's Fort, the Tower Bridge, the California State Fair, the anime convention [=SacAnime=], the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo rather]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace important]] ArmsDealer [=GenCorp=] (Aerojet Rocketdyne), and the bands Music/{{Cake}} and Music/{{Deftones}}. "Sacto" is one of the most ethnically diverse and integrated in the USA. The area is also one of the least seismically-prone regions of California, though it floods occasionally. Sacramento has just one major pro sports team for now (the NBA's Kings, which residents fought hard to keep in town despite them being terrible for years) years), will temporarily have a second in 2205 when MLB's Oakland Athletics stop over on their way to Las Vegas in 2028 or so, and a ziggurat. Does ''your'' state or provincial capital have a ziggurat? We thought not. Hometown of two [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Best Actress]] winners (Creator/BrieLarson and Creator/JessicaChastain) and of Creator/GretaGerwig, who lovingly captured her adolescence in the sleepy capital in ''Film/LadyBird''.



* '''West Sacramento:''' An independent city in Yolo County on the west side of the Sacramento River that features Sutter Health Park, home of the Sacramento River Cats ([[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball Triple-A]] affiliate of the San Francisco Giants), and where the Ziggurat building actually is.

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* '''West Sacramento:''' An independent city in Yolo County on the west side of the Sacramento River that features Sutter Health Park, home of the Sacramento River Cats ([[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball Triple-A]] affiliate of the San Francisco Giants), Giants) and temporary home to the Oakland A's from 2025–2027 (or 2028, depending on when their new Las Vegas ballpark opens), and where the Ziggurat building actually is.
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fixed abc so it leads to the article


* '''Burbank:''' An independent city in the San Fernando Valley. Located on the other side of the mountain from the Hollywood Sign, it's been called "The Media Center of the World", since it's the home of a dizzying number of production facilities, companies and even networks, like Creator/{{ABC}}, [[Creator/{{Disney}} Walt Disney Studios]], Creator/WarnerBros Studios, Creator/CartoonNetwork, and Creator/WarnerMusicGroup. Onetime home of Creator/{{NBC}}'s production facility, now called The Burbank Studios. ''Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn'' taped there and immortalized "beautiful downtown Burbank" into the cultural lexicon. Has a large regional airport that serves as a local alternative to LAX, a miles-long ribbon of a park on land cleared for a freeway that was never built, and to this day not really that much of a downtown.

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* '''Burbank:''' An independent city in the San Fernando Valley. Located on the other side of the mountain from the Hollywood Sign, it's been called "The Media Center of the World", since it's the home of a dizzying number of production facilities, companies and even networks, like Creator/{{ABC}}, [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]], [[Creator/{{Disney}} Walt Disney Studios]], Creator/WarnerBros Studios, Creator/CartoonNetwork, and Creator/WarnerMusicGroup. Onetime home of Creator/{{NBC}}'s production facility, now called The Burbank Studios. ''Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn'' taped there and immortalized "beautiful downtown Burbank" into the cultural lexicon. Has a large regional airport that serves as a local alternative to LAX, a miles-long ribbon of a park on land cleared for a freeway that was never built, and to this day not really that much of a downtown.
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* '''El Segundo:''' Suburban beachside community, famous as the headquarters for Creator/{{Mattel}}, Chevron, [=DirecTV=], the North American branch of Creator/SquareEnix, and, strangely enough, the Los Angeles Times. [[Music/ATribeCalledQuest Q-Tip left his wallet here once]].

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* '''El Segundo:''' Suburban beachside community, famous as the headquarters for Creator/{{Mattel}}, Chevron, [=DirecTV=], the North American branch of Creator/SquareEnix, and, strangely enough, the Los Angeles Times. Also home to a lot of aerospace companies, as LAX is located just north of the city limits. [[Music/ATribeCalledQuest Q-Tip left his wallet here once]].
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* '''Artesia:''' Located in the San Gabriel Valley, this sleepy suburb was once primarily known as the childhood home of UsefulNotes/RichardNixon 's wife Pat. Nowadays, it's a vibrant and diverse suburb: aside from the East Asian/Latino mix typical of the San Gabriel Valley, it also has Southern California's largest Indian community and the second biggest Sri Lankan community in America behind the North Shore of [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity Staten Island]]

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* '''Artesia:''' Located in the San Gabriel Valley, this sleepy suburb was once primarily known as the childhood home of UsefulNotes/RichardNixon 's UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's wife Pat. Nowadays, it's a vibrant and diverse suburb: aside from the East Asian/Latino mix typical of the San Gabriel Valley, it also has Southern California's largest Indian community and the second biggest Sri Lankan community in America behind the North Shore of [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity Staten Island]]
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* '''Artesia:''' Located in the San Gabriel Valley, this sleepy suburb was once primarily known as the childhood home of UsefulNotes/RichardNixon 's wife Pat. Nowadays, it's a vibrant and diverse suburb: aside from the East Asian/Latino mix typical of the San Gabriel Valley, it also has Southern California's largest Indian community and the second biggest Sri Lankan community in America behind the North Shore of [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity Staten Island]]
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* '''Davis:''' A city just south of Sacramento that is known for the UC Davis campus, which is responsible for its liberal politics, abundance of bicycles and bike paths, and cows. (UCD is the primary agricultural campus of the UC system.)

