Arroyo Grande

Notable People

Zac Efron — actor in Disney's High School Musical", "High School Musical 2", and "High School Musical 3: Senior Year also in 17 Again, Hairspray, and Summerland.

Lou Ferrigno — actor in movies and TV shows, including The Incredible Hulk'

Jordan Hasay — American female middle-distance runner

Kyle Hoover — author of The House That Wisdom Built

Robin Ventura — former professional baseball player

Horace Grant — former professional basketball player

Artesia

Artesia is the home of the East West Ice Palace, an ice rink which is co-owned by Michelle Kwan.

It was also the childhood home (1914 until 1931) of former First Lady Pat Nixon, though the house in which she grew up is now part of neighboring Cerritos

One of the more familiar landmarks in the city is the Artesia Water Tower. Not much is known about its active past or when it was constructed. The City of Artesia is currently trying to have the tower declared as a Historical Landmark and is asking its citizens for historical information and photos of the tower The Artesia Water Tower was also featured in the motion picture, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare in 1991 and was known in the film as the Springwood Water Tower. It was also featured in an episode of My Name is Earl, in 2006.

Arvin

In 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)listed Arvin as having the highest levels of smog of any community in the United States In Peter Greenberg's 2009 book Don't Go There!, the city is mentioned for its high pollution and ozone levels, although he does mention the main reasons for the pollution are not necessarily its own: its unfavorable geography, which allows airflows from its proximity to Los Angeles and Bakersfield, high amounts of nearby highway traffic, and diesel engines from agricultural vehicles

Atherton

This is the town of the fictional character Hillary Whitney from the 1988 film, Beaches

Notable People

Ty Cobb, Major League Baseball Player

Willie Mays, Major League Baseball Player.

Bob Weir, of The Grateful Dead and Ratdog, raised in Atherton.

Clay Dreslough, Game Designer, raised in Atherton.

Lindsey Buckingham, of Fleetwood Mac

Tom Proulx, co-founder of Intuit

Eric E. Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google

Charles R. Schwab, Founder and CEO of the Charles Schwab Corp.

Timothy C. Draper, Venture Capitalist and Founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson

Thomas F. Stephenson, Venture Capitalist, Sequoia Capital

Jerry Rice, American former football player

Vivek Ranadive, Chairman, CEO and Founder of TIBCO Software

Andy Kessler, author of books on business, technology, and the health field

Steve Westly, former State Controller of California

Meg Whitman, former CEO of Ebay, former Finance co-chair of Republican Mitt Romney's 2008 Presidential Campaign and national co-chair for Republican John McCain's 2008 Presidential Campaign, potential nominee for the Republican nomination for Governor of California.

Rajeev Motwani, Professor, Computer Science, Stanford University

Cheryl Burke, Dancing with the stars professional dancer

Ted Robinson, San Francisco 49ers play-by-play announcer

Auburn

One of its most famous citizens was the poet and short-story writer Clark Ashton Smith, who was born in Auburn in 1893 and who lived there most of his life. Born and raised in Auburn,

Stacy Dragila was the first to win an Olympic gold medal in women's pole vaulting.

Tomas Arana, an actor most notable for his role in Gladiator, was born in Auburn.

Also, the town is featured toward the end of British author Anthony Horowitz's book, Nightrise. Endurance Capital

Auburn is home of the Auburn State Recreation Area. Within the boundaries of this state park are more sporting endurance events than any other place in the world, giving Auburn the undisputed and internationally-acclaimed title of Endurance Capital of the World. Examples include the Western States Endurance Run, The Western States Trail Ride also known as Tevis Cup Equestrian Ride, American River 50 Mile Endurance Run, American River 50 Mile Equestrian Ride, Way Too Cool 50 Kilometer Endurance Run, Auburn International Half-Ironman Triathlon, Auburn Century 100 Mile Bike Ride, Coolest 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race, Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Endurance Run, Sierra Nevada 50 Mile Endurance Run, and the Coolest Run: Ride & Tie.

The following films were, at least in part, shot in Auburn: The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Protocol Breakdown My Family The Phantom Phenomenon Wisdom xXx The Ugly Truth

In addition, Auburn is the town where George and Lennie were raised in John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men.

