Big Sur. Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big country of the south", referring to its location south of the Monterey Peninsula. The terrain offers stunning views, making Big Sur a popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak is the highest coastal mountain in the contiguous 48 states, ascending nearly a mile (5,155 feet/1571 m) above sea level, only three miles (4.8 km) from the ocean.[1] Although Big Sur has no specific boundaries, many definitions of the area include the 90 miles (140 km) of coastline from the Carmel River in Monterey County south to the San Carpoforo Creek in San Luis Obispo County, and extend about 20 miles (32 km) inland to the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucias.
History[edit] Native Americans[edit] Santa Barbara, California. Santa Barbara, Spanish: [ˈsanta ˈbaɾβaɾa]) is a city in the US state of California. It is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, located in Southern California. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Santa Barbara's climate is often described as Mediterranean, and the city has been promoted as the "American Riviera".[3] As of the census of 2010, the city had a population of 88,410, a loss of 1,190 from the previous census, making it the second largest city in the county after Santa Maria[4] while the contiguous urban area, which includes the cities of Goleta and Carpinteria, along with the unincorporated regions of Isla Vista, Montecito, Mission Canyon, Hope Ranch, Summerland, and others, has an approximate population of 220,000.
The population of the entire county in 2010 was 423,895.[5] History[edit] Peter J. Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas /lɑːs ˈveɪɡəs/ is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County.[5] Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city known primarily for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and nightlife and is the leading financial and cultural center for Southern Nevada. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its consolidated casino–hotels and associated entertainment. A growing retirement and family city, Las Vegas is the 31st-most populous city in the United States, with a population at the 2010 census of 583,756.
The 2010 population of the Las Vegas metropolitan area was 1,951,269.[4] The city is one of the top three leading destinations in the United States for conventions, business, and meetings.[6] Today, Las Vegas is one of the top tourist destinations in the world.[7] History Southern Paiutes at Moapa wearing traditional Paiute basket hats with Paiute cradleboard and rabbit robe Climate Economy. San Diego. San Francisco. San Francisco i/sæn frənˈsɪskoʊ/, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the cultural center and a leading financial hub of the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. San Francisco is a popular tourist destination,[18] known for its cool summers, fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, the former prison on Alcatraz Island, and its Chinatown district.
History[edit] Upon independence from Spain in 1821, the area became part of Mexico. Under Mexican rule, the mission system gradually ended, and its lands became privatized. In 1835, Englishman William Richardson erected the first independent homestead,[21] near a boat anchorage around what is today Portsmouth Square. The California Gold Rush brought a flood of treasure seekers. Entrepreneurs sought to capitalize on the wealth generated by the Gold Rush. It was during this period San Francisco built some of its most important infrastructure.