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* '''Davis:''' A city just south of Sacramento that is known for the UC Davis campus, which is responsible for its liberal politics, abundance of bicycles and bike paths, and cows. (UCD is the primary agricultural campus of the UC system.)) [[TheWikiRule It has its own wiki,]] one of the largest dedicated to a single city, located [[https://daviswiki.org/ right here]]. It covers everything from local in-jokes to the music scene to what classes you should take at the university, and if you're considering moving here or even just visiting long time residents recommend you check it out before making plans.
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* '''Eastvale''': A bedroom community east of Chino that was incorporated in 2010 and is one of the gateway cities for Riverside County. Originally a dairy farm enclave that started to rapidly transform in the turn of the century; now, if there was a poster image contest for {{Suburbia}}, Eastvale would be a strong candidate, serving as a popular residence for commuters working in Orange or LA County pushed further inland. Notably, it also contains the historical landmark "BTTF Lyon Estates 1955", the filming site for 1955's Lyon Estates in the movie ''Film/BackToTheFuture1''.

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* '''Eastvale''': A bedroom community east of Chino that was incorporated in 2010 and is one of the gateway cities for Riverside County. Originally a dairy farm enclave that started to rapidly transform in the turn of the century; now, if there was a poster image contest for {{Suburbia}}, Eastvale would be a strong candidate, serving as a popular residence for commuters working in Orange or LA County pushed further inland. Notably, it also contains the historical landmark "BTTF "Back to the Future: Lyon Estates 1955", (1955)", the filming site for 1955's Lyon Estates in the movie ''Film/BackToTheFuture1''.
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* '''Beverly Hills:''' An affluent city which, together with West Hollywood (below), is surrounded entirely by UsefulNotes/LosAngeles. America's shallowest city, literally--it seceded so it could have its own police and schools while almost everything below roadbed/basement level was left either to the county or regional commissions dominated by City of LA representatives, which wasn't an issue until they started talking about an east-west subway. Home to numerous Hollywood celebrities, several famed luxury hotels, and the ridiculously high-end Rodeo Drive shopping district, but also more ethnically diverse than you'd expect, with a sizable number of Iranian immigrants who arrived after the 1979 revolution; Iranians make up about a fifth of the population currently, as well as having a significant share of Gulf Arabs (specifically from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE).[[note]]At least 26% of all Beverly Hills residents are of Iranian descent, and many of them are from the pre-revolutionary Iranian Jewish community, including former mayor Jimmy Delshad, making it one of the largest communities of Mizrahi Jews outside of Israel.[[/note]] See ItCameFromBeverlyHills for works with this city's name in it.

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* '''Beverly Hills:''' An affluent city which, together with West Hollywood (below), is surrounded entirely by UsefulNotes/LosAngeles. America's shallowest city, literally--it seceded so it could have its own police and schools while almost everything below roadbed/basement level was left either to the county or regional commissions dominated by City of LA representatives, which wasn't an issue until they started talking about an east-west subway. Home to numerous Hollywood celebrities, several famed luxury hotels, and the ridiculously high-end Rodeo Drive shopping district, but also more ethnically diverse than you'd expect, with a sizable number of Iranian immigrants who arrived after the 1979 revolution; Iranians make up about a fifth of the population currently, as well as having a significant share of Gulf Arabs (specifically from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE).[[note]]At least 26% [[note]]Many of all Beverly Hills residents the Iranians are of Iranian descent, and many of them not Muslims, but are from the pre-revolutionary Iranian Jewish community, including former mayor Jimmy Delshad, making it Delshad. This makes the city one of the largest communities of Mizrahi Jews outside of Israel.in the United States.[[/note]] See ItCameFromBeverlyHills for works with this city's name in it.
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** '''Mount Shasta:''' Second highest mountain in the Cascade Range and fifth highest mountain in California. Has a satellite peak called Shastina, which if it were a separate peak, would be the fourth highest peak in the Cascade Range. Most voluminous stratavolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.

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** '''Mount Shasta:''' Second highest mountain in the Cascade Range and fifth highest mountain in California. Has a satellite peak called Shastina, which if it were a separate peak, would be the fourth highest peak in the Cascade Range. Most voluminous stratavolcano stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.



** '''Goose Lake:''' A large alkaline glacial lake located along the California/Oregon border. More of it is located in California, but a fair amount of is located in Oregon. It sometimes flows into the Pit River, part of the Sacramento River Watershed.

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** '''Goose Lake:''' A large alkaline glacial lake located along the California/Oregon border. More of it is located in California, but a fair amount of is located in Oregon. It sometimes flows into the Pit River, part of the Sacramento River Watershed.watershed.