Local dentist Kenneth H. Fox's colossal sculptures are perhaps the most famous in town. The statues chronicle Auburn's history with a middle-aged Claud Chana gold panning in the nearby American River, and a Chinese "Celestial" worker building the Transcontinental Railroad. Dr. Fox also took creative risk in sculpting statues of nude Native Americans. In response, the statues were mutilated and the phalluses removed. The statues are still standing in this condition.

Avalon

Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands

Avenal

Notable People

The Williams Brothers: Paul Williams, wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans, J.D. Williams who is a former NFL cornerback, and the late Curtis Williams who was paralyzed while playing college football at the University of Washington.

Banning

The early western poet and author Henry Herbert Knibbs lived his last years in Banning.

Beaumont

Notable People

While being raised in Pomona and Arcadia, California, current NASA Astronaut and STS-118 crew member Tracy E. Caldwell graduated from Beaumont High School in 1997[6].

Author Jessie Terwilliger also resides in Beaumont.

Former actor Brion James also used to reside in Beaumont.

Profesional Wrestler Gorgeous George used to have a 195 acre turkey ranch in Beaumont, CA in the late 1950's to early 1960's. [7]

A few episodes of the TV show "My Name is Earl" were filmed in Beaumont, as well as many of the show's opening scenes; the liquor store where he buys the winning lotto ticket, the car wash, and the scene where Earl gets hit by a car were all filmed on 12th street.

San Gorgonio Sports Park is in the Banning-Beaumont city limits on Highland Springs Avenue and Creekside Drive adjacent to Highland Springs country club.

Belvedere

Notable People

Late actress Vivian Vance, who played Ethel on I Love Lucy, died in Belvedere at the age of 70.

Part of the 1969 musical film Paint Your Wagon was shot here.

Big Bear Lake

Since 1970 Big Bear Lake has held its annual Oktoberfest. The Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest also sports the highest Biergarten in the U.S. (in elevation).

During the 1990s, the city became famous as a spot for boxing champions who need to train, Oscar de la Hoya, Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley being among the famous boxers who have trained at Big Bear.

Big Bear Lake is Southern California's largest recreation lake. It is about seven miles long and about one mile at its widest. The primary summer attraction in Big Bear was fishing and it still is one of the most common activity there. The most abundant types of fish are trout, bass and catfish.[8]Hiking, mountain biking and horse riding are also very popular. San Bernardino National Forest offers many trails in varying degrees of difficulty. During winter season Big Bear Lake becomes skiing and snowboarding destination for Southern California. There are two major ski resorts: Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. The town is also home to the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival, in operation since 1999

Bishop

The sound effects specialist Jack Foley moved from Long Island New York to Bishop in 1914. He got a job at the local hardware store, and was a regular at community activities, including the local community theatre as a writer, director and as an actor. He also wrote articles and was a cartoonist for the local paper. When the local farmers sold their land to the city of Los Angeles for water rights, Jack's new hometown was in need of a new source of income. Jack knew of the newly formed movie business in Los Angeles and managed to persuade several small time studio bosses that the town of Bishop would be ideal as a location to shoot westerns.

Jill Kinmont(Boothe) grew up in Bishop, California, skiing and racing at Mammoth Mountain. In early 1955, she was the reigning national champion in the slalom, and a top prospect for a medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics, a year away. While competing in the downhill at the Snow Cup in Alta, Utah, on 30 January, 1955, she suffered a near-fatal accident which resulted in paralysis from the neck down. It ironically occurred the same week that Kinmont, weeks shy of her 19th birthday, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine dated 31 January 1955. Kinmont was the subject of two movies: The Other Side of the Mountain in 1975, and The Other Side of the Mountain Part II in 1978. Both films starred Marilyn Hassett as Kinmont. She was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 1967.

Bishop is known as the "Mule Capital of the World" and a week long festival called Bishop Mule Days has been held since 1969 on the week of Memorial Day, celebrating the contributions of pack mules to the area. The festival attracts many tourists, primarily from the Southern California area.

Bishop is well known in the rock climbing community. Near the city are numerous climbing spots that attract visitors from around the world. There are over 2,000 bouldering problems in Bishop. There are two main types of rock: volcanic tuff and granite.

