About The State of California – Geography Facts History
California
Only Alaska and Texas are bigger than the Golden State, which looms even larger in pop culture’s imagination Yes, there are palm trees, pacific beaches and movie stars, but also a cutting edge urban scene, high-tech innovation and a life bringing wave of ethnically diverse immigrants.
* Etymology of the State Name – Spanish, possibly for a fictional paradise
* Nickname – Golden State
* Motto – Eureka! (I have found it)
* Capital City – Sacramento
* Population – 36.5 million
* Area 163,707 sq miles
* Time Zone – Pacific
* State Bird – California quail
* State Flower – California poppy
* Major Industries – Technology
* Politics – Blue state in 2008
* Best Time To Go – August to November – warm, dry ‘Indian summer’ days and vineyard grape harvests.
History In A Nutshell
When Spanish conquistador Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo sailed up in 1542, Native Americans were thriving, in 1769 the Spanish military returned to establish missions from san Diego to Sonoma. After Mexico won independence in 1821, Alta California was divided into land grants called ranchos. The USA assumed control in 1848, the same year gold was discovered at Sutter’s Creek. California was soon flooded by miners and pioneer settlers, and in 1850 became the 31st state.
Natural Beauty
Yosemite Valley is such a scenic treasure that it jump-started the national park system in the 19th century. California claims the largest known living trees (giant Sequoia’s), the earth’s oldest (bristlecone pines) and the tallest (redwoods). Marine life includes elephant seals and migratory whales. California lies along the Pacific Flyaway, a prime spot for observing migratory birds. Endangered California condors still fly along the Big Sur Coast and at the Pinnacles National Monument.
Fun Facts
Only one out of every four Californians has ever tried surfing. * 63% of Californians admit to having hugged a tree * The highest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere was at Death Valley: 134°F on July 10, 1913
Landscape
California is larger than the UK. It straddles the San Andreas Fault, one of the world’s major earthquake zones, and the north-south Sierra Nevada mountain range stretches for over 400 miles through the state’s belly. Mount Whitney (14,495 feet) is the USA’s highest non-Alaskan peak. Many of California’s coastal areas enjoy a Mediterranean climate, while east of the Sierra Nevada lie arid deserts. Forested mountain areas, especially in the north, are snow-bound in winter, while the beaches of Southern California (So Cal) catch sunshine year-round.
People
California’s population is ethnically diverse. One out of every four Californians was born outside the US, almost 40% speak a language other than English at home, and more than half have Asian or Latino ancestry. More Catholics live here than in any other state, and more Mormons reside here than anywhere else outside of Utah. California also has significant Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim communities. New-age belief systems vary, from new-age belief systems vary, from new-paganism to the controversial Church of Scientology.
Culture & Traditions
Californians pride themselves on being health conscious and environmentally aware. Smoking indoors in public is a no-no, recycling is the norm and more new hybrid cars are registered here than in any other US state. Socially speaking, Californians are a very relaxed bunch, influenced by the laid-back surf-and-sand beach lifestyle, and informality is the norm. According to locals, the biggest cultural divide is between SoCal and Northern California (Nor Cal). The former is still a bastion of movie stars but also an incubator for the arts, while the latter is more about Silicon Valley millionaires than hippies and beatniks these days.
Cuisine
Fresh agricultural bounty – from fertile valleys, fruitful vineyards, orchards and the sea – puts local, organic and seasonal cooking first. An increasing number of conscious ‘locavores’ eat only food that was grown within 100 miles of their homes. California’s multicultural population means that anything might appear on dinner plates here – French cassoulet to Spanish paella, Moroccan stews to Burmese curry, Southern soul food to Oaxacan mole sauces. California is also the birthplace of the fast-food burger joint, a tradition carried out today by beloved In-N-Out-Burger.