* '''{{UsefulNotes/Oakland}}:''' The largest city in the eastern Bay Area, perhaps best known today for its famous baseball and football teams (though the football team has skedaddled to UsefulNotes/LasVegas, and the baseball team seems to be following suit). One of America's most ethnically integrated urban centers, it was an industrial and port city that was critical to the American war effort in WWII. After that, it was hit pretty hard by the effects of white flight, and it's still rather poor and violent by California standards (though currently undergoing gentrification). Historically the home of the Black Panthers, it has long held the (somewhat undeserved) reputation of being a [[WretchedHive filthy, gang-ridden]], and [[{{Shadowland}} generally much poorer counterpart]] to San Francisco, where theft and drive-by shootings happen every day--in reality, only ''parts'' of it are truly that terrible. Nicknamed "The Town" to match San Francisco's "The City".
* '''UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco:''' The financial and legal center of the West Coast, the oldest incorporated city in California (beating Sacramento by a week), and the fourth largest city in the state. The cultural heart of Northern California, well known for its progressive politics, highly educated population, and [[{{Gayborhood}} the size of its LGBT population]]. Its hills, iconic bridges, Victorian architecture, cable cars, and the surrounding natural beauty of San Francisco Bay all around it lead to it regularly being regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in America, if not the most beautiful. Also, it's a county ''as well as'' a city. By order of His Imperial Highness Emperor Joshua Norton I: ''Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco", which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars.'' San Francisco is the second-most densely populated major city in the country after New York City, with over 800,000 people living in just under 47 square miles of land, and is also one of the most expensive to live in. Its perpetual cold and fogginess [[HollywoodProvincialism often surprises visitors.]] Planning to work in the tech industry? You [[MemeticMutation must be willing to relocate to San Francisco]].
* '''San Jose:''' Located 50 miles south of UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. Just like L.A., it's the heart and largest city of what is actually a single, sprawling, contiguous population center contained by a valley[[note]]As anyone from Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Campbell, Mountain View, Saratoga, Los Gatos, or Milpitas will tell you, it's usually easier just to say you're from San Jose; a lot of people assume those are just names of districts or suburbs, not independent cities[[/note]]. The largest city in Northern California and third-largest in the state (as well as the eleventh-largest in the United States), having eclipsed UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco a few decades back (currently, the city proper is home to over a million, with roughly that number living in the surrounding suburbs). Do not expect anyone to realize this, however; its short skyline (due to downtown being a mile south of San Jose International Airport) and proximity to the global tourism magnet that is San Francisco have made it a disproportionately obscure city for those not from the area, but it does have notable destinations like "California's Great America" theme park, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, and the labyrinthine Winchester Mystery House. Until the 1950s, San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley (known as "The Valley of Heart's Delight") was best known for its agricultural production and as the home of Buck the dog in ''Literature/TheCallOfTheWild''; today, Silicon Valley[[note]]the term was first used in 1971[[/note]] is effectively the center of the United States' electronics and software industry and hosts many of the juggernauts of the tech industry (Apple, Google, Netflix, eBay, HP, Oracle, Facebook). Very much an industry town: its freeway system is lined with the geekiest billboards ever seen. In sports, it is home to the Sharks of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] and the Earthquakes of [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer MLS]]. Yes, the local residents [[Music/DionneWarwick know the way to San Jose]] [[note]]For the curious, exit I-5 to Route 33 West, which turns into 152, and exit ''that'' for the 101 North in Gilroy. This is a common route into the city.[[/note]] and have NeverHeardThatOneBefore. Warmer than the rest of the Bay Area.

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* '''{{UsefulNotes/Oakland}}:''' The largest city in the eastern Bay Area, perhaps best known today for its famous baseball and football teams (though the football team has skedaddled to UsefulNotes/LasVegas, and the baseball team seems to be following will soon follow suit). One of America's most ethnically integrated urban centers, it was an industrial and port city that was critical to the American war effort in WWII. After that, it was hit pretty hard by the effects of white flight, and it's still rather poor and violent by California standards (though currently undergoing gentrification). Historically the home of the Black Panthers, it has long held the (somewhat undeserved) reputation of being a [[WretchedHive filthy, gang-ridden]], and [[{{Shadowland}} generally much poorer counterpart]] to San Francisco, where theft and drive-by shootings happen every day--in reality, only ''parts'' of it are truly that terrible. Nicknamed "The Town" to match San Francisco's "The City".
* '''UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco:''' The financial and legal center of the West Coast, the oldest incorporated city in California (beating Sacramento by a week), and the fourth largest city in the state. The cultural heart of Northern California, well known for its progressive politics, highly educated population, and [[{{Gayborhood}} the size of its LGBT population]]. Its hills, iconic bridges, Victorian architecture, cable cars, and the surrounding natural beauty of San Francisco Bay all around it lead to it regularly being regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in America, if not the most beautiful. Also, it's a county ''as well as'' a city. By order of His Imperial Highness [[UsefulNotes/EmperorNorton Emperor Joshua Norton I: I]]: ''Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco", which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars.'' San Francisco is the second-most densely populated major city in the country after New York City, with over 800,000 people living in just under 47 square miles of land, and is also one of the most expensive to live in. Its perpetual cold and fogginess [[HollywoodProvincialism often surprises visitors.]] Planning to work in the tech industry? You [[MemeticMutation must be willing to relocate to San Francisco]].
* '''San Jose:''' Located 50 miles south of UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. Just like L.A., it's the heart and largest city of what is actually a single, sprawling, contiguous population center contained by a valley[[note]]As valley.[[note]]As anyone from Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Campbell, Mountain View, Saratoga, Los Gatos, or Milpitas will tell you, it's usually easier just to say you're from San Jose; a lot of people assume those are just names of districts or suburbs, not independent cities[[/note]]. cities.[[/note]] The largest city in Northern California and third-largest in the state (as well as the eleventh-largest in the United States), having eclipsed UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco a few decades back (currently, the city proper is home to over a million, with roughly that number living in the surrounding suburbs). Do not expect anyone to realize this, however; its short skyline (due to downtown being a mile south of San Jose International Airport) and proximity to the global tourism magnet that is San Francisco have made it a disproportionately obscure city for those not from the area, but it does have notable destinations like "California's Great America" theme park, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, and the labyrinthine Winchester Mystery House. Until the 1950s, San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley (known as "The Valley of Heart's Delight") was best known for its agricultural production and as the home of Buck the dog in ''Literature/TheCallOfTheWild''; today, Silicon Valley[[note]]the term was first used in 1971[[/note]] is effectively the center of the United States' electronics and software industry and hosts many of the juggernauts of the tech industry (Apple, Google, Netflix, eBay, HP, Oracle, Facebook). Very much an industry town: its freeway system is lined with the geekiest billboards ever seen. In sports, it is home to the Sharks of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] and the Earthquakes of [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer MLS]]. Yes, the local residents [[Music/DionneWarwick know the way to San Jose]] [[note]]For the curious, exit I-5 to Route 33 West, which turns into 152, and exit ''that'' for the 101 North in Gilroy. This is a common route into the city.[[/note]] and have NeverHeardThatOneBefore. Warmer than the rest of the Bay Area.