Bishop was the home of Galen Rowell, and his wife Barbara, before their death at the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport.

Stuntman and NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett also calls Bishop home.

Matt Williams, former Major League Baseball 3rd baseman and slugger, was born in Bishop.

Horace M. Albright the second director of the National Park Service was born in Bishop in 1890.

The actor Robert Bray, who portrayed forest ranger Corey Stuart in CBS's Lassie from 1964-1968 and Simon Kane in ABC's Stagecoach West from 1960-1961, retired to Bishop, where he died in 1983 at the age of sixty-five. Former child actor Richard Eyer, who played Bray's son in Stagecoach West, is a teacher in Bishop.

Tod Griffin, a television actor from 1953-1961, resided in Bishop at the time of his death in 2002.

Brawley

The town has a significant cattle and feed industry, and hosts the annual Cattle Call Rodeo

Notable People

Sid Monge was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and California Angels.

Sergio Romo is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants.

Rudy Seánez is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Dr. Barbara O'Brien is the Lieutenant Governor of Colorado.

Steve Taylor is a contemporary Christian singer, songwriter, record producer and film director.

Brisbane

Brisbane is called "The City of Stars" because of a holiday tradition established over 65 years ago. At the start of the Christmas/Hanukkah season, many residents and business owners place large, illuminated stars, some as big as 10 feet (3.0 m) or more in diameter, on the "downhill" sides of homes and offices throughout Brisbane. As Brisbane is built on the eastern slope of San Bruno Mountain, visitors and residents entering at night are treated to a star-studded mountain vista. Many of the stars are kept up all year.

In 1989, north of Sierra Point Humphrey the whale was beached on a mudflat after an anomalous journey into the San Francisco Bay. His exciting rescue was filmed for national TV and witnessed by hundreds of onlookers from the upper floors of the Dakin Building. The rescue was carried out by staff of The Marine Mammal Center and United States Coast Guard.

Calabass

The Leonis Adobe, an adobe structure in Old Town Calabasas, dates from 1844 and is one of the oldest buildings in the greater LA area.

An extensive 2006 Secondhand Smoke Control Ordinance caused the city to receive international attention

Notable People

Calabasas was the long-time home of actor Clayton Moore who played The Lone Ranger on Television and Motion Pictures in the 1950s, and he was living there in 1999 when he suffered the heart attack that caused his death.

Calabasas is also the home of rock band Incubus- all five of their original members were born and raised in Calabasas.

The Kardashians (including Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner) also live in Calabasas.

Justin Berfield, Reese from "Malcolm in the Middle" TV Show.

American rock legend Meat Loaf lived just outside of Calabasas, California, near Saddle Peak and Calabasas Peak.

John Melendez of the Howard Stern Radio show and the Jay Leno show resides in the community.

Also, cultural icon Siddhant Kumar lives in Calabasas.

Pop superstar Britney Spears lives in Calabasas with her two sons in the elite The Oaks Of Calabasas Community where a high ranking member of her security team also has a home.

Actor C. Thomas Howell lives in Calabasas with his wife and children,

game show host and comedian Howie Mandel.

Brandy and Leanne Rimes

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.

Derek Fisher,

Mark Jackson,

Rod Carew,

Bret Saberhagen,

Gary Grant

Mitch Richmond

Calipatria

Salvation Mountain is the notable tourist attraction in the north of Calipatria, near Slab City. Salvation Mountain is a small hill which is entirely covered in thousands of gallons of acrylic paint, straw, concrete, adobe. It was created by Leonard Knight to convey the message that "God Loves Everyone". Salvation Mountain was featured in the book Into the Wild and also in the 2007 movie of the same name.

The video for Fourth of July by Shooter Jennings, is partially set at Salvation Mountain.

Calistoga

Calistoga made national headlines in 1881 when Anson Tichenor claimed that he had invented a way to extract gold from the waters of the hot springs. Tichenor's invention was soon proved to be a fraud.

In 1920, Giuseppe Musante, a soda fountain and candy store owner in Calistoga, was drilling for a cold water well at the Railway Exchange when he tapped into a hot water source. In 1924 he set up a bottling line and began selling Calistoga Sparkling Mineral Water. The company became a major player in the bottled water business after Elwood Springer bought the small bottling plant in 1970 known today as Calistoga Water Company.