Trademarks
* Hollywood
* Disneyland
* Beaches and Surfing
* Golden Gate Bridge
* Vineyards and Wineries
* Hippies
* Arnold Schwarzenegger (aka “The Governator”)
Economy
If California were an independent country, its economy would rank as the eight-largest in the world, comparable with Italy. Industry is comfortably diversified, led by high-tech and scientific research and development, followed by agriculture. Tourism and the media and entertainment industry are also economic pillars, and foreign trade and Asia, Europe, Mexico and Canada is an economic boon. Housing is this increasingly crowded state costs almost double the national norm, even though Californian’s incomes are only 10% above the US average.
Urban Scene
California’s truly great cities embrace the Pacific coast. Surf style San Diego, dating from 18th century Spanish colonial times; metro Los Angeles, actually a mosaic of dozens of independent cities; and foggy, romantic San Francisco, a bohemian enclave north of high-tech Silcon Valley. Smaler coastal towns are made for lingering: Mediterranean-style Santa Barbara, with its red-tiled roofs and palm trees; wacky Santa Cruz, overrun with surfers and modern-day hippies; and Mendocino, a Victorian-era village set on dramatic rocky headlands.
Representations
*My First Summer In The Sierra (1911), by John Muir; inspirational nature narrative by pivotal California conservationist
* Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski * American Graffiti (1973), directed by George Lucas
* Dharma Burns (1958), by Jack Kerouac; classic Beat Generation novel * Vertigo (1958), directed by Alfred Hitchcock
* The Graduate (1967), directed by Mike Nichols * David Hockney’s 20th-century California modern paintings
* Californication (1999); introspective post-punk rock album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
California Legend
For one month during 1846, revolutionaries declared California an independent nation. After the US annexed Texas from Mexico, the Mexican government had issued orders to expel all foreigners from California. Some settlers revolted, taking over the Spanish colonial presidio (fort) in Sonoma and raising the Bear Flag. Although the new nation lasted only until the US declared war on Mexico, the state flag still proclaims California the ‘bear flair republic’.
Essential Experiences
* Watching pro surfers battle monster waves at mavericks, near Santa Cruz|
* Cycling across San Francisco Bay on the Golden Gate Bridge * Sipping and spitting in a Sonoma County winery
* Climbing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park * Driving through a (still alive!) redwood tree * Discovering what ‘hot as hell’ really means in Death Valley
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Places To See But June Lake also has lakes, waterfalls, jagged peaks, and a little something for everyone. rent a pedal boat at Gull Lake Marina ($20 per hour, gulllakemarina.com to take in the views with resident ducks. For aspens, hike the 4-mile round-trip Parker Lake Trail. Don’t Miss: The Double Eagle Resort & Spa (199; doubleeagle.com), with deluxe rooms and cabins, free yoga, |
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About The State of California – Geography Facts History
About The State of Illinois – Geography Facts History
Illinois
The heart of the midwest beats in cloud-scraping Chicago, but venturing further afield reveals much more, including scattered shrines to local hero Abe Lincoln, A cypress swamp and a trail of corn dogs, pie and drive-in movie theaters down Route 66.
* Possibly from the Algonquain for ‘tribe of superior men’
* Nicknames – Prairie State, Land of Lincoln
* Motto – state sovereignity, national union
* Capital City – Springfield
* Population – 12.9 million
* Area 57,918 sq miles
* Time Zone – Central
* State Bird – Cardinal
* State Flower – Purple violet
* Major Industries – Manufacturing, financial services, agricultural
* Politics- Blue state in 2008
* Best Time To Go – June to August – Chicago festivals and the state fair
History In A Nutshell
In AD 1200 Illinois’ urban action wasn’t in Chicago, but in Cahokia to the south, Illinois became the Union’s 21st state in 1818, and by then the only trace that remained of Cahokia, at the time on e of North American’s largest cities, was mounds built by some of its 20,000 residents. In the meantime Chicago developed as an industrial centre. Workers fought the poor conditions in Chicago factories in the late 1800’s, and after violent strikes the world’s labor movement was born (so thank Illinois for your lunch break). Al Capone’s gang more or less ran things during the 1920’s and corrupted the state’s political system. State government has had troubles ever since, with several governors going to jail (four of the last eight leaders, so far). But it has nurtured winners too, like Barak Obama, who was a senator before becoming the nation’s first African American president.