* '''UsefulNotes/SanDiego:''' The state's oldest major city, situated on a unique natural harbor between Tijuana (in fact, directly bordering it) and UsefulNotes/LosAngeles. It's California's second largest city (over 1.4 million in the city proper and another two million in the surrounding metro—and that doesn't count the two million-plus living in Tijuana and its immediate area), a fact that seems to escape most other Americans and even other Californians, who often stereotype it as still being a sleepy beach town with a great weather and a really big zoo. Birthplace of the San Diego Chicken (aka The Famous Chicken), Jack-In-The-Box, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over-the-line Over-The-Line]]. Currently its only major sports team is [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball the Padres of MLB]]; the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL's Chargers]] called the city home for more than half a century before they moved north to Los Angeles in 2016. Thanks to several big Navy and Marine bases nearby, home to the largest concentration of military personnel in the Western United States, most famously depicted in ''Film/TopGun''. Also home to a huge number of undocumented Mexican immigrants in addition to the best Mexican food in the U.S. (There may be a relation between the two.) The large military and Latino populations and high concentration of family-friendly attractions tend to give it a reputation for being culturally and politically conservative compared to the rest of the state's big cities. However, it's ''very'' diverse in both nation of origin (about 26.6% of San Diegans are foreign-born from places ranging from China to Italy, another 30% are American-born but from another state) and ancestry (46% non-Hispanic white, 29% Hispanic or Latino, 16% Asian, 7% African-American, 5% mixed, 13% other).[[note]]Some Asians, African-Americans, mixed people, and "other" also identify as Hispanic or Latino.[[/note]] Also famous for being the home of San Diego Comic Con and the University of California, San Diego, consistently ranked among the top 15 academic institutions in the world (particularly in biotechnology and medicine). Contrary to popular belief, San Diego is not German for "[[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy a whale's vagina.]]"

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* '''UsefulNotes/SanDiego:''' The state's oldest major city, situated on a unique natural harbor between Tijuana (in fact, directly bordering it) and UsefulNotes/LosAngeles. It's California's second largest city (over 1.4 million in the city proper and another two million in the surrounding metro—and that doesn't count the two million-plus living in Tijuana and its immediate area), a fact that seems to escape most other Americans and even other Californians, who often stereotype it as still being a sleepy beach town with a great weather and a really big zoo. Birthplace of the San Diego Chicken (aka The Famous Chicken), Jack-In-The-Box, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over-the-line Over-The-Line]]. Currently its only major sports team is [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball the Padres of MLB]]; the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL's Chargers]] called the city home for more than half a century before they moved north to Los Angeles in 2016. The city will get its own MLS team in 2025, joining an insanely successful (at least by attendance) team in the National Women's Soccer League. Thanks to several big Navy and Marine bases nearby, home to the largest concentration of military personnel in the Western United States, most famously depicted in ''Film/TopGun''. Also home to a huge number of undocumented Mexican immigrants in addition to the best Mexican food in the U.S. (There may be a relation between the two.) The large military and Latino populations and high concentration of family-friendly attractions tend to give it a reputation for being culturally and politically conservative compared to the rest of the state's big cities. However, it's ''very'' diverse in both nation of origin (about 26.6% of San Diegans are foreign-born from places ranging from China to Italy, another 30% are American-born but from another state) and ancestry (46% non-Hispanic white, 29% Hispanic or Latino, 16% Asian, 7% African-American, 5% mixed, 13% other).[[note]]Some Asians, African-Americans, mixed people, and "other" also identify as Hispanic or Latino.[[/note]] Also famous for being the home of San Diego Comic Con and the University of California, San Diego, consistently ranked among the top 15 academic institutions in the world (particularly in biotechnology and medicine). Contrary to popular belief, San Diego is not German for "[[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy a whale's vagina.]]"