Scenes from the Disney movie "Bedtime Stories" starring Adam Sandler were filmed in Calistoga in June, 2008.[4]

Local folklore holds that the town supposedly got its name from a Spoonerism uttered by Sam Brannan. He is alleged to have said (perhaps after sampling the local vintages) that the location would become the 'Calistoga of Sarifornia'. He had meant to say the 'Saratoga of California', comparing it to the famous hot springs of that New York town

Calistoga is at the north end of the Napa Valley Calistoga AVA, part of California's Wine Country. Thus there are numerous wineries within a short drive.

Calistoga itself is noted for its hot springs spas, a local specialty being immersion in hot volcanic ash known as a mud bath.

Nearby attractions include an artificial geothermal geyser known as the Old Faithful of California.

Notable People

Dick Vermeil, former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, & Kansas City Chiefs was born in Calistoga

In 1880 Robert Louis Stevenson spent his honeymoon with Fanny Vandegrift a few miles north of Calistoga, living in the bunk house of the abandoned Silverado Mine. The Silverado Squatters is his story of this adventure.

Former Major League Baseball player Tom Seaver and his wife Nancy lived just south of Calistoga where they have a 3-acre

Capitola

In the summer of 1961 hundreds of birds attacked the town. Most of the birds were sooty shearwaters - a normally non aggressive species that rarely comes to shore. Alfred Hitchcock was a regular visitor to nearby Santa Cruz and read about this episode. He went on to direct a film - The Birds - based on the idea of hundreds of birds attacking humans. The reason for this attack remained unknown for over 25 years until it was discovered that the birds had been affected by domoic acid, a toxin produced by red algae.

Capitola Classic - The Capitola Classic was a skateboarding event that received international attention and brought lots of excitement and energy to the Capitola village back in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[citation needed] The Capitola Classic was well known in skating circles for its annual downhill race, which was a head-to-head speed competition that drew top names in the sport, many local as well as international, including Santa Cruz, California local John Hutson, who held the world speed record for skateboarding at 53.45 mph and dominated the event each year.

