California is like an entire world within itself. The state is the most populous in the country, with an economy so large it rivals major countries. With so many diverse aspects to it, The Golden State has key things that characterize the unique outlook and lifestyle of its residents.
In this article, we will explore 20 things California is known for. (If you’re looking for other hidden geographic treasures, explore 45 amazing places you never knew existed.)
To compile a list of 20 things California is known for, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of sources and travel publications including The Travel, Nomads Unveiled, and World Atlas. From there, we selected a diverse list of things that had the widest reach of any California symbol. After that, we used sources like Britannica and the Library of Congress for specific historical information.
In-N-Out Burger
There’s no fast food restaurant in California with the cache of In-N-Out. Started in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, In-N-Out Burger has risen from a humble mom-and-pop burger joint to something of an institution in the Golden State. Drive by one of their locations late at night and you’re guaranteed to see lines out the door.
That’s unsurprising, however, for several reasons. Besides its signature bright yellow, red, and white design that draws you in like a tractor beam, its service and food are fresh and high quality. Though In-N-Out has quietly expanded outside of California in recent years, it retains respect for its unwavering commitment to high-quality fast food. Even California cities that normally eschew fast food joints give space for In-N-Out. It’s the high-water mark of burger joints and one of the things California is best known for.
Golden Gate Bridge
One of the things California is known for is the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s also quite possibly the most beautiful bridge in the world. Awash in a brick-like golden color, reaching majestic heights, and spanning a full mile between the San Francisco Peninsula and Marin County, the Golden Gate Bridge is visited by thousands of tourists year-round.
The bridge had been an idea in many a Californian’s head, but the idea wasn’t possible till the early 20th century. The chief engineer of the bridge project was structural engineer Joseph Strauss. Although construction started in 1933, the massive bridge opened only four years later, in 1937. Since then, it has gone through various upgrades and retrofitting. As it stands today, the Golden Gate Bridge is considered one of the wonders of the modern world.
Yosemite National Park
Sitting deep in the Sierra Nevada mountain range is Yosemite National Park. Covering over 750,000 acres across four counties, Yosemite is a wilderness delight. Featuring everything from looming granite cliffs to giant sequoia and redwood trees, Yosemite gives a sense of scale to the natural parts of California.
Although European settlers first came across the valley in 1851, it wasn’t until pioneer James D. Savage discovered the area that it became a viable possibility for a national park. During this time, conservationists like Galen Clark successfully lobbied President Lincoln to sign the Yosemite Grant of 1864. This preserved the area as Federal land and helped create the Yosemite National Park which millions still visit each year. (For other incredible vistas, discover the most breathtaking natural marvel in each state.)
Wine Country
Another thing California is known for is its verdant wine country. Nestled above the San Francisco Bay area in Napa and Sonoma County, the California wine country has grown from humble grape production to one of the major contenders in the competitive world of wine.
Much credit goes to Agoston Haraszthy, an adventurer and nobleman credited with planting the first grapes, as well as founding The Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma. In the years that followed, California wine country would grow to hold over 1700 different wineries and become a major tourist hotspot.
Hollywood
One thing California is surely known for worldwide is Hollywood. Though ostensibly a neighborhood in Los Angeles, Hollywood has become a shorthand for the entire movie industry. Starting in 1912, motion picture companies set up shop here and began making movies. Due to its proximity between beaches and mountains, it served as a perfect staging area for location shoots.
Around a decade later, the famous Hollywood sign was erected in the neighborhood’s hills. Nowadays, it is the premier place for movie-making, with major film companies like Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. calling it home. Hollywood also features notable landmarks like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Alcatraz
Sitting out in San Francisco Bay is the former United States penitentiary of Alcatraz. Also known as The Rock, Alcatraz was first the site of a military fort. After the complex was remodeled in the early 1930s, the entire island became a Federal prison. In its time, it was known to hold the most dangerous of criminals as well as earning a reputation for being impossible to escape from.