* '''Concord''': The largest town in Contra Costa County with over 100,000 residents. Mainly a bedroom community known for being the birthplace of Creator/TomHanks, hosting an annual jazz festival, being considered one of the best places for retirees to live, being the home of De La Salle High School (whose football team went on a record setting 151 game winning streak from 1992 to 2004), and the founding of the annual comic book store event "Free Comic Book Day"[[note]]Created by founder and owner of Flying Colors Comics, Joe Field, after seeing Baskin-Robbins’s success with "Free Cone Day" and deciding to do the same thing with comics in order to encourage new readers and drum up business. Currently, it’s an international event with hundreds of stores around the world participating.[[/note]]

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* '''Concord''': The largest town in Contra Costa County with over 100,000 residents. Mainly a bedroom community known for being the birthplace of Creator/TomHanks, hosting an annual jazz festival, being considered one of the best places for retirees to live, being the home of De La Salle High School (whose football team went on a record setting 151 game record-setting 151-game winning streak from 1992 to 2004), and the founding of the annual comic book store event "Free Comic Book Day"[[note]]Created by founder and owner of Flying Colors Comics, Joe Field, after seeing Baskin-Robbins’s success with "Free Cone Day" and deciding to do the same thing with comics in order to encourage new readers and drum up business. Currently, it’s an international event with hundreds of stores around the world participating.[[/note]]



* '''Marin City:''' Like East Palo Alto mentioned above, this was the only place in Marin County where black people were allowed to live in the 1940s, and still remains an extremely diverse community in a lillywhite part of the Bay. Music/TupacShakur lived here when he first moved to California from the East Coast as a teenager, and while he made his rap career in Oakland he's still considered a favorite son.

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* '''Marin City:''' Like East Palo Alto mentioned above, this was the only place in Marin County where black people were allowed to live in the 1940s, and still remains an extremely diverse community in a lillywhite lily-white part of the Bay. Music/TupacShakur lived here when he first moved to California from the East Coast as a teenager, and while he made his rap career in Oakland he's still considered a favorite son.



* '''Parkfield:''' A town located on The San Andreas Fault that is known as "The Earthquake Capital of The World."

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* '''Parkfield:''' A town located on The San Andreas Fault that is known as "The Earthquake Capital of The World."World".
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* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert founded as a railroad town (adopting the middle name of railroad president William B. Strong). At the junction of Interstates 40 and 15, it's typically viewed as the dividing line between civilization and the desert. It has a surprisingly diverse population for an isolated town, with large African-American and Hispanic communities, often traced to families leaving South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. Also home to [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation. The nearby town of Yermo was the birthplace of regional favorite fast food chain Del Taco, and many SoCal residents travelling to Las Vegas tend to stop at the original Del Taco outlets because [[SuperPrototypen they taste better and still serve menu items that have been discontinued elsewhere]]

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* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert founded as a railroad town (adopting the middle name of railroad president William B. Strong). At the junction of Interstates 40 and 15, it's typically viewed as the dividing line between civilization and the desert. It has a surprisingly diverse population for an isolated town, with large African-American and Hispanic communities, often traced to families leaving South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. Also home to [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation. The nearby town of Yermo was the birthplace of regional favorite fast food chain Del Taco, and many SoCal residents travelling to Las Vegas tend to stop at the original Del Taco outlets because [[SuperPrototypen [[SuperPrototype they taste better and still serve menu items that have been discontinued elsewhere]]
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* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert founded as a railroad town (adopting the middle name of railroad president William B. Strong). At the junction of Interstates 40 and 15, it's typically viewed as the dividing line between civilization and the desert. It has a surprisingly diverse population for an isolated town, with large African-American and Hispanic communities, often traced to families leaving South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. Also home to [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation. The nearby town of Yermo was the birthplace of regional favorite fast food chain Del Taco, and supposedly the restaraunts in Barstow are better than the ones anywhere else.

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* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert founded as a railroad town (adopting the middle name of railroad president William B. Strong). At the junction of Interstates 40 and 15, it's typically viewed as the dividing line between civilization and the desert. It has a surprisingly diverse population for an isolated town, with large African-American and Hispanic communities, often traced to families leaving South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. Also home to [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation. The nearby town of Yermo was the birthplace of regional favorite fast food chain Del Taco, and supposedly many SoCal residents travelling to Las Vegas tend to stop at the restaraunts in Barstow are original Del Taco outlets because [[SuperPrototypen they taste better than the ones anywhere else.and still serve menu items that have been discontinued elsewhere]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert founded as a railroad town (adopting the middle name of railroad president William B. Strong). At the junction of Interstates 40 and 15, it's typically viewed as the dividing line between civilization and the desert. It has a surprisingly diverse population for an isolated town, with large African-American and Hispanic communities, often traced to families leaving South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. Also home to [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation.

