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Limousine Service California

(Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California originally referred to the entire region composed of the Mexican peninsula now known as Baja (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California and land in the current U.S. state of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California. The states of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Wyoming, were claimed by Spain and Mexico but were almost totally undeveloped, with about 100 settlers in Arizona.

The name (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California is most commonly believed derived from a storied paradise peopled by black Amazons and ruled by Queen Califia. The myth of Califia is recorded in a 1510 work The Exploits of Esplandian, written as a sequel to Amadís de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer García Ordonez Rodriguez de Montalvo.[1] The kingdom of Queen Califia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a remote land inhabited by griffons and other strange beasts and rich in gold.

Know ye that at the right hand of the Indies there is an island named (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California, very close to that part of the terrestrial Paradise, which was inhabited by black women, without a single man among them, and that they lived in the manner of Amazons. They were robust of body, with strong and passionate hearts and great virtues. The island itself is one of the wildest in the world on account of the bold and craggy rocks. Their weapons were all made of gold. The island everywhere abounds with gold and precious stones, and upon it no other metal was found.[2]

It is thought that the myth of Califia later helped fuel Spanish exploration in the New World.

Others suggest the word (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California may come from the early Spanish explorers who entered (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California via the hot southern regions and referred to (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California as being "hot as an oven" or a "lime oven" ("cali > hot", "fornus->forno > oven" + ending "ia" for a place; or with "cal > lime", which is a usual form of Spanish to form what it is new words out of Latin roots with Spanish new words). It may be derived from caliente fornalia, Spanish for hot furnace, or it may come from calida fornax, Latin for hot climate. According to one esteemed historical society it came from Califa, a legendary figure in the indigenous settlement.

(Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California borders the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and the Mexican state of Baja California. The state has strikingly beautiful natural features, including an expansive central valley, tall mountains, arid deserts, and hundreds of miles of scenic coastline. With an area of 160,000 square miles (411,000 km²) it is the third largest state in the U.S and is larger than Germany in size. Most major cities are at or near the Pacific coastline, notably Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Long Beach, Oakland, Santa Ana/Orange County, Riverside/Moreno Valley, San Bernardino and San Diego. However, the capital, Sacramento, is in the Central Valley. The geographic center of the state is located in North Fork, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California.

(Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's geography is rich, complex, and varied. In the middle of the state lies the (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Central Valley, a huge, fertile valley bounded by the coastal mountain ranges in the west, the granite Sierra Nevada to the east, the volcanic Cascade Range in the north and the Tehachapi Mountains in the south. Mountain-fed rivers, dams, and canals provide water to irrigate the Central Valley. The water supply for much of the state is provided by the State Water Project. The Central Valley Project supports some municipal water supplies, though it primarily provides water to irrigated agriculture. With dredging, several rivers have become sufficiently large and deep that several inland cities (notably Stockton and Sacramento) are seaports. The hot, fertile Central Valley is (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's agricultural heartland and grows a large portion of America's food, yet near freezing temperatures are not uncommon during winter which sometimes wipe out portions of crops. The southern part of the valley, which is part desert, is known as the San Joaquin Valley (drained by the San Joaquin River), while the northern half is known as the Sacramento Valley (drained by the Sacramento River). The Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta is a major estuary that supports a brackish ecosystem while serving as the water supply hub for much of the state's population. The Channel Islands are located in the southern part of the state, stretching from Santa Barbara to Orange County. These islands have few inhabitants, but the northernmost islands are a national park. They and the largest island, Santa Catalina Island are attractive to visitors.

In the center and east of the state are the Sierra Nevada (meaning Snowy Range in Spanish), which include the highest peak in the contiguous 48 states, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4421 m). Also located in the Sierra are the world-famous Yosemite National Park and a deep freshwater lake, Lake Tahoe, the largest lake in the state by volume. To the east of the Sierra are Owens Valley and Mono Lake, an essential seabird habitat. To the west is Clear Lake, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's largest freshwater lake by area. The Sierra Nevada reaches arctic temperatures in the winter and has several dozen small glaciers, including the most southern glacier in the US(Palisade Glacier).

