Major coastal cities on the West Coast include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Anchorage, Honolulu and Long Beach.
Non-coastal cities include Las Vegas, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno and Portland.
The history of the U.S. West Coast includes the first human arrivals 1.0 million years ago, with the presence of explorers and settlers in Spain, England, Mexico, Russia and the United States.
Sunny beaches
California is full of sunshine and beaches, especially with beach babes in bikini outfits. In fact, California's maritime activities are particularly well-developed, with surfing, whale watching, swimming, and sailing all extremely popular sports. In addition to beach fun, California's warm sunshine is also enjoyable. Some say California is orange, and it is, with bright sunshine, the Gold Coast, highways and valleys lined with rolling orchards, it is the origin of the famous Sunkist fruits, such as Sunkist oranges, grapefruit, lemons, etc., as well as California's raisins, and the warm Californian sunshine creates a favorable environment for these high-quality fruits. In addition to its geographic location, California is also known as the home of most of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the western United States.
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is the kingdom of today's electronics and computer industries. Silicon Valley is located near San Francisco, California. At present, Silicon Valley has Cisco, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent, Apple and other large companies, large and small electronics industry companies have reached more than 10,000. According to statistics, in 2007, Silicon Valley per capita annual salary of 150,000 U.S. graduates of a prestigious university in the Silicon Valley income of no less than 60,000 U.S. dollars a year, generally higher than other areas of one or two million dollars. So in Silicon Valley overnight millionaires, multi-millionaires, are the usual thing.
We know that the development of Silicon Valley is closely related to the growth of California's regional universities. And California has two major public university systems and two major private universities. The two public university systems are the University of California (UC) and the CalState system, and the two private schools are the University of Southern California and Stanford University. Which of these schools is right for you? Of course, this is a matter of opinion, but there is a local saying in California for your reference. In California, if you're rich and your schoolwork is good, come to Stanford. If you have a lot of money but you're not very good at school, come to USC. If you don't have a lot of money but you're good at school, then come to the UC system. The saddest part is that if you don't have money and can't study, a state university is probably your only option. While many people disagree with this statement, it's pretty true.
In addition to California's top schools in the western U.S., the top schools in other states are not to be overlooked. An example is the University of Washington in Seattle. Near Seattle are two super large American companies, Bill Gates' Microsoft and Boeing, the giant of American aviation. There is also the University of Colorado. Colorado is actually a pretty good location, and a lot of companies are moving to Denver within the state, most recently Google and Motorola, as well as a lot of national research organizations. Also, Colorado is bordered by Texas on the right and Arizona on the left, so the engineering atmosphere is very good. There is also is located in the University of Arizona, a public school, not a lot of money, the school is not very big, but as the first university in Arizona, is still quite distinctive, especially optics, geology, the University of Arizona is one of the three major U.S. optics research centers.
Folklore
California
January/February
San Francisco's annual minority festivals begin with the Chinese New Year - the exact date depends on the Chinese lunar calendar. The main festivities are firecrackers and fireworks, the posting of Spring Festival couplets, the Miss Chinatown USA pageant and the Dragon Lantern Dance Parade.
March
Irish descendants celebrate St. Patrick's Day with religious events, fine wines and a flag-waving parade on March 17 (or the nearest Sunday). Even though Easter is not an official holiday in San Francisco, San Franciscans celebrate accordingly. "The San Francisco Bay Area Music Awards are presented to local musicians in March.
April
San Francisco's Japanese community celebrates the Cherry Blossom Festival in mid- to late-April, with performers traveling from Japan to perform on stage and a number of festivals in Japantown. The San Francisco Film Festival, the oldest in North America, also kicks off in April.
May
May 5 is a holiday for the Friends of Zinke de Mar commemorating the Mexican victory over the French in 1862, and the festivities culminate with the crowning of a festival queen at the Civic Center.
June
The rainbow-flagged 'Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day' parade on the last Sunday in June runs from the Financial District down Market Street to the Castro.
July
July 4 is America's Independence Day, a national holiday with fireworks at Cress Plaza and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Cable Car Bell Ringing Championships are held in Federal Plaza and Bowker Street Plaza.