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* '''Barstow:''' A city in the Mojave Desert founded as a railroad town (adopting the middle name of railroad president William B. Strong). At the junction of Interstates 40 and 15, it's typically viewed as the dividing line between civilization and the desert. It has a surprisingly diverse population for an isolated town, with large African-American and Hispanic communities, often traced to families leaving South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. Also home to [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] Logistics Base Barstow and the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation. The nearby town of Yermo was the birthplace of regional favorite fast food chain Del Taco, and supposedly the restaraunts in Barstow are better than the ones anywhere else.

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* PoliceBrutality: The LAPD has a bad reputation for this. You may have heard "Can't we all just get along?".

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* PoliceBrutality: PoliceBrutality:
**
The LAPD has a bad reputation for this. You may have heard "Can't we all just get along?".

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* BusesAreForFreaks: Still a common attitude in parts of the state, particularly in the sprawling suburbs of [=SoCal=] and the Central Valley where car ownership is expected, if not outright ''required'', to get around. However, this became subverted, as increasing traffic congestion and vehicle expenses spurred a renewed interest in public transit, particularly express routes, around major cities. The trope is averted in the Bay Area, where geography and history resulted in a much denser urban landscape: San Francisco's public transit options (including those long articulated buses featured in movies like ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'') are some of the most extensive in the United States and are relied upon by many residents as an alternative (partial or complete) to driving.

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* BusesAreForFreaks: Still a common attitude in certain parts of the state, particularly in the sprawling suburbs of [=SoCal=] and the Central Valley Valley, where car ownership is expected, if not outright ''required'', expected to get around. However, this became subverted, as increasing traffic congestion and vehicle expenses spurred a renewed interest in public transit, particularly express routes, around major cities. The trope is averted in the Bay Area, where geography and history resulted in a much denser urban landscape: San Francisco's public transit options (including those long articulated buses featured in movies like ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'') are some of the most extensive in the United States and are relied upon by many residents as an alternative (partial or complete) to driving.



* CaliforniaUniversity: The University of California (UC) system, one of the best (if not ''the'' best) public college systems--nine campuses (UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley [often called "Cal" or "Cal Berkeley"], UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and UC Merced) plus one special bonus campus, UC San Francisco, which is a medical school and not an undergraduate institution. There's also a San Francisco law school, now known for short as UC Law SF (known before 2023 as UC Hastings), which for complicated historic reasons is both part of and ''not'' part of UC.[[note]]It's governed separately from the rest of the [=UCs=]. See [[https:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_College_of_the_Law,_San_Francisco The Other Wiki]] if you want the gory details.[[/note]] The education quality at these is pretty damn good. Then there's the CSU system, which is even more of this trope. And don't get us started on the private universities (Stanford, Caltech, USC, etc.), which along with the best of the UC System (Berkeley, LA, and San Diego), can rival the UsefulNotes/IvyLeague.
** At the opposite end of the scale in popular perception are Chico State and San Diego State (both in the CSU system), which are notorious for their raucous parties. The former was once declared the #1 party school in the Nation by ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}''. This reputation isn't entirely justified, for SDSU at least; SDSU is consistently ranked among the top universities in the country, and also made the Shanghai Rankings' Top 500 Global Universities List for most years of the past decade. In fact, according to the [[https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/ Forbes rankings]], as well as the [[https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report Pay Scale salary rankings]], San Diego State University is in fact superior to UC Merced, UC Riverside, and UC Santa Cruz, the bottom three of the [=UCs.=]

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* CaliforniaUniversity: The University of California (UC) system, one of the best (if not ''the'' best) public college systems--nine campuses (UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley [often called "Cal" or "Cal Berkeley"], UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and UC Merced) plus one special bonus campus, UC San Francisco, which is a medical school and not an undergraduate institution. There's also a San Francisco law school, now known for short as UC Law SF (known before 2023 as UC Hastings), which for complicated historic reasons is both part of and ''not'' part of UC.[[note]]It's governed separately from the rest of the [=UCs=]. See [[https:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_College_of_the_Law,_San_Francisco The Other Wiki]] if you want the gory details.[[/note]] The education quality at these is pretty damn good. Then there's the CSU system, which is even more of this trope. And don't get us started on the private universities (Stanford, Caltech, USC, etc.), which along with the best of the UC System (Berkeley, LA, and San Diego), can rival the UsefulNotes/IvyLeague.
** At the opposite end of the scale in popular perception are Chico State and San Diego State (both in the CSU system), which are notorious for their raucous parties. The former was once declared the #1 party school in the Nation by ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}''. This reputation isn't entirely justified, for SDSU at least; SDSU is consistently ranked among the top universities in the country, and also made the Shanghai Rankings' Top 500 Global Universities List for most years of the past decade. In fact, according to the [[https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/ Forbes rankings]], as well as the [[https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report Pay Scale salary rankings]], San Diego State University is in fact superior to UC Merced, UC Riverside, and UC Santa Cruz, the bottom three of the [=UCs.=]
UsefulNotes/IvyLeague.