Carmel-by-the-Sea

In 1905, poet George Sterling came to Carmel and helped to establish the town's literary base. He was associated with Mary Austin, as well as Jack London, who also spent considerable time in the Carmel and Monterey area. In San Francisco, Sterling was known as the "uncrowned King of Bohemia" and, following the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 many of his literary associates followed him in his move. He is often credited with making Carmel world famous. His aunt Missus Havens purchased a home for him in Carmel Pines where he lived for six years. Sterling wrote to his long-time literary mentor, Ambrose Bierce;[6] "Well, you can see why I must raise vegetables. Belgian hares, hens and the fruit of their wombs, squabs and goldfish, 'keep a bee,' raid mussel reefs, and cultivate a taste for rice - not to mention cold water and 'just one girl.' I'm determined to get into black and white unnumbered multitudes of lines that romp up and down in my innards, eight a-breast." Mary Austin, c. 1900. Austin joined the Carmel arts colony in 1906. Sterling's visitors included poet Joaquin Miller, writer Charles W. Stoddard and photographer Arnold Genthe, known for his documentary shots of the San Francisco fire that followed the great earthquake, after which Genthe followed Sterling to Carmel to make his residence. In 1906 novelist Mary Austin moved to Carmel. She is best known for her tribute to the deserts of the American Southwest, The Land of Little Rain. Her play, Fire, which she also directed, had its world premiere at the Forest Theater in 1913. Austin is often credited as suggesting the idea for the outdoor stage. In 1914, poet Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962), and his wife, Una (1884–1950), found their "inevitable place" when they first saw the Carmel-Big Sur coast south of California's Monterey Peninsula. 1906, San Francisco photographer Arnold Genthe joined the Carmel arts colony, where he was able to pursue his pioneering work in color photography. His first attempts were taken in his garden, primarily portraits of his friends, including the leading Shakespearean actor and actress of the period, Edward Sothern and Julia Marlowe, who were costumed as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Of his new residence, he wrote, ""My first trials with this medium were made at Carmel where the cypresses and rocks of Point Lobos, the always varying sunsets and the intriguing shadows of the sand dunes offered a rich field for color experiments."" [16] According to the Library of Congress, where over 18,000 of his negatives and prints are on file, Genthe "became famous for his impressionistic portrayals of society women, artists, dancers, and theater personalities." Renowned photographer Edward Weston moved to Carmel in 1929 and shot the first of numerous nature photographs, many set at Point Lobos, on the south side of Carmel Bay. In 1936, Weston became the first photographer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work in experimental photography. In 1948, after the onset of Parkinsons disease, he took his last photograph, an image of Point Lobos. Weston had traveled extensively with legendary photographer Ansel Adams, who moved to Carmel in 1962, several years after receiving his 3rd Gugggenheim award. In 1966 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The following year he founded the Friends of Photography, which became the world's largest non-profit creative photography membership organization. Over the next 18 years, in the studio he built in the basement of his Carmel Highlands home, he printed and published a majority of his life's work. In 1982, an eightieth birthday celebration is presented where Adams received the Decoration of Commander of the Order of the Arts and Letters, the French government's highest cultural award given to a foreigner. Exhibitions, parties and receptions are held including a performance by pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy in Adams' Carmel Highlands home. Adams died on April 22, 1984, of heart failure aggravated by cancer, an event that was reported on front pages worldwide.[19] Gray Gables, at Lincoln and Seventh was the birthplace of the Carmel Art Association[citation needed], founded by artists Josephine Culbertson and Ida Johnson. This small group supported art, primarily through the auspices of the Carmel Arts & Crafts Club, until 1927, when a meeting took place, and the group committed to building an exhibition gallery to display their works. Their first show with 41 artists took place in October of the same year in the Seven Arts building of Herbert Heron. The permanent gallery was completed in 1933 at its present location on Dolores Street. In the early 1930s the tiny group claimed four members who had attained the status of membership in the National Academy of Design. G. H. Rothe, the Mezzotint painter, lived for a time in Carmel and built two studios there in 1979 The Carmel Bach Festival began in 1935 as a three-day festival of concerts, expanding to 3 weeks until the 2009 Season which, due to economic concerns, was reduced to 2 weeks.[21] The Festival is a celebration of music and ideas inspired by the historical and ongoing influence of J.S. Bach in the world. In recent years, the Festival was under the management of Jesse Read, who started Carmel–by-the-Sea is an exceptionally dog-friendly city. Most hotels allow dogs to stay with guests. Almost all restaurants that offer outside dining allow dogs in those areas, with most of them also offering water. A few have special "doggie menus." Many retailers allow dogs to accompany their owners in their stores and many have treats available. Water bowls and dog biscuits can also be found in front of many stores. Dogs are not permitted, however in Devendorf Park (on Ocean Ave. between Junipero and Mission Streets). Dogs must be leashed, except on Carmel City Beach, where they are allowed unleashed if they are under voice command from their owners. The police department takes animal welfare seriously and officers will open cars that contain pets without adequate ventilation or water and will remove the pets and cite the owner.[25] Unusual laws Though often erroneously thought of as an urban myth, the municipal code bans the wearing of shoes having heels greater than 2 inches in height or with a base of less than 1 square inch unless the wearer has obtained a permit for them. This seemingly peculiar law was authored by the city attorney in the 1920s to defend the city from lawsuits resulting from wearers of high-heeled shoes tripping over irregular pavement (caused by tree roots pushing up). Permits are available without charge at City Hall. While the local police do not cite those in violation of the ordinance, a person wishing to sue for damages from tripping while wearing such shoes is precluded from doing so unless a permit had previously been obtained. Another unusual law, forbidding selling and eating ice cream on public streets, was a focal point of Clint Eastwood's campaign for mayor. He, and the new council elected along with him, overturned the ordinance and other similar laws that they considered to be too restrictive of businesses

Notable People

Ansel Adams, photographer

Jack London, novelist

Jennifer Aniston, actress

Carrie Lucas, R&B singer

Gus Arriola, cartoonist[31]

John Madden, sports announcer[29]

Jean Arthur, actress[32]

Xavier Martinez, painter

Mary Austin, novelist[32]

Rupert Murdoch, businessman[44]

Barbara Babcock, actress[33]