August/September
August is a quieter month, with the exception of the neighborhood fairs in Japantown, and in September the San Francisco Fair opens at the Civic Center, while several other fairs are held on Folsom and Castro streets. On the last weekend of August, the San Francisco Blues Festival takes the stage at Fort Mason.
October
October 12 is Columbus Day, commemorating the Genoese explorer's 1492 discovery of the New World. An Italian folk celebration will be held in North Beach on that occasion. Traditional festivities include a religious service at St. Peter's St. Paul's Church in Washington Square and a parade to Fisherman's Wharf to pray for a good fishing harvest.The last day of October is Halloween, which is a perfect opportunity to throw a party - there are pumpkin lamps, pumpkin pies, and commuters change into bizarre Halloween costumes.
November
On Nov. 2 Mexican communities celebrate the Day of the Dead. Ancestral spirits are said to return on this day, and the Mishon District will hold a nighttime ceremony to send the spirits back. The San Francisco Jazz Festival opens in Nov. The fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving Day and the unofficial program rehearsal, and the big Christmas shopping is about to begin!
December
San Francisco's Christmas season is a time when all the major department stores have their windows decked out in special splendor, and New Year's is a great opportunity for people to revel in the festivities.
Chinese Celebrity Charity Recognition Day
Schoolmates Day: 1995 US October 29 San Francisco Schoolmates Day Certificate.
Dawn Day: 1992, San Francisco Mayor designated October 16 as 'Dawn Day' and awarded 'Honorary Mayor' award.
Shaw Day: In 1991, San Francisco designated September 8 as 'Shaw Day' in recognition of his contributions to social welfare.
Annie Mui Day: In 1993, the city of San Francisco, U.S.A., designated April 18 every year as "Anita Mui Day", in recognition of her contribution to the local Chinese community's public welfare and charitable contributions. 2002, Anita Mui was awarded by the Governor of California, U.S.A., "Outstanding Philanthropic Artist" honor. "
Lin has also been a member of the Chinese Association for the Advancement of Women (CAAW).
Lin Chi-Ying Day: In 2003, Lin Chi-Ying went to the city of San Francisco to receive the "Mayor's Award", which honors him for a series of public welfare activities in the United States, such as donating money to schools and serving as an anti-drug ambassador. In addition, the San Francisco government has designated October 17 as "Justin Lin Day".
Twins Day: In 2007, the Twins toured the United States and Canada for the first time, with their first stop in San Francisco, where they had a tight schedule but also found time to participate in local charitable activities; fans who purchased concert posters were given the opportunity to sign them, and money was raised to donate to local elderly services; the San Francisco city government recognized the Twins' goodwill and designated September 14 as "Twins Day". The city of San Francisco designated September 14th as "Twins Day" in recognition of the Twins' goodwill.
Jolin Tsai Day: In 2008, Jolin Tsai's "Only Dance" world tour arrived in California, and Senator Robert Hsia came to a press conference to present her with a welcoming certificate on behalf of the California State Assembly, making her the first female singer in Asia to be honored with a certificate of welcome by the California State Assembly for a solo concert held in the U.S. The lettering on the certificate reads, "The Twins have been awarded a certificate of welcome for a solo concert held in the U.S. in the U.S.," and the certificate was presented by the California State Assembly. The certificate reads: "The State of California, which has always encouraged professionalism in the performing arts, recognizes Jolin Tsai's accomplishments in singing and dancing, as well as her reputation in the Asian entertainment industry, and the State of California extends its welcome and blessings to her for her visit. The concert was packed and Jolin was the first Chinese artist to hold a full house in California. The California Legislature has designated November 29th as "Jolin Tsai Day".
Cultural districts
San Francisco's Chinatown
San Francisco's different districts have very different cultural styles:
* Chinatown: a concentration of Chinese, it's like a Chinese "market" (or "vegetable market" to be precise), but with a lot more variety. It's like a Chinese "market" (or "food market" to be more precise), but with a lot of tourists every day.