* FanConvention: Like almost any state. Three of its most well-known ones are San Diego Comic-Con, the largest comic-themed convention in the state, Anime Expo in Los Angeles, which is known for its major industry presences and is the largest anime convention in the United States, and [=FanimeCon=] in San Jose, a "by fans for fans" convention with more emphasis on fan content than industry that was notorious in 2013 for its atrociously long registration lines, although that reputation was completely flipped in 2014 with lines lasting no longer than 10 minutes at any given time.

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* FanConvention: Like almost any state. Three of its most well-known ones are San Diego Comic-Con, the largest comic-themed convention in the state, Anime Expo in Los Angeles, which is known for its major industry presences and is the largest anime convention in the United States, and [=FanimeCon=] in San Jose, a "by fans for fans" convention with more emphasis on fan content than industry that industry. Los Angeles was notorious in 2013 for its atrociously long registration lines, although that reputation was completely flipped in 2014 with lines lasting no longer than 10 minutes at any given time.also the long-time host of E3, the world's largest video game expo.



** A logical reason for this is that Interstates 10 and 110 along with US Route 101 are all major arteries that intersect, and giving driving directions using numbers alone could sound like you're speaking binary.
** Either because of this trope or what caused it in the first place, you'll almost never find a state route, interstate highway, or US highway that has the same number as another. If they do, such as SR-110 and I-110 or SR-280 an I-280, they're either the same highway or the state route is an extension of the Interstate, and to most people, is effectively the same highway.



* ThemeNaming: Cities beginning with Santa or San (Spanish for "saint") pervade the state enough to confuse foreigners. The reason for this is that the Spanish were the first Europeans to colonize the area.
** Some streets in newly formed subdivisions are still named in the Spanish still, with "Via" or "Calle" or "Camino" in front of the name, rather than "Street" or "Avenue" or "Highway" at the end.

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* ThemeNaming: ThemeNaming:
**
Cities beginning with Santa or San (Spanish for "saint") pervade the state enough to confuse foreigners. The reason for this is that the Spanish were the first Europeans to colonize the area.
** Some streets in newly formed subdivisions are still named in the Spanish still, style, with "Via" or "Calle" or "Camino" in front of the name, rather than "Street" or "Avenue" or "Highway" at the end.
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These sidebars serve more as a distraction than a benefit. If the content were relevant enough for inclusion, it would be visible.


Thanks to its idyllic climate, fertile soil, and prime Pacific location, California experienced ''massive'' and sustained population growth through the late 19th and 20th centuries, eventually surpassing [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState New York]] as the most populous state by the early 1960s as people flocked from across the country and around the world in pursuit of jobs and opportunity. The state's history is unfortunately full of efforts to limit and shape this developing population, many of them very dark in nature. Americans accelerated the ongoing genocide of Native Californians throughout the 19th century in various acts of violence that were not publicly recognized by the state until 2019,[[note]]Even though California still technically is home to more Native Americans than any other state in overall numbers, they now represent only 1% of the state's total population.[[/note]] passed laws that limited or outright banned the immigration of Asian people, deported thousands of Mexican Californians (even those who had lived in the state for generations) during the Great Depression, and imprisoned thousands of Japanese Californians during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The tension between this history of discrimination and the diversity of the state's citizens has led to moments of civil unrest, some of the most famous examples being the Watts uprisings of the 1960s and the Rodney King riots in the early 1990s. Both were protests against PoliceBrutality in Los Angeles experienced by its sizable African American population, most of which had come to California in order to flee Jim Crow segregation in the South only to be met by further discrimination. Not coincidentally, [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement the Black Panther Party]] got its start and had the most local influence in California, specifically in Oakland.

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Thanks to its idyllic climate, fertile soil, and prime Pacific location, California experienced ''massive'' and sustained population growth through the late 19th and 20th centuries, eventually surpassing [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState New York]] as the most populous state by the early 1960s as people flocked from across the country and around the world in pursuit of jobs and opportunity. The state's history is unfortunately full of efforts to limit and shape this developing population, many of them very dark in nature. Americans accelerated the ongoing genocide of Native Californians throughout the 19th century in various acts of violence that were not publicly recognized by the state until 2019,[[note]]Even though California still technically is home to more Native Americans than any other state in overall numbers, they now represent only 1% of the state's total population.[[/note]] 2019, passed laws that limited or outright banned the immigration of Asian people, deported thousands of Mexican Californians (even those who had lived in the state for generations) during the Great Depression, and imprisoned thousands of Japanese Californians during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The tension between this history of discrimination and the diversity of the state's citizens has led to moments of civil unrest, some of the most famous examples being the Watts uprisings of the 1960s and the Rodney King riots in the early 1990s. Both were protests against PoliceBrutality in Los Angeles experienced by its sizable African American population, most of which had come to California in order to flee Jim Crow segregation in the South only to be met by further discrimination. Not coincidentally, [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement the Black Panther Party]] got its start and had the most local influence in California, specifically in Oakland.
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Doesn't need to get listed out.