Patrick McGoohan, actor

John Bayless, scholar

Stephen Moorer, founder/actor with Pacific Repertory Theatre[45]

Eric Berne, psychiatrist[34]

Kim Novak, actress[46]

Gelett Burgess, humorist, author[35]

Brad Pitt, actor[29]

Beverly Cleary, author[36]

Ben Pon, race car driver

Roy Chapman Andrews, naturalist and explorer[37]

Jeannette Rankin, first U.S. Congresswoman[47]

Jerry Colangelo, head of U.S.A. Basketball[38]

Ira Remsen, chemist

Roger Daley, meteorologist

William Ritschel, painter

Doris Day, actress, singer[30]

Esther Rose, artist

Eldon Dedini, cartoonist[31]

Dick Sargent, actor[48]

Clint Eastwood, actor, director and former mayor of Carmel[29]

Eric Schlosser, writer

James Ellroy, author [40]

Charles Schwab, businessman

Sam Farr, US Congressman[41]

Upton Sinclair, novelist and social reformer[30]

Charlie Fern, former White House speechwriter, journalist

George Sterling, poet [49]

Joan Fontaine, actress

Nora May French, poet, committed suicide in George Sterling's home.

Percy Gray, painter

Robert Louis Stevenson, author[30]

Harvey Hancock, campaign manager for Richard Nixon 1949–1952[42]

Rick Still, radio personality

Robert A. Heinlein, author

Joseph Stilwell, U.S. Army general[51]

Peter Hemming, photojournalist

Edward Weston, photographer[52]

Reggie Jackson, Hall of Fame baseball player

Charis Wilson (Weston), writer, subject of Edward Weston's nude studies.

Robinson Jeffers, poet

Betty White, actress[30]

Hank Ketcham, cartoonist[31]

Steven Whyte, sculptor

Sinclair Lewis, novelist[30]

Fred Wolf, comedian, writer

Carpenteria

Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May at the rookery in the nearby Carpinteria Bluffs , as well as an occasional gray whale. Tidepools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopuses and sea urchins.

Since 1987, the California Avocado Festival has been held in Carpinteria on the first weekend of October.

The Santa Barbara Polo Club, one of the main equestrian polo fields in the country, is located in Carpinteria

Chowchilla

Chowchilla was launched into national headlines on July 15, 1976 when an entire school bus of children was kidnapped. Twenty-six children and the adult bus driver were taken from the bus, which the kidnappers eventually concealed under brush in a wash, and driven around in two vans for 11 hours before being forced, one by one, to climb into a hole in the ground which contained a moving van which had been buried in a quarry in Livermore, California. By stacking the 14 mattresses that were in the van on top of each other part-time bus driver Ed Ray, a local farmer, and some of the older children were able to reach the opening at the top of the truck that they originally entered through, but was now covered with a metal lid and weighed down. They were eventually able to wedge the lid open by propping it up with a stick and then Ray was able to move what held the lid down which turned out to be two 100 pound industrial batteries. Ray and the boys were able to remove the rest of the debris blocking them from the ground's surface. After 16 hours underground they emerged in the middle of the night and walked to a nearby guard shack at the entrance to the quarry. The guard alerted the authorities and all the victims were pronounced to be in good condition and returned home to find that mass media had descended on the town. Ray was able to remember the license plate of one van while under hypnosis and this led to the capture of the kidnappers as they attempted to flee to Canada. A rough draft of a ransom note was found at the house of the owner of the quarry; the owner's son, Frederick Woods, and two friends, Richard and James Schoenfeld, were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.[4] The ordeal was dramatized in the 1993 ABC-TV movie They've Taken Our Children: The Chowchilla Kidnapping (shown in the UK as Vanished Without a Trace) starring Karl Malden, which is sometimes shown on the Biography Channel. Interviews with many of the children, now adults, including Mike and bus driver Ray were broadcast on MSNBC Dark Heart Iron Hand. After the children were recovered, it was observed that some circumstances of the abduction corresponded to details in "The Day the Children Vanished", a story written by Hugh Pentecost that had been published in the 1969 fiction anthology Alfred Hitchcock's Daring Detectives. A copy of this book was in the Chowchilla public library; police theorized that this was the source of the real-life kidnappers' inspiration. After being denied parole 20 times, one of the three kidnappers, Richard Schoenfeld, was deemed suitable for parole by the California Board on Parole Hearings on October 30, 2008. However Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can modify the board's decision. James Schoenfeld has been denied parole 16 times. Frederick Woods was denied parole for the 12th time on January 5, 2009 and will be eligibile again in 3 years

