Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Meanwhile, although less than 10% of Californians live in rural areas, they're still re-
sponsible for one of the state's other powerhouse industries: agriculture. With over 80,000
farms statewide raising $42 billion worth of food for the rest of the country and the world
each year, it's obvious why climate change and ongoing drought are of such concern to
many Californians.
You may notice Californians tend to proselytize about their food and idolize homegrown
chefs like rock stars. After a few bites, you may begin to understand their obsession. Read-
ing restaurant menus means taking a stand on issues close to many Californians' hearts: or-
ganic and non-GMO crops, veganism, grass-fed versus grain-fed meat, biodynamic vine-
yards, fair-trade coffee and the importance of buying local. It's no accident that the term
'locavore' - people who eat food grown locally - was born here.
New World Religions
Despite their proportionately small numbers, California's alternative religions and utopian
communities dominate the popular imagination, from modern-day pagans to New Age
healers. California made national headlines in the 1960s with gurus from India, in the
1970s with Jim Jones' People's Temple and Erhard Seminars Training (EST), in the 1990s
with the Heaven's Gate doomsday UFO cult in San Diego, and in 2011 when Oakland ra-
dio minister Harold Camping proselytized that the Rapture was about to happen. Around
since 1954, the controversial Church of Scientology is still seeking acceptance with
celebrity proponents from movie-star Tom Cruise to musician Beck.