About 35% of the state's total surface area is covered by forests. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's diversity of pine species is unmatched by any other state. Though other states have a higher percentage of their land area covered by forests, in terms of total area, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California contains more forestland than any other state except Alaska. Most of the forest is found in 2 areas: the northwestern part of the state and along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Smaller forests, mainly consisting of oaks, can be found along the coast ranges of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California closer to the coast, and also in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Smaller areas of pine forests can be found in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains of Southern (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California and also in the mountain areas of central San Diego County. Deserts in (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California make up about 25% of the total surface area. In the south lay the Transverse Ranges and a large salt lake, the Salton Sea. The south-central desert is called the Mojave. To the northeast of the Mojave lies Death Valley, which contains the lowest, hottest point in North America, Badwater Flat. The lowest point of Death Valley and the peak of Mount Whitney are less than 200 miles apart. Indeed, almost all of southeastern (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California is arid, hot desert, with the Coachella Valley and Imperial Valley routinely experiencing extreme high temperatures during the summer. These large deserts kept travel between (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California and Mexico to a bare minimum during the colonial period. The Coachella Valley in Riverside County is famous for its popular tourist destination Palm Springs, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California. Other Coachella Valley communities include Bermuda Dunes, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Coachella and Cathedral City.

Along the densely populated and long (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California coast are several major metropolitan areas, including San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Santa Ana-Irvine-Anaheim, Riverside-San Bernardino, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California and San Diego. Climates near the Pacific Ocean are remarkably moderate compared with inland climates. Winter temperatures seldom reach freezing and summer temperatures rarely reach above the high 80's Fahrenheit (low 30's Celsius).

(Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California is famous for earthquakes due to the presence of a number of faults, in particular the San Andreas Fault. While powerful earthquakes in the United States have occurred in other states such as Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Missouri (along the New Madrid fault), people are more aware of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's earthquakes due to their frequency and tendency to strike in highly populated areas.

(Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California is also home to several volcanoes, some active such as Mammoth Mountain. Other volcanoes include Lassen Peak, which erupted from 1914 and 1921, and Mount Shasta.

-Animal (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California grizzly bear; marine - Gray Whale 
-Bird (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Quail 
-Butterfly (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California dogface butterfly 
-Flower (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Poppy 
-Insect (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California dogface butterfly 
-Tree (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Redwood 
-Wildflower (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Poppy 

Climate
Different regions of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California have very different climates, depending on their latitude, elevation, and proximity to the coast. Most of the state has a Mediterranean climate, with rainy winters and dry summers. The influence of the ocean generally moderates temperature extremes, creating warmer winters and substantially cooler summers. The cool (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Current offshore, enhanced by upwelling of cold sub-surface waters, often creates summer fog near the coast. Further inland, the climate becomes more continental with colder winters and markedly hotter summers. The temperature gradient between immediate coast and low-lying inland valleys in the north is about 7 °F (4 °C) in winter (the coast being warmer) and in summer roughly 25 °F (14 °C) (the interior being warmer). In the south, the figures are approximately 4 °F and 23 °F (2 °C and 13 °C), respectively; however 4 °F and 35 °F (2 °C and 20 °C) between Santa Barbara and Death Valley.

Westerly winds from the ocean also bring moisture, and the northern parts of the state generally receive higher annual rainfall amounts than the south. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's mountain ranges influence the climate as well: moisture-laden air from the west cools as it ascends the mountains, dropping moisture; some of the rainiest parts of the state are west-facing mountain slopes. Northwestern (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California has a temperate climate with rainfall of 15-50 inches (400-1270 mm) per year. Some areas of Coast Redwood forest receive over 100 inches of precipitation per year (2540 mm). The Central Valley has a Mediterranean climate but with greater temperature extremes than the coastal areas: parts of the valley are often filled with thick fog, similar to that found in the coastal valleys. The high mountains, including the Sierra Nevada, have a mountain climate with snow in winter and mild to moderate heat in summer.