Natural Beauty
Cottonwood trees, grazing horses and roads that twist over old stagecoach trails fill the northwest pocket around galena. From there, the Great River Road hugs the Mississippi down Illinois’ western boundary, often edged with pretty cliffs and wee, time-warped towns. the 18 canyons and waterfalls of starved Rock State Park appear miragelike amid the central cornfields. shawnee national Forest’s green hills and rock outcrops sweel over the state’s southern tip, which also holds a big surprise: the swampland and coraking bullfrogs of Cypress Creek national Wildlife Refuge.
Fun Facts
* Illinois has more nuclear plants than any other state
* Frank Lloyd Wright launched his Prairie School style of architecture in Illinois, designing several dwellings in Chicago and suburban Oak Park, where he lived.
* The University of Illinois used to teach a class called History 298: Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon`
Landscape
Just outside Chicago, urbanity falls away fast and the state opens into a wide horzon of corn and soybean fields. Flat farmland covers three-quarters of Illinois, with the only real exceptions coming in the hilly northwest and knowbby, bluff-strewn far south. The seasons are distinct: cold and wind blow in for winter, while heat and humidity grip the state in summer.
People
Illinois’ population mirrors the US population – it’s 65% white, 15% Hispanic, 15% African american, 4% Asian and 1% other – which is why companies flock here to test new products before launching them nationally. Two-thirds of state residents live in the Chicago metropolitan area. Nearly 30% are Catholic, a number influenced by the growing Hispanic population.
Culture & Traditions
Illinois has a split personality that pits liberal, big-city Chicago against the smaller, more conservative downstate farming and manufacturing towns. It isn’t easy for the two sides to get along – except in August, when the state fair in Springfield brokers peace through its pig races, butter cows and corn dogs.
Cuisine
Chicago rocks the USA’s culinary scene. In recent years it has stolen ‘top restaurant city’ honors from the coasts. Big-deal chefs like Charlie Trotter, Rick Bayless and Grant Achatz cook alongside traditionalists serving up the holy trinity of local specialties: deep-dish pizza, hot dogs ‘dragged through the garden’ and juicy Italian beef sandwiches. Stir in a massive array of ethnic eats – Mexican tacos, Indian samosas, Vietnamese pho, Polish pierogi, to name a few – ad you can see why you’ll need to loosen the belt. Outside Chicago folks go heavy on meat, potatoes and corn dogs (the cornmeal-battered hot dog on a stick was supposedly invented in Springfield).
Trademarks
* Chicago skyscrapers and deep-dish pizza
* Abe Lincoln sights
* Route 66 starting (or end) point
* Corrupt governors
* Inventiveness (the skyscraper, zipper, Lava Lite and Twinkie)
Economy
With cosmopolitan Chicago and its business and financial services at the helm, it’s easy to forget how agricultural Illinois is. It raises the most soybeans, second-most corn and fourth- most highest in the USA. Food and machinery manufacturing spark the industrial economy: McDonald’s, Sara Lee, John Deere, Boeing and Caterpillar are all based in Illinois. Transportation is also big business in the state: the Port of Chicago connects the Great Lake to the Mississippi River (via the Illinois River), and the city is home to railroad and airline hubs Illinois’ household income ranks in the nation’s upper third, at $54,120
Urban Scene
Chicago is the USA’s third-largest city, and it dominates illinois with sky-high architecture, lakefront beaches and superlative museums. It’s a tremendous cultural stew, where you can puzzle over the burnished Bean and Picasso sculptures and other public art by morning; eat hot dogs, drink Old Style beer and watch the Cubs get clobered by afternood; and squash into a sweaty blues, jazz or rock club by night. The capital, springfield, isn’t really urban, but it has bountiful Abe Lincoln shrines (home, home, museum with Gettysburg Address) and Route 66 icons.
