Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In his column '¡Ask a Mexican!,' OC Weekly columnist Gustavo Arellano tackles such
questions as why Mexicans swim with their clothes on, alongside weighty social issues in-
volving immigrants' rights. Read it at www.ocweekly.com .
Multiculturalism
Many coastal Californians idealize their state as an open-minded, easygoing multicultural
society that gives everyone a chance to live the American (or Californian) dream. No one
should be expected to give up their cultural or personal identity just to become Californi-
an: Chicano pride, Black Power and gay pride all built political bases here.
While equal opportunity may be a shared goal, in practice it's very much a work in pro-
gress. Historically, California's Chinatowns, Japantowns and other immigrant enclaves
were often created by segregationist sentiment, not by choice. Even racially integrated
metro areas of coastal California can be quite segregated in terms of income, language,
education and perhaps most surprisingly (given the state's position as a high-tech industry
leader in Silicon Valley), internet access.
California's Latino and Asian populations are steadily increasing. More than 30% of the
US's Asian American population lives in California, and Latino residents became the
state's majority ethnic group in 2014. Latino identity is deeply enmeshed in everyday life
in California, from Tejano tunes and taco trucks to J.Lo and Spanish-language TV. Despite
being just over 6% of the population and relatively late arrivals with the WWII shipping
boom, African Americans have also shaped California's culture, from jazz and hip-hop to
fashion, sports and beyond.
Over 200 different languages are spoken in California, with Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog,
Persian and German in the top 10. Almost 40% of state residents speak a language other
than English at home.
New & Old Religions
Religious tolerance is usually the rule. Although Californians are less churchgoing than
the American mainstream, and one in five Californians professes no religion at all, it's one
of the most religiously diverse states. About a third of residents are Catholic, partly due to
 
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