On the east side of the mountains is a drier rain shadow. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's desert climate regions lie east of the high Sierra Nevada and Southern (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's Transverse Ranges and Peninsular Ranges. The low deserts east of the southern (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California mountains, including the Imperial and Coachella valleys and the lower Colorado River, are part of the Sonoran Desert, with hot summers and mild winters; the higher elevation deserts of eastern (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California, including the Mojave Desert, Owens Valley, and the Modoc Plateau, are part of the Great Basin region, with hot summers and cold winters. During the summer months, especially from July through early September, the region is affected by the Mexican Monsoon (also called the "southwest monsoon"), which drives moisture from the tropical Pacific, Gulf of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California, and/or Gulf of Mexico into the deserts, setting off brief, but often torrential thunderstorms, particularly over mountainous terrain.

In the northern portion of the Mojave Desert on the east side of the state is Death Valley, which is the hottest spot on the Western Hemisphere. It is common in the summer for temperatures in the valley to reach 120 °F (49 °C). The highest temperature in the Western Hemisphere, 134 °F (56.6 °C), was recorded in Death Valley on July 10, 1913. Temperatures of 130 °F (54 °C) or higher have been recorded as recently as 2005. The 24-hour average July temperature in Death Valley is 101 °F (38 °C) (1961-1990 standard).

Ecology
Main article: Ecology of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California
Ecologically, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California is one of the richest and most diverse parts of the world and includes some of the most endangered ecological communities. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's diverse geography, geology, soils and climate have generated a tremendous diversity of plant and animal life. The State of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California is part of the Nearctic ecozone, and spans a number of terrestrial ecoregions, and is perhaps the most ecologically diverse state in the United States.

(Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California has a rather high percentage of endemic species. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California endemics include relic species that have died out elsewhere, including the redwoods and the Catalina Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus). Many other endemics originated through differentiation or adaptive radiation, whereby multiple species develop from a common ancestor to take advantage of diverse ecological conditions. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's great abundance of species of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California lilac (Ceanothus) is an example of adaptive radiation. Many (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California endemics have become endangered, as urbanization, logging, overgrazing, and the introduction of exotic species have encroached on their habitat. Furthermore, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California is home to the largest trees in the world, the Giant Sequoias.

(Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's native grasses were perennials, which stayed green year-round in most of the state's subclimates[3]. After European contact, these were generally replaced by invasive species of European annual grasses; and, in modern times, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's hills turn a characteristic golden brown in summer. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's nickname The Golden State is in reference to the golden brown summer hillsides and not to the (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Gold Rush,as is sometimes stated.

National Parks and Monuments
Yosemite ValleyMain articles: List of areas in the National Park System of the United States, List of United States national parks by state, and List of National Monuments of the United States. 
To protect and preserve the state's biological diversity, natural beauty, and historic heritage, the U.S. National Park System has acquired control over a huge number of places within (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California. Please see the lists above for more information.

Some of the oldest and most popular national parks in the United States are located in (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California. The most prominent by far is Yosemite National Park (which protects Yosemite Valley), followed closely by the Kings Canyon-Sequoia National Park complex (which protects the most massive trees in the world) and Redwood National Park (which protects the tallest trees in the world).

Half Dome, in Yosemite, figures prominently on the reverse side of the (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California state quarter.


Yosemite Valley appears on the (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California quarter[edit]

History
Main articles: History of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California to 1899 and History of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California 1900 to present
The area was inhabited by more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans before European contact. On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo landed in what is now San Diego Bay claiming it for Spain. Spanish traders made sporadic visits with the Manila Galleons as early as 1565. The British explorer Sir Francis Drake made contact in 1579. Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California in 1602.

Spain colonized the territory with the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolà in conjunction with the creation of the system of Military Districts and Spanish Missions in (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California between 1769 and 1823. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California ceded from Spain and became part of Mexico resultant to the Mexican War of Independence (1810-21). During the outset of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), in the town of Sonoma forty U.S. settlers revolted and established the (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Republic, an independent republic, June 14, 1846. This short lived independent republic was annexed by the United States on July 9, 1846. The Mexican officials fled without a fight. The (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Gold Rush of 1849 brought a huge population of immigrants into the area, and (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California became the 31st state of the United States in 1850.

