Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Silicon Valley millionaires aren't on different channels; they all live here, where tolerance
for other people's beliefs, be they conservative, liberal or just plain wacky, is the social
glue. Yet as LA police beating victim Rodney King famously asked, 'Can we all get
along?' Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Until recently, the most divisive political hot-potato topic was same-sex marriage, until
a state constitutional amendment to ban it was struck down for good in 2013. Still contro-
versial elsewhere in the USA, medical marijuana is not a big deal for most Californians,
who approved a state proposition allowing its use back in 1996 - although the proliferation
of marijuana clubs and raids by federal agents have raised eyebrows.
Environmental Roots
There's no denying California's culture of conspicuous consumption, exported via Holly-
wood flicks and reality TV (hello,
Real Housewives of Orange County
). But since the
1960s, Californians have trailblazed another 'greener' way by choosing more sustainable
foods and low-impact lifestyles, preserving old-growth forests with tree-sitting activism,
declaring nuclear-free zones, pushing for environmentally progressive legislation and es-
tablishing the USA's biggest market for hybrid vehicles. Over 60% of Californians admit
that, yes, they've actually hugged a tree.
That shouldn't come as a surprise. It was Californians who helped kick-start the world's
conservation movement in the midst of the 19th-century industrial revolution, with laws
curbing industrial dumping, setting aside swaths of prime real estate as urban greenspace,
and protecting wilderness inside national, state and county parks. Even conservative Cali-
fornia politicians may prioritize environmental issues. That said, the state's long-term
drought has resulted in a suspension of some key environmental legal protections, as well
as more intense, prolonged and ultimately costly wildfire seasons.
Fast Companies, Slow Food
California's technological innovations need no introduction by anyone. Perhaps you've
heard of PCs, iPods, Google and the internet? The home of Silicon Valley and a burgeon-
ing biotech industry, Northern California is giving Southern California's gargantuan
movie, TV and entertainment industry a run for its money as the state's main economic en-
gine.