Representations
* Illinoise (2005); Sufjan Stevens’ album covers everyting from the Pullman strike to Rahm Emmanel in this primer on state culture
* The Untouchables (1987); Brian DePalma’s gangster flick shows how Eliot Ness brought down Al Capone in Jazz Age Chicago
* A Raisin in the Sun (1959); in Lorraine Hansberry’s play an African American family on Chicago’s south side struggles with money and race issues
* The Adventures of Augie March (1953), by Saul Bellow, a boy comes of age in Depression-era Chicago in this novel
Illinois Legend
The ‘lade in red’ who betrayed gangster John Dillinger was actually wearing dark orange. Anna Sage, the romanian landlady of Dillinger’s girlfriend, was about to be deported by the FBI for operating brothels. To avoid this fate. Sage agreed to set up Dillinger – the FBI’s ‘Public Enemy Number One’ – at chicago’s Biograph Theater. Her orange skirt (glowing red in the marquee light) was the tip-off to agents, who shot Dillinger dead in the alley. The TBI deported Sage anyway.
Essential Experiences
* Having a Ferris Bueller day (Art Instituet, Sears Tower, Cubs game, swanky dinner) in chicago
* Rubbing Abe Lincoln’s nose on the bust by his Springfirld tomb
* Pulling up to a Route 66 drive-in and ordering a corn dog and chocolate shake
* Watching stubby-legged pigs chase an Oreo prize at the Illinois State Fair
* Wondering what happened to all the traffic and tall building once you’re 30 minutes outside Chicagoland
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About The State of Illinois – Geography Facts History
About The State of Idaho – Geography Facts History
Idaho
Time stands forever frozen in a state infused with a remarkable history, evocative plains and sun kissed mountain resorts – and, of course, more potatoes than you’ll see in your lifetime.
* The origins are shaky at best, but it may be derived from the Shoshone for ‘gem of the mountains’
* Nicknames – Gem State Spud State
* Motto – Esto perpetua (Let it be forever)
* Capital City – Boise
* Population – 1.5 million
* Area 83,574 sq miles
* Time Zone – Pacific, Mountain
* State Bird – Mountain Bluebird
* State Flower – Syringa
* Major Industries – High-tech, farming, manufacturing, mining, tourism
* Politics- Red state in 2008
* Best Time To Go – Winter
History In A Nutshell
Some of North America’s oldest artifacts have been found in Idaho, and archaeologists believe this region may have been settled as far back as 14,500 years ago. The major tribes were the Nez Perce’ (Mimiipuu) and Coeur d’Alene in the north and the Shoshone and Bannock in the south. Gold was discovered here in 1860, which kicked off stampedes of colonists and, of course, wars with the Native Americans, which the latter eventually lost. The territory gained statehood in 1890, the 43rd star on the US flag. In the later part of the 20th century, a sizable group of white supremacists and new-Nazis moved into Idaho’s northern panhandle. They are slowly losing momentum.
Natural Beauty
While Idaho’s mountains are quite beautiful, especially near the central resorts of Sun valley and Ketchum, it’s really that big void of space, wind earth and horizon that is the state’s most evocative feature. And there’s a lot of space out there. Idaho has more national forests and wilderness areas than anywhere else in the continental USA (only Alaska has more), areas that are filled with Chartreuse river valleys, arching mountain sides and those big vistas that extend till the end of time.
Fun Facts
* A Presbyterian missionary, henry Harmon Spalding, first planted potatoes here in 1836. He’d bought the spuds with him to teach the Nez Perce a bit about agriculture. Today it’s the state vegetable, and one-third of US potatoes come from here.
* Nez Perce’ Comes from the French for pierced nose, but most historians agree the name is incorrect – the true Nez Perce’ were a piercing-bedecked tribe downriver.
Landscape
This Rocky Mountain state has rippled and rugged topography, and astounding density of lakes and some of the West’s fastest rivers, including the salmon, Snake, Clearwater and Clark Fork. It also boasts Hells Canyon, the deepest canyon in the USA, and Shoshone Falls, which is actually higher than Niagara falls. And, after all these dramatic landmarks, there are, of course, miles upon miles of high plains, perfect from growing the state’s signature crop, the potato.