The prison closed in 1963 but was quickly transformed into a public museum. It was also the site of a famous protest, with Native Americans occupying the island between 1969 and 1971. Nowadays, it is one of San Francisco’s biggest tourist attractions, welcoming over a million visitors annually.
Redwood trees
Nothing says California quite like its massive redwood trees. With the scientific name of Sequoioideae, redwood trees live almost entirely in the northern part of the state. They also produce some of the tallest and largest trees in the world. Not only that, some of the redwoods that dot the California wilderness have been living there for over a thousand years.
Known for its characteristic dark red bark and looming branches that reach into the sky, redwoods are a staple of California and attract countless tourists to the state every year. In some places, there are redwood trees so large that you can drive your car through them. One of the things California is known for, redwood trees give credence to the epic landscape of the state.
Death Valley
Sitting deep in the southeastern part of California, touching the northern tip of the Mojave desert is Death Valley. Named for its alien-like and barren ecology, Death Valley is one of the things California is known for. During the summer months, it is also believed to be one of the hottest places on earth.
It received its ominous name during the California Gold Rush after dozens of prospectors died extracting gold and silver from the area and attempting to cross its unforgiving wasteland. In 1933, President Hoover placed the area under Federal protection. Now it is Death Valley National Park and welcomes tourists who dare to confront its inhuman conditions.
California Historic Missions
Running along the California coast from Solano County to San Diego are the historic Spanish missions. Created as outposts for priests of the Franciscan order, the 21 California missions served as mini-cities for both the conquesting Spanish and the Natives who were forced into reeducation camps. At one point, the mission system controlled around 1/6 of Alta California.
What’s more, many of California’s famous cities were built around these historic missions including Santa Barbara, San Jose, and San Francisco. The surviving mission buildings are some of California’s oldest structures and attract many tourists every year. The missions have also become a symbol of California, appearing in many TV and film depictions of the state.
The California Gold Rush
Everything changed in California after James W. Marshall found gold in the city of Coloma. The news of this discovery brought nearly half a million people to California between the years of 1848 and 1855, eager to strike it rich. This influx of people helped to transform the state into a bustling place.
Cities like San Francisco went from small settlements to veritable boom towns thanks to this rush of gold. Though billions of dollars worth of gold were eventually discovered in the ground, this wealth stayed in the hands of a few. Meanwhile, thousands of people uprooted their lives to come to California, only to walk away empty-handed.
Disneyland
One of the things California is best known for is Disneyland. A theme park within the sprawling Disneyland resort in Anaheim, Disneyland was the brainchild of famed entertainer and business mogul Walt Disney. Initially created as a side-piece to Disney Studios, the theme park grew into its own thing.
Since the park opened in the summer of 1955, it has grown into the biggest theme park in the world, spawning numerous offshoots in different states and countries like Disneyworld in Florida and Disneyland Paris in France. The original Disneyland, however, has the largest cumulative attendance of any theme park on earth, with nearly 17 million unique visitors a year.
Silicon Valley
Another thing California is known for worldwide is Silicon Valley. Sitting along the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay and nestled between mountain ranges, it is the home of all things technology. Companies like Google, Facebook, Adobe, and Intel all reside in the area.
Before the tech boom, however, Silicon Valley was primarily known for its fruit production, earning its old name of “The Valley of Heart’s Delight.” Nowadays, Silicon Valley is home to some of the largest tech companies on earth. It was here that innovative technologies like the microprocessor, the integrated circuit, and the microcomputer were first developed.
Joshua Tree National Park
California has a reputation for incredible national parks, and one of its best-known is Joshua Tree National Park. Situated in southeastern California between San Bernadino and Palm Springs, Joshua Tree is like an alien landscape. With its large, dramatic rock structures and trademark Joshua Trees, it looks less like a place in California than something out of a sci-fi novel.
