Why California Is So Badass

Sleepy little rustic mountain towns, country roads cutting through acre after acre of corn rows, grazing lands and apple orchards, quiet lakeside villages hovering at the edge of expansive forests, chilly seaside ports covered in fog and smelling of fish and seaweed. None of these scenes likely sound at home in California, but they are. And, they’re only taken from the northern portion of the state.

From the sunny, sandy beaches in the south, to the serene forests and rolling hills of the far north, California is a gorgeous state. Striking mountain ranges, expansive desert, rugged coastline, white-sand oceanside towns stretching on for miles, giant redwood forests, and some of the most serene and productive agricultural land in the nation, California is an experience all its own. We are a country within a country, a way of life which has become synonymous with laid-back living, constant optimism and an innovative spirit to match the wild and gorgeous land we call home.

Hosting Silicon Valley and Hollywood, titans in both the technology and entertainment industries, California is so much more than Los Angeles and San Francisco. World class cities worthy of plenty of your attention, they are but the tip of an impressive and expansive iceberg of class and beauty in one of the largest and most ecologically, geographically, economically, culinarily and ethnically diverse states in the US.

Take a relaxed road trip along the 101 highway, enjoying the ocean view and salty sea air in gorgeous settings like Big Sur. Visit the stunning vistas of Yosemite National Park in our rugged Sierra Nevada mountains, surf the gorgeous sun-kissed waves of the San Diego region’s coastline, get lost four-wheeling imposing sand dunes in the Mojave before playing a round or two of golf in one of our many resort towns. From quiet fishing spots in the mountains to bustling, neon-light filled nightlife in LA, California has something for everyone.

We have our problems, undoubtedly. Our state government is heavily encumbered by special interests and voter referendums, and proves time and again to be less efficient than other states. Our taxes and cost of living are higher than average, while our regulations and strong unions tend to make starting and maintaining a business here more difficult than other places in the country. For those who identify as politically or religiously conservative, San Francisco may as well be a living nightmare of backwards values. The state government in Sacramento might be the premiere example of the failures of modern liberal ideology, and the very word California has become an adjective to describe everything seen as wrong with the Left, Democrats and Liberals in America.

Yet, as with so much else, such views are overly simplistic and only part of the equation. We have amongst the highest standards of living in the country, a highly sophisticated and diversified economy which routinely grows faster than the rest of the the US, tying Oregon for highest growth rates in 2016, for example. Strong unions fight for and protect Californian jobs and wages, our public infrastructure is expansive, generally well-maintained and forward thinking with projects like the California High Speed Rail promising to connect two of the largest metropolitan areas in America.

Our social safety net, including tax credits for business, is amongst the most robust in the country, and we possess creative, manufacturing, technology, and entertainment sectors the rest of the world stands in envy of. Our public and private universities routinely make top lists around the world, and modern signatures from the bikini to the theme park were developed or popularized in California.

We are dynamic and relentless, disruptive and always pushing our own boundaries. We are an entire state dedicated to the idea that hard work and creative solutions can benefit everyone around us, and we’ve created a society which has become synonymous with the American Dream. California is and has been one of the fastest growing and changing states, economically and demographically, for decades, and will almost certainly remain this way for years to come.

We’re not perfect by any means, but there are so many reasons why the Great State of California is known, romanticized, envied, copied, and visited by so many around the world, and home to so many in America. There are many other beautiful places to call home, but few with the variety and dynamism California presents. Despite what you may have heard, Californians are by-and-large a friendly, welcoming, accepting, open-minded people, well accustomed to visitors and those newly residing in the state.

So, if you already live here, take pride in your home. Explore it and see all it has to offer. If you’ve never been here, make plans to visit. It is beyond worth it; you will not be disappointed in the variety of food, people, experiences and sights you’ll be able to get lost in while here. I’m extremely biased, but California has a way of doing that to people, once you’re here for a while. The Golden State is a grand, sweeping epic all its own. I love this state, and truly believe you will too. Come find your own badass adventure in the Great American West. Your future self will thank you.

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