People
This starched-white state is about 90% Caucasian. the only sizable minorities are Hispanics and Native Americans, who make up about a combined 10% of the population. A large portion of the population identify themselves as Protestants of Mormons.
Culture & Traditions
The small towns that make up the Idaho heart-land largely embrace ‘traditional American values’ – family, God and apple pie – and life centers around the plow and pulpit. But in larger cities like Boise and some of the funkier mountain communities, voices of dissent are rising, and you’ll still find plenty of liberals in a state that’s voted Republican in presidential elections since 1964. Farming traditions mean bake offs, the county fair and square dancing, while resort communities like Sun Valley and Ketchum have a more cosmopolitan feel. Native American traditions continue to this day, with sweat lodges, powwows and large reservations, plus a few casinos.
Cuisine
On the menu are potatoes au gratin and potato salad, bake potatoes and potato skins. But with Idaho does think beyond the spud, with traditional ethnic foods like Finnish Lobin-muhennos, a salmon chowder; Welsh bara brith, a raisin and currant bread; and Basque lamb and split-pea soup. For dessert there’s Idaho’s world-famous huckleberry pie.
Trademarks
* Potatoes
* Neo-Nazis in some pockets
* Glitzy Sun Valley part-timers like Demi Moore, Burce Willis and Ashon Kutcher
* White water
* Bluebird ski days – when a foot of fresh powder is met at dawn by a bright sunny day
Economy
Though potato farming and manufacturing are still significant earners, the big mover today is the science and technology field, which accounts for more than 25% of the state’s total revenue. It’s not a rich state, though; the average income per capita hovers around $26,000.
Urban Scene
Boise is the big boy in town with funked-out coffee shops, and galleries and theaters aplenty, but a few other town dappled throughout the state are noteworthy. Idaho Falls is the cultural crossroads of the eastern part of the state, and has a couple of theaters and museums. Pocatello is home to Idaho State University and has all the trappings of a small university town. And then there are mountain-town standouts like Ketchum and sun Valley, where the culture-and glitterati -come for winter amusement.
Representations
* Napoleon Dynamite (2004); set and filmed in eastern Idaho – sweet
* The Ernest Hemingway Festival is held in late September in Ketchum to honor this prodigal american wrter, who wrote some of the best US novels before killing himself with a shotgun in his Ketchum home
* My Own Private Idaho (1991); sleeper hit film starring Keanu reeves and river Phoenix, based very loosely on shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1
* ‘Private Idaho’ (1980); the B-52’s’ very fine ‘modfi’ pop song, which inspired the films title.
Idaho Legend
The Nez Perce’ were among the last Native American tribes to surrender to United States forces. Under the brilliant leadership of Chief Joseph, this nation, which originally called Idaho, Oregon and Washington home, finally surrendered on October 5, 1877, in northern Montana. Upon surrendering Chief Joseph uttered the famous words: ‘Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.’ Years after the battle cries died out, the Nez Perce national historic Trail follows the tribe’s retreat through Idaho and ito Montana.
Essential Experiences
* Heading out into the cold and blue to make some turns at one of North America’s preeminent ski resorts, Sun Valley
* Holding your breath as you pass through a wall of white water on the Salmon River
* Discovering your ‘own private Idaho’ over a steaming cup of coffee in a cozy coffee shop/bookstore in Boise
* Losing yourself in the dark depths of the USA’s deepest rift at Hells Canyon
* Stopping to fish, ski or just sky gaze as you travel up through the panhandle, visiting towns like Coeur d’Alene Kellogg and Sandpoint
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About The State Of Idaho, ID – Geography Facts History
About The State of Hawaii – Geography Facts History
Hawaii
Often mythologized by foreigners exotic tall tales, the Polynesian Islands of Hawaii are unlike anywhere on the US mainland. Rooted deeply in ancient tradition and beliefs, this modern multi-ethnic society is where east and west truly shake hands.