Welcome to California. It's the most populous and third-largest state in the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates (second largest in the Lower 48), nearly [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCustomaryMeasurements 800 miles]] from the northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Oregon}} to the southern border with the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}} Mexican]] state of Baja California. To the west is the Pacific Ocean, to the east is the state of Nevada, and to the southeast is the state of Arizona. In between these borders lies some of the most gorgeous geography on the face of the Earth, but also nightmarish urban hellscapes and lung-clogging atmosphere. Summing up California in one article would be extremely difficult. It is home to nine national parks, the most of any state,[[note]]Death Valley, Joshua Tree, the Channel Islands, Sequoia, Pinnacles, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood, and the granddaddy of them all, Yosemite[[/note]] which contain the highest peak of the lower 48 states (Mt. Whitney) and, 76 miles away, the lowest point in North America (Death Valley). The state as a whole is host to 15 of the 17 types of biomes: vast elevated deserts, beautiful forests of mighty redwoods, valleys of sun-soaked vineyards nestled in golden hills, and majestic snow-capped mountains. Basically, if something exists somewhere on Earth, you will probably find it in California.

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Welcome to California. It's the most populous and third-largest state in the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates (second largest in the Lower 48), nearly [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCustomaryMeasurements 800 miles]] from the northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Oregon}} to the southern border with the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}} Mexican]] state of Baja California. To the west is the Pacific Ocean, to the east is the state of Nevada, and to the southeast is the state of Arizona. In between these borders lies some of the most gorgeous geography on the face of the Earth, but also nightmarish urban hellscapes and lung-clogging atmosphere. Summing up California in one article would be extremely difficult. It is home to nine national parks, the most of any state,[[note]]Death Valley, Joshua Tree, the Channel Islands, Sequoia, Pinnacles, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood, and the granddaddy of them all, Yosemite[[/note]] state, which contain the highest peak of the lower 48 states (Mt. Whitney) and, 76 miles away, the lowest point in North America (Death Valley). The state as a whole is host to 15 of the 17 types of biomes: vast elevated deserts, beautiful forests of mighty redwoods, valleys of sun-soaked vineyards nestled in golden hills, and majestic snow-capped mountains. Basically, if something exists somewhere on Earth, you will probably find it in California.
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The history is covered below, so no need to bury this paragraph inside another paragraph.


Welcome to California. It's the most populous and third-largest state in the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates (second largest in the Lower 48), nearly [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCustomaryMeasurements 800 miles]] from the northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Oregon}} to the southern border with the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}} Mexican]] state of Baja California.[[note]]The U.S. state of California was formerly the Mexican state of Alta California--that is "Upper California"--(which also included the present-day U.S. states of UsefulNotes/{{Nevada}}, UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}), so it was named in relation to the still-to-this-day Mexican state of Baja California--"Lower California." When they first encountered the region, the Spanish did not realize that it was firmly connected to the North American mainland, and therefore named it after a fictional island utopia from a famous Spanish novel of the day.[[/note]] To the west is the Pacific Ocean, to the east is the state of Nevada, and to the southeast is the state of Arizona. In between these borders lies some of the most gorgeous geography on the face of the Earth, but also nightmarish urban hellscapes and lung-clogging atmosphere. Summing up California in one article would be extremely difficult. It is home to nine national parks, the most of any state,[[note]]Death Valley, Joshua Tree, the Channel Islands, Sequoia, Pinnacles, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood, and the granddaddy of them all, Yosemite[[/note]] which contain the highest peak of the lower 48 states (Mt. Whitney) and, 76 miles away, the lowest point in North America (Death Valley). The state as a whole is host to 15 of the 17 types of biomes: vast elevated deserts, beautiful forests of mighty redwoods, valleys of sun-soaked vineyards nestled in golden hills, and majestic snow-capped mountains. Basically, if something exists somewhere on Earth, you will probably find it in California.

to:

Welcome to California. It's the most populous and third-largest state in the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates (second largest in the Lower 48), nearly [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCustomaryMeasurements 800 miles]] from the northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Oregon}} to the southern border with the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}} Mexican]] state of Baja California.[[note]]The U.S. state of California was formerly the Mexican state of Alta California--that is "Upper California"--(which also included the present-day U.S. states of UsefulNotes/{{Nevada}}, UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}), so it was named in relation to the still-to-this-day Mexican state of Baja California--"Lower California." When they first encountered the region, the Spanish did not realize that it was firmly connected to the North American mainland, and therefore named it after a fictional island utopia from a famous Spanish novel of the day.[[/note]] To the west is the Pacific Ocean, to the east is the state of Nevada, and to the southeast is the state of Arizona. In between these borders lies some of the most gorgeous geography on the face of the Earth, but also nightmarish urban hellscapes and lung-clogging atmosphere. Summing up California in one article would be extremely difficult. It is home to nine national parks, the most of any state,[[note]]Death Valley, Joshua Tree, the Channel Islands, Sequoia, Pinnacles, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood, and the granddaddy of them all, Yosemite[[/note]] which contain the highest peak of the lower 48 states (Mt. Whitney) and, 76 miles away, the lowest point in North America (Death Valley). The state as a whole is host to 15 of the 17 types of biomes: vast elevated deserts, beautiful forests of mighty redwoods, valleys of sun-soaked vineyards nestled in golden hills, and majestic snow-capped mountains. Basically, if something exists somewhere on Earth, you will probably find it in California.

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