Clayton

A local superstition of Clayton is that of Sarah Norton. Sarah Norton, Henry Norton's daughter, was on the way to a funeral when, ironically, her buggy (horse-drawn carriage) derailed off the side of the road. She was buried in the Clayton cemetery and her ghost now "haunts" the cemetery and the road to it. Actually, Sarah Norton was from Nortonville. She was a mid-wife. And she is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Nortonville (Black Diamond Mines). She is not buried in Clayton.

Coachella

The film director Frank Capra is interred in the Coachella Valley Cemetery.

Professional boxing champions Antonio Diaz and Julio Díaz (brothers), are originally from Coachella.

The agricultural area surrounding Coachella was where the United Farm Workers union staged strikes and protests, including visits by UFW leader César Chávez.

Migrant labor activist Sam Maestas has a home in the rural outskirts of Coachella

In the 1953 Warner Brothers cartoon Bully For Bugs, Bugs Bunny misses his "left toin at Albuquerque" and pops up in a Mexican bull ring, where he asks for directions to "...the shortest route to the Coachella Valley and the big carrot festival therein?"

Coalinga

Legendary bandit Joaquin Murrieta was killed in 1853 north of Coalinga.

California Historical Landmark 344 near the intersection of what are now State Routes 33 and 198. The area marks the approximate site of his headquarters, Arroyo de Cantua, where he was slain.

Coalinga hosts the Horned Toad Derby each year over the Memorial Day weekend in late May On the November weekend closest to Montgolfiere Day (November 21) each year,

Coalinga is host to the annual WHAMOBASS Balloon Rally, the longest consecutively running annual hot air balloon rally in the world, sponsored by the Whiskey Hill Atherton Menlo Oaks Ballooning & Sporting Society Typically more than 40 balloons ascend at dawn on Saturday and Sunday morning from the athletic field of West Hills College. A small number fly on Friday and occasionally on Thursday.

Notable People

Stanley George "Frenchy" Bordagaray, athlete Jo Stafford, musician

Colfax

In November 1990 an image of the Virgin Mary was reported to have miraculously appeared on a wall of St. Dominic's Catholic church. It was later discovered that the image was really a projection caused by the sun passing through a stained glass window. Nevertheless, the Colfax Record (the local newspaper since 1908) reported up to 4000 people on a single Sunday went to view the shadow before it was pointed out to be similar to a Virgin Mary in one of the windows.

Colma

The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924. With much of Colma's land dedicated to cemeteries (17 for the interment of humans and one for pets), the dead population outnumber the living by thousands to one. This has led to it being called, "the city of the silent," and also has given rise to a humorous motto among some residents: "It's great to be alive in Colma Notable interments Essentially everyone who died in San Francisco in the twentieth Century was buried in Colma, if they were buried anywhere, with a few exceptions in Oakland's huge Mountain View Cemetery.[citation needed] Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst is buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, as are business magnate William Henry Crocker; San Francisco Chronicle founder Charles De Young, horticulturist John McLaren, and jazz musician and bandleader Turk Murphy. Wyatt Earp is buried at the Hills of Eternity, in Colma, next to his wife, Josephine Marcus. Joe DiMaggio, the baseball player is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery; as are coffee heiress and Manson murder victim Abigail Folger, San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto, 32nd governor of California Pat Brown, Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini, Senator James D. Phelan, and jazz musician Vince Guaraldi Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma is the final resting place of Emperor Norton and Henry Miller—a California cattle rancher, not the famous author, whose ashes were scattered off Big Sur

The 2007 independent, low-budget American film Colma: The Musical was shot on location in Colma. The film has won several special jury prizes at local and international film festivals

Corning

Better known as the Olive City, is home to the Bell Carter Olive Company, which is the world's largest ripe olive cannery. In the decades before WWII, Corning was home to seven olive canneries, most of which were small, family-run operations

Notable People

Mark Acre, Former Major League Baseball pitcher

Clair Engle, U.S. Senator

Ralph Goings, American Artist Lee Grissom,

Major League Baseball pitcher

Mark Risley, Emmy-winning director

France Silva, Medal of Honor recipient, veteran of the Boxer Rebellion

Jeff Stover, NFL Player

Cypress

Notable People

John Stamos – actor

Matthew Morrison - actor

golfer Tiger Woods.

