CALIFORNIA

California's coast is more than 1,100 miles long, ranging from the wide, sandy beaches lined with palm trees in the south to the majestic redwoods and rocky shores in the north; it is an area of incredible diversity and beauty. When asked the difference between the East and West Coast beaches, a student jokingly replied that it depends upon which side of the car you get out of to get to the water. Anyone who has visited both coasts realizes that there is an enormous difference between them, which is related to their geologic history and climate. The Pacific coast is active geologically as two plates are colliding, causing earthquakes and even volcanic eruptions. Over millions of years this earth movement has created the coastal range of mountains. By contrast, the Atlantic and Gulf are passive coasts, dominated by low-lying coastal plains and offshore barrier islands except for glaciated New England. Unlike the coastal plain coasts, the Pacific coast in California and Hawaii drops off quickly into deep water so that large waves can break right onshore; this gives rise to the great surfing when the ocean is pumped up by a southern hurricane or a northward-moving low pressure cell.

Another major difference is the water temperature; even in Southern California the water is chilly by East and Gulf coast standards. The cold Arctic current makes swimming nearly impossible north of Santa Barbara, and coastal upwelling of deeper, colder waters also lowers the nearshore surface water temperature, which only reaches the low 70 degree mark in the summer. During El Nino years, such as 1997, the water can be five to eight degrees warmer, which is a real delight to swimmers. Also, the warmer coastal waters bring dolphin and other large sport fish up along the California coast for the happy anglers.

The California sun and great climate are an enormous draw to people so that the population continues to swell, and it is now the most populated state in the nation. The climate of warm, dry summers and temperate, wet winters is classified as Mediterranean. Only one percent of the world has this wonderful climate, and it is found nowhere else in the United States.

Southern California conjures up images of beach parties and surfing - this is the shore immortalized by the Beach Boys and Hollywood. California dreaming is about taut, bronzed bodies lying and playing on the golden beaches in the land of the endless summers of surf, sand and sun. The dream can be yours, but you usually have to share the beach with a lot of people in Southern California.

California Division of Tourism
801 K. Street Suite 1600
Sacramento,CA 95812
(916) 322-2881

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