* Etymology of the State Name – Polynesian, possibly meaning ‘homeland’
* Nickname – Aloha State
* Motto – Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘aina i ka pono (the life of the land is perpetuated in righeousness)
* Capital City – Honolulu
* Population – 1.3 million
* Area 10,932, sq miles
* Time Zone – Hawaii-Aleutian Standard
* State Bird – Nene (Hawaiian goose)
* State Flower – Native yellow hibiscus
* Major Industries – Tourism
* Politics – Blue state in 2008
* Best Time To Go – September to October – calmer ocean waters, little rain, fewer tourists
History In A Nutshell
Before AD 1000, seafaring voyagers from Polynesia arrived in outrigger canoes using only the sun, stars, wind and wave patterns to navigate by. The first European to visit was Captain Cook, christening the islands the Sandwich Isles in 1778. After a bloody 20-year campaign, Kamehameha the Great united the Hawaiian \Islands into one kingdom in 1819; his monarchy survived Christian missionaries, whaling ships and rising European and Asian immigration, through Queen Liliuokalani was deposed by a conglomeration of sugar plantation interests in 1893. the new republic became a US territory in 1900 and, though it played a pivotal role during WWII, was not admitted as the 50th state until 1959.
Fun Facts
* Hawaii leads the nation in SPAM (tinned meat) consumption per capita – nearly 7 million cans are sold annually.
* Surfing was invented in Hawii, where it was the favorite sport of ali’i (royalty)
* The Hawaiian archipelago is Earth’s most remote and isolated land mass
Landscape
The world’s longest island chain, Hawaii stretches 2200 miles across the Pacific. Its more than 130 islands and eroded atolls were formed by volcanoes, with active lava still flowing on the Big Island of Hawai’i today. The main islands, which make up over 99% of the state’s total land mass, are Hawai’i, Maui, O’ahu, Kaua’i, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Ni,ihau and uninhabited Kahao’olawe. Hawaii’s climate is tropically hot and humid, although cooling trade winds blow year-round. Winter bring more rainstorms and bigger ocean waves.
Cuisine
Traditional Hawaiian food features many of the staples and specialties brought by the first Polynesians, including poi, a sticky paste made of pounded kalo (taro) root; niu (coconut0: and pigs, often roasted in an underground oven called an imu. Most representative of contemporary island cooking is a ‘mixed plate’ lunch, featuring ‘two-scoop rice,’ macaroni salad and a meat or seafood dish, such as teriyaki chicken or kalbi short ribs, from one of the islands’ many ethnic groups. Poke (raw, marinated fish) and saimin (noodle soup) are also popular dishes. Hawaii regional Cuisine is a medley of eurasian fusion and Pacific rim tastes featuring island produce. Hawaii is the only US state to grow coffee, most famously in Kona on the Big Island. “Awa (kava) is a mildly intoxicating ancient Polynesian brew.
Economy
Despite attempts at diversification, Hawaii’s economy remains rooted in tourism. Prior to WWII and the arrival of passenger jets, the islands ran on a plantation economy, exporting sugar cane, pineapples and coffee to the US mainland and abroad. Today agriculture take second place to thte development of tourism infrastructure (resort hotels, golf courses etc). the cost of living averages 30% higher than on the mainland and housing pricdes are more than double, even though most-employment consists of minimum-wwage hospitality jobs.
Natural Beauty
Bountiful beaches call to swimmers and surfers, while snorkelers and scuba divers explore underwater volcanoes and coral reefs. Hikers amble through bamboo forests to waterfalls, traverse beautifully eroded pali (cliffs) and scale volcanoes. Hawaii’s geographic isolation is responsible for its stunning biodiversity, with 10,000 endermic and unique species of flora and fauna.
Trademarks
* Beaches and surfing
* Flower lei
* Hula dancing
* Mia tais
* Outrigger canoes
Economy
Despite attempts at diversification, Hawaii’s economy remains rooted in tourism,. Prior to WWII and the arrival of passenger jets, the islands ran on a plantation economy, exporting sugar cane, pineapple and coffee to the US mainland and abroad. Today agriculture takes second place to the development of tourism infrastructure (resort hotels, golf courses, etc). The cost of living averages 30% higher than on the mainland and housing prices are more than double, even though most employment consists of minimum-wage hospitality jobs.
