Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1906 the state's most famous earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and de-
molished San Francisco, leaving more than 3000 people dead. The Bay Area made head-
lines again in 1989 when the Loma Prieta earthquake (6.9) caused a section of the Bay
Bridge to collapse. Los Angeles' last 'big one' was in 1994, when the Northridge quake
(6.7) caused parts of the Santa Monica Fwy to fall down, making it the most costly quake
in US history - so far, that is.
Browse through more than 1200 aerial photos covering almost every mile of California's
gorgeously rugged coastline, stretching from Oregon to Mexico, at
From the Coast to the Central Valley
Much of California's coast is fronted by rugged mountains that capture winter's water-
laden storms. San Francisco divides the Coast Ranges roughly in half, leaving the foggy
North Coast sparsely populated. The Central and Southern California coasts have a balmi-
er climate and many more people.
The northernmost reaches of the Coast Ranges get 120in of rain in a typical year, and in
some places, persistent summer fog contributes another 12in of precipitation. Nutrient-rich
soils and abundant moisture foster stands of towering coast redwoods, growing (where
they haven't been cut down) as far south as Big Sur and all the way north to Oregon.
On their eastern flanks, the Coast Ranges subside into gently rolling hills that give way
to the sprawling Central Valley. Once an inland sea, this flat inland basin is now an agri-
cultural powerhouse producing about half of America's fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Stretching about 450 miles long and 50 miles wide, the valley sees about as much rainfall
as a desert, but gets huge volumes of water run-off from the Sierra Nevada.
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Central Valley was a natural wonderland - a region
of vast marshes and home to flocks of geese that blackened the sky, not to mention grass-
lands carpeted with countless flowers and populated by millions of antelopes, elk and
grizzly bears. Virtually this entire landscape has been plowed under and replaced with ali-
en weeds (including agricultural crops) and livestock ranches.