The entire region originally known as (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California was composed of the Mexican peninsula now known as Baja (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California and much of the land in the current states of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Wyoming, known as Alta (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California. In these early times, the boundaries of the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific coast were only partially explored and (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California was shown on early maps as an island. The name comes from Las sergas de Esplandián (Adventures of Splandian), a 16th century novel, by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, where there is an island paradise called (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California. (For further discussion, see: Origin of the name (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California.)

Pre-European (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in Native northern America. Large, settled populations lived on the West Coast and hunted sea mammals, fished for salmon, and gathered shellfish, while more mobile hunters and gathering groups in the (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California interior hunted terrestrial game and gathered nuts, acorns, and berries. (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California groups also were diverse in their political organization with bands, tribes, tribelets, and on the resource-rich coasts large chiefdoms, such as the Chumash, Pomo and Salinan. Trade, intermarriage, and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups. Except for the Mojave Indians living along the Colorado River no (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Indians grew any domesticated crops.

The first European to explore parts of the coast was the Portuguese João Rodrigues Cabrilho in 1542 working for the Spanish Hernan Cortes. The first to explore the entire coast and claim possession of it was the English man Francis Drake in 1579. Beginning in 1769, Spanish missionaries set up (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Missions along the (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California coast. In addition four small towns or presidos were set up. Upon Mexican independence from Spain, the chain of missions became the property of the Mexican government, and were quickly dissolved and abandoned in 1832. Friends of the Mexican government officials got most of the livestock and property. The total Spanish speaking population in (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California in 1846, when the U.S. took over, was about 4000. Many of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California's major cities were settled by non-Spanish immigrants around these missions and presidios. They preserved only their religious names (Los Angeles for the Virgin Mary. San Francisco for St. Francis of Assisi, San Jose for St. Joseph of Nazareth and San Diego for St. Didacus). For a quarter century after the achievement of Mexican independence in 1821, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California was a remote northern province of the nation of Mexico. Cattle and horses introduced into (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California in the 1770's doubled in population with minimal care about every five years. Cattle ranches, or ranchos, emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California.

Beginning in the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the United States and Canada began to arrive, harbingers of the great changes that would sweep (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California. These new arrivals used the Siskiyou Trail, (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Trail, and Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts surrounding (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California.

In this period, some nobles of Imperial Russia made brief attempts to explore and claim parts of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California, particularly at Fort Ross, but these were limited by a lack of Imperial interest.

(Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California was poorly settled until modern public health eliminated the endemic outbreaks of yellow fever, malaria and plague, caused from the area's lack of frosts, which kills mosquitoes and fleas.

In 1846, at the outset of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Republic was founded and the Bear Flag was flown, which featured a golden bear and a star. The Republic came to a sudden end, however, when Commodore John D. Sloat of the United States Navy sailed into San Francisco Bay and claimed (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California for the United States. Following the war, the region was divided between Mexico and the United States. The Mexican portion, Baja (lower) (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California was later divided into the states of Baja (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California and Baja (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Sur. The western part of the U.S. portion, Alta (upper) (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California, was to become the U.S. state of (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California.

In 1848, the Spanish-speaking population of distant upper (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California numbered around 4,000. But after gold was discovered, the population burgeoned with U.S. citizens, Europeans, and other immigrants during the great (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California Gold Rush. In 1850, the state was admitted to the union USA as a free state (one in which slavery was prohibited).

At first, travel between the far Pacific West to the eastern population centers was time consuming and dangerous, requiring either long ocean voyages or difficult transcontinental passages by stagecoach and on foot. A more direct connection came in 1869 with the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. After this rail link was established, hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens came west, where new (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) Californians were discovering that land in the state, if irrigated during the dry summer months, was extremely well suited to fruit cultivation and agriculture in general. Citrus was widely grown (especially in the form of oranges), and the foundation was laid for the state's prodigious agricultural production of today.

During the early 20th century, migration to (Bought to you by our limousine service in California) California accelerated with the completion of major transcontinental highways like the Lincoln Highway and Route 66. In the period from 1900 to 1965 the population grew from fewer than one million to become the most populous state in the Union. From 1965 to the present, the population demographic changed radically and became one of the most diverse in the world. The state is generally liberal-leaning, technologically and culturally savvy, and a world center of engineering businesses, the film and television industry, music industry, and as mentioned above, U.S. agricultural production.

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