Although it was declared a national monument in 1936, it took till 1994 for it to be redesignated as Joshua Tree National Park. Encompassing an area larger than the entire state of Rhode Island, this mystical place attracts millions of visitors each year. It also serves as an inspiration to countless artists, musicians, and writers.
Fisherman’s Wharf
One of the things California is known for is Fisherman’s Wharf. A neighborhood in San Francisco situated along the bay, Fisherman’s Wharf has become a popular tourist attraction while still serving as an outpost for fishermen and fishing industries.
Running from the equally famous Ghiradelli Square up to Pier 35 and Kearny Street, Fisherman’s Wharf features numerous restaurants, museums, and other tourist attractions. It is also one of the busiest tourist sites in the western United States. With its characteristic look, Fisherman’s Wharf has also been featured in many movies and television shows.
Avocados
Although neither a native plant nor the only place to grow them, the Avocado plant has grown into a symbol of California’s lush agriculture. Introduced via Mexico in the 19th century, the avocado quickly became a successful cash crop in the state.
Due to California’s temperate climate and cool, rich soil, avocados steadily became one of the state’s top exports. Nowadays, avocados grown in California account for something like 80% of the United States’ total avocado production. This helped the avocado become the official California state fruit. What’s more, the city of Fallbrook is called “The Avocado Capital of the World.” (For more unique foods, discover the strangest foods from every state.)
Almonds
Another crop that California is known for is almonds. Grown primarily in the Central Valley, the almond thrives in the area’s temperate climate, rich soil, and perennial sunshine. There have been setbacks, however, as a single almond requires over a gallon of water to grow.
Due to droughts, California has had to roll back some of its almond production in recent years. Nevertheless, the United States produces at least 57% of all almonds in the world. The majority of these come from key areas in California’s Central Valley.
California Roll
Leave it to the innovative minds in California to refashion a classic sushi roll into its own thing. Consisting of avocado, imitation crab meat, and cucumber, the California roll is one of the most popular sushi styles in the Northern Hemisphere and has inspired countless sushi chefs with its fusion style.
As for the original creator of the California Roll, the exact inventor remains disputed. Some say it was Ken Suesa at the Kin Jo sushi restaurant near Hollywood. Others say it was Ichiro Mashita at the restaurant Tokyo Kaikan. Either way, the California roll has grown into one of the most popular sushi dishes in the world and a symbol of California’s fusion sensibilities. (If you have more of a sweet tooth, discover iconic desserts from every state you must try.)
The Bear Flag
Perhaps one of the things California is best known for is its state flag featuring a bear. It features a California grizzly bear, a red star, and a red strip running the length of the bottom. It is also one of only two state flags to feature a bear.
The inspiration for the Bear Flag came from the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt, which saw settlers rebel against the then-Mexican government and start a breakaway state that lasted for less than a month. Although this was an obscure moment in California’s history, it inspired the state fathers to use it as a symbol of California’s independent spirit and freedom.
Beautiful Beaches
One of the things California is best known for is undoubtedly its beautiful beaches. With a coast touching the Pacific Ocean running the entire length of the large state, California is home to a wide array of beaches. Some, like Big Sur or Malibu, are considered the most beautiful beaches in the world.
In fact, due to its extensive coast, California has beaches that are almost unrecognizable to each other. In the far north of the state, there are beaches like Trinidad State Beach. It looks worlds apart from the more warm and sunny beaches of Southern California. Nevertheless, with hundreds of distinct beaches, there is a place to see the ocean for everyone in California.
California Cool Design
Another thing California is more quietly known for is its trademark California Cool Design. Deeply rooted in California’s relaxed lifestyle and state of mind, California Cool looks like a cross between grandmother aesthetics and bohemian sensibilities. It’s characterized by natural materials and neutral tones.
Walk along any coastal town in the state and you will see the California Cool Design on full display. With its southern California beach color palette, large windows, and minimalist curved lines, the California Cool Design perfectly encapsulates the lifestyle of many of the state’s residents. (For famous people the state is known for, meet the 10 biggest sports stars from California.)