Urban Scene
Hawaii’s capital, Honolulu, is on the island of O’ahu, aka ‘The Gathering Plance. It’s vibrant Chinatown is Chinatown is crammed with noodle shops, produce markets, antique stores and art galleries. Dignified 19th-century building like missionary churches, sugar-plantation offices and Hawaii’s royal palace (the only one in the USA) stand beside modern high-rises downtown. On the Neighbor Islands, the old whaling port of Lahaina on Maui and sugar plantation-era Hilo, on the Big Island, offer-more glimpses of Hawaii’s past.
Hawaii Myth
Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of the fire and volcanoes, makes her home at Halema’ uma’u Crater, inside the Big Island’s Kilauea volcano. According to traditin, she is responsible for the fiery eruptions and lava flows that both create and destroy the Hawaiian Islands.
Essential Experiences
* Paddling a surfboard off Waikkii Beach
* Pondering WWII history at the USS Arizona Memorial
* Watching fiery lava hiss and steam as it flows into the ocean on the Big Island
* Driving Maui’s serpentine, waterfall-strewn road to Hana
* Trekking along Kaua’i’s arrestingly beautiful Na Pali cliffs
* Maneuvering WD Jeep roads to windswept shipwreck beaches on Lani
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About The State Of Hawaii, HI – Geography Facts History
About The State of Georgia – Geography Facts History
Georgia
What keep Georgia on my mind?
It must be the sweet smell of peaches, the aristorcratic air of Savannah mansions, the buzz of big-city Atlanta and the wild and sandy dunes of the Barrier Islands.
* Named in honor of King George II of England
* Nicknames – Peach State
* Motto – Wisdom, justice and moderation
* Capital City – Atlanta
* Population – 9.5 million
* Area 59,441 sq miles
* Time Zone – Eastern
* State Bird – Brown thrasher
* State Flower – Cherokee rose
* Major Industries – Food and agriculture, textiles, timber
* Politics- Red state in 2008
* Best Time To Go – April, May, October – tourism drops off and the weather is mild
History In A Nutshell
The last of the originial 13 colonies, English settlement in this area dates to 1733; Georgia became the fourth state to join the union, in 1788. During the Civil War, Union Gereral Sherman marched to the sea through this Confederate state, burning everything in his path – including Atlanta – but saving Savannah on Christmas Eve. Post-emancipation, racial discrimination became the norm. It wasn’t until native son Martin Luther King Jr. let marches and rallies in the 1960’s that Civil Rights legislation waas enacted in Georgia in 1965. Farming and textile production continue today, but at much lower levels than they once did.
Natural Beauty
Nearly 80 miles of the Appalachian Trail wind through the rugged north Georgia mountains, past waterfalls and through second growth forests – at elevations between 2500 and 4400 feet. And then there’s the 100 miles of Atlantic coastline to explore. In addition to white sand beaches. Cumberland Island National Seashore, on the southernmost of the barrier islands, protects maritime forests, marshlands and a herd of wild horses that numbers around 300.
Fun Facts
* Coca-Cola was first sold to the public at Jacob’s Pharmacy soda fountain in Atlanta in 1886; and yes, it contained traces of cocaine until the early 1900’s.
* The Washington Oak in st. Mary’s Ga, is the remaining of four trees planted the day George washington was buried, in 1799.
Landscape
Georgian food shares much with the rest of the southeast; fried chicken, hoecakes (pancake like cornbread), okra and greens, boiled peanuts. Brunswick, GA, prides itself on being the originator of Brunswick stew, a much-enjoyed, hearty concoction of meat (chicken, beef, pork or all three; note that at one time squirrel was used) and vegetables with a large helping of hominy, Crab stew, crab shacks and shrimp-and crab boils are part of the beach communities of the Low country. And don’t forget the peaches – peach pie, peach cobbler, peach tea, peach-everything.
People
Original settlers were of Scots-English decent and the population in the rural inland areas of the state still reflects that heritage, though at 65% white population is spread across the state. On the coast there’s a mix, with many of the 30% of residents that are of african American heritage living there or in the cities. Georgia is part of the Southern Bible Belt and a whopping 86% of the population claims Christian affilliation.
Culture & Traditions
Genteel Southern manners and football obsession are two of the sterotypes associated with Georgians, and rightly so. Add a passion for God and you have a pretty good overview. Atlanta’s big-city, big-business hustle is in stark contrast to Savannah’s slow Southern charm. A close association with the land reflects rural roots and is still evident in the popularity of hiking and bicycling in the mountains or on the coast. Come fall, hunting season is in full swing, and fishing goes on all year long.
Cuisine
Georgian food shares much with the rest of the southeast; fried chicken, hoecakes (pancake like cornbread), okra and greens, boiled peanuts. Brunswick, GA, prides itself on being the originator of Brunswick stew, a much-enjoyed, hearty concoction of meat (chicken, beef, pork or all three; note that at one time squirrel was used) and vegetables with a large helping of hominy, Crab stew, crab shacks and shrimp-and crab boils are part of the beach communities of the Low country. And don’t forget the peaches – peach pie, peach cobbler, peach tea, peach-everything.
Trademarks
* Coca-Cola and peaches
* The Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta Braves
* Jimmy Carter and peanut farming
* Martin Luther King Jr
* Skull and Bones Society (based at Yale)
Economy
Rice and cotton first brought Georgia wealth, but today pecans, peaches and peanuts make up more of the agricultural output. Timber harvests and textile production continue to be major economic players, but technology and business are taking on increasing roles as Atlanta expands. Coca-Cola is probably the most visible of the home state manufacturer headquarters. Georgia’s median household income is $42,679
Urban Scene
Atlanta, often called the capital of the South, is a flashy, multicultural city with top-notch restaurants and postmodern buildings such as Michael Grave’s 10 Peachtree Place. The colossal Georgia Aquarium, the largest in the world, draws tourists, as does the glitzy World of Coca-Cola entertainment complex-meseum. graceful savannah is set apart by 21 central squares filled with flowering gardens, fountains, trees and monuments. the antebellum architecture and genteel manors conceal a more sinful side; think of the city as a pint-sized New Orleans.
Representations
* Gone With The Wind (1939); rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) defined not only Georgia plantation life, but all of the Civil War South for Filmgoers.
* Midnight in the Garden of Good and evil (1997); John Berendt’s book (and the subsequent movie), exposed savannah’s eccentric wealthy society: based on the true story of a male husler’s shooting death and the trial of an internationally known antiques dealer
* The Color Purple (1982): Alice Walker’s best-selling book chronicles the struggle of a poor African American girl in rural Georgia
* Author Glannery O’Connor’s short stories reflect her Catholic background and Georgia upbringing
* The Stepford Wives (1972): Ira Levin’s surreal horror tale of women turned to zombies in the fictional town of Stepford, CT, was twice adapted
Georgia Myth
An enduring, but false, legend has it that the state was founded by convicts. Trustee of the original settlement. Jame Edward Oglethorpe did plan to populate the colony with the less advantaged recently released from debtors’ prison, plus those fleeing Protestant persecution. Lofty goals were overidden, however, by the need for farmers, merchants and soldiers to be among the firs 5500 to arrive.
Essential Experiences
* Wandering historic Savannah streets
* Sleeping on a platform above the water during a multiday canoe trip on the Okefenokee Swamp
* Watching in hushed silence during the Masters tournament at augusta National Golf Course
* Digging into a succulent peach cobbler made in season (mid-July to early August)
* Hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail
* Bellying up to a big pile of shellfish, mallet in hand, at an island crab shack
* Catching a laser light show at Atalnta’s Stone Mountain Park
Send A Gift Basket or Flowers To Any City In Georgia The Same Day
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