* The Castro: The Castro, the world's most famous gay neighborhood, a concentration of homosexuals, similar to New York's Greenwich Village
* Haight-Ashbury: the birthplace of the hippies in the 1960s
* Hunters Point: an industrial area, very warm
* The Church District (also known as Mishon). The Church District (also known as the Mishon District; Mission District): the sunniest part of San Francisco, originally mainly Mexican restaurants and bars, has become home to a number of world-famous restaurants of all stripes, as well as a lot of South American Spanish-speaking Mexicans, a good portion of whom are, anecdotally, illegal immigrants.
* LGB Pride Parade: The San Francisco Gay Pride Parade, held on the fourth Sunday of June every year on Market St. in downtown San Francisco, is San Francisco's most popular tourist event.
* Noe Valley: The houses are mostly large Victorian-style homes and the residents are generally young.
* North Beach: [ North Beach District] The area next to the Italian Quarter and Chinatown is best known for a garlic restaurant ("The Stinking Rose"), where all the dishes have lots of garlic.
* Pacific Heights: Along with Nob Hill, this is the most expensive residential neighborhood in the city, with panoramic views of all of San Francisco.
* Potrero Hill: an industrial neighborhood with views of the Bay Bridge and part of Oakland's harbor across the river.
* South of Market (SOMA): the area south of Market Street, with bars, clubs and artists, but also a lot of affordable new condos
American Contemporary Jewish Museum building in San Francisco
* Richmond District: Russian, Brazilian, Arab culture. The Richmond District is also known as "New Chinatown" because of its Chinese neighborhood, Clement Street. The Sunset District is separated from Golden Gate Park, which is separated from the Oceanfront.
* The Sunset District is considered by some to be the new Chinatown, as most of the stores here are Chinese and there are many overseas Chinese and Chinese-American residents. The district was built around World War II and has a lot of retirees who moved in in the 30s or 40s.
* The Tenderloin: The poorest and most chaotic district in the city, with lots of adult stores and movie theaters. It's also a hotbed of drunks, drug addicts and beggars, and a hotbed of crime. But it's right on the edge of the tourist and business districts, and the wealth disparity is striking.
Eating and drinking
San Francisco is a city rich in food and drink, and Fisherman's Wharf's rich seafood menu has long been a San Francisco staple. Chinese restaurants are an important part of San Francisco's diverse culinary scene. San Francisco claims to have some of the most authentic Chinese food in the country, and Chinatown has always been a place for diners.
In keeping with San Francisco's ethnicity, each neighborhood has its own food culture. The Italian neighborhood of North Beach is a natural choice for Italian food.
Mexican food is another of San Francisco's major cuisines. Japanese food is also common. When transplanted to San Francisco, these exotic cuisines inevitably encountered some "improvement", which formed the local characteristics of California cuisine.
Coffee is a big part of San Francisco's food culture, with coffee shops as common as fast food restaurants, and a wide range of coffee varieties that have been the subject of much study.
Because San Francisco is home to so many immigrants, and because immigrants of so many different nationalities have made it their own little China Town, restaurants with exotic flavors have sprung up. In addition to the original California cuisine, there are many exotic cuisines. With an abundance of local ingredients and borrowing from foreign cuisines, San Francisco's chefs have come up with new recipes for delicious and flavorful food that is consistent with the science of nutrition. With a large number of out-of-the-box chefs and a multilingual, tongue-twisting menu, San Francisco is truly a culinary paradise.
For fresh seafood, head to Fisherman's Wharf, a seafood treasure trove, where you can pick up quick-serve seafood, such as seafood sandwiches and boiled crabs, from the rows of stalls that line the street near the Fisherman's Wharf sign.
San Francisco's most distinctive dishes are Dungeness crab and old bread. Two of the most famous food streets in San Francisco are Chinatown and Italian Restaurant Street (North Beach).
Chinese restaurants abound in Chinatown, one of the premier Chinatowns in Europe and the United States, and in addition to dinner, the early morning meals here are quite plentiful and sophisticated.
North Beach is known as Little Italy, and Columbus Avenue in the center of North Beach is filled with trendy Italian restaurants and cafes dotted with the green, white and red of Italy.
Additionally, Russian, Brazilian, Cambodian, and Korean cuisine, as well as Greek and Swedish dishes, are available to delight gourmets from around the world. Local newspapers and the San Francisco Municipal Tourism Agency's San Francisco Handbook also have restaurant guide sections.