Del Mar

The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer.

Notable People

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball maintained a residence in south Del Mar while still married during the 1950s and 1960s.

Burt Bacharach, writer of the popular song "Do You Know the Way to San José," had a beach residence in south Del Mar.

Nate Kaeding, San Diego Chargers placekicker.

Steve Perry, former lead singer of the rock band Journey, lives in Del Mar.

Zandra Rhodes, celebrity fashion designer, splits her time between homes in Del Mar and London .

Rachael Flatt, World Junior Champion in Figure Skating, born in Del Mar

Anthony Robbins, self-help writer and professional speaker, previously lived in "The Castle" in Del Mar

Tony Hawk, Skate Boarding legend and business leader, was raised in Del Mar.

Cultural references Del Mar is referenced in the Beach Boys hit "Surfin USA." The song mentions, "You’d catch ’em surfin’ at Del Mar."

Del Mar the home of the Punnerhood, referenced in various movies such as in Surf's Up Del Mar, known for its numerous and beautiful beaches, was mentioned in Time magazine's "100 Greatest Beaches in the World." 15th Street Beach ranked in the top 10, ranking at 4, and although "Dog Beach" did not make it into the Top 100, it did receive an honorable mention.

Del Mar's beach at 15th Street was used as a backdrop for the opening credits for ABC's Cougar Town.

Dinuba

Notable People

Cruz Bustamante, 45th Lieutenant Governor of California

Doris Matsui, member of the United States House of Representatives

Rose Ann Vuich, California's First Woman State Senator and local park's namesake

Ester Hernandez, an artist of the Chicano Movement

Oswald Hope Robertson, founder of the world's first blood bank

Burt Rutan, founder of Scaled Composites, designer of both the Voyager aircraft, and SpaceShipOne the world's first non-governmental spacecraft.

William Michaelian, Novelist, short story writer, poet.

Bryce Seligman DeWitt, Theoretical physicist, author of seminal work in quantum gravity.

Earl Kim, Korean-American composer.

Russ Letlow, NFL player for the Green Bay Packers

Dixon

Dixon is also home to the May Fair, the longest running annual fair in the state of California. It is held at the Dixon Fairgrounds in May, with the four day event ending each year on Mother's Day.

Grass Valley

Grass Valley is the location of the Empire Mine, one of the richest mines in California. Many of those who came to settle in Grass Valley were tin miners from Cornwall. They were attracted to the California gold fields because the same skills needed for deep tin mining were needed for hardrock (deep) gold mining. Many of them specialized in pumping the water out of very deep mining shafts. This coincided with a glut in Cornish tin mining. Grass Valley still holds on to its Cornish heritage, with events such as its annual Cornish Christmas and St Piran's Day celebrations.[5] Pasties are a local favorite dish with a few restaurants in town specializing in recipes handed down from the original immigrant generation.

Notable People or Animals

Gallant Bess, a horse rescued by a U.S. Navy sailor during World War II, whose account was turned into a movie of the same name

Hunter Burgan, bassist of the band AFI

Lotta Crabtree, 19th century actress

Jonathan Dayton director Little Miss Sunshine

Lyman Gilmore, who claimed[8] to be the first person to fly a powered airplane (a steam-powered glider). Lyman Gilmore Middle School is located in Grass Valley and listed as a Historical site

Fred Hargesheimer, former World War II pilot, philanthropist

Bill Hotchkiss, college professor, poet, and novelist, author of Medicine Calf, based on the life of Jim Beckwourth

John Flint Kidder, builder and later owner of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad; built the first concrete sidewalk in Grass Valley

Sarah Kidder, first female railroad president in the world, succeeding husband John Flint Kidder

Lola Montez, 19th century dancer

Hans Ostrom, writer and professor

Jim Pagliaroni, former professional