California is known around the world for the beach life. Throughout the state, you can find a vast diversity of beautiful beaches. Santa Monica is the classic beach with a pier and an amusement park. Mission Beach is alive with activity from volleyball to rollerblading. Some of the lesser known include San Gregorio State Beach and McClures Beach in northern California.
California is tied with Alaska as the states with the most national parks (8). Sequoia National Park has some of the largest trees in the world. Yosemite is simply beautiful with the valley, waterfalls, and dramatic rocks. Joshua Tree is eerily cool with the contrast of ecosystems. Death Valley is the lowest, hottest, and driest spot in North America. California is a great place to start in pursuit of the country's best national parks.
About 90% of the country's wine production happens in the great state of California. The most famous region, rightfully so, is Napa/Sonoma. However, California has other great regions throughout the state including Pasa Robles on the central coast, and Temecula in southern California.
California is often classified as two different states, as the north and south have very different vibes. NorCal includes San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, Sacramento, and many smaller cities. The area is known for the wine, arts, business culture, sports, and lifestyle.
SoCal includes Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, and many other communities. SoCal is known for the beaches, Hollywood, theme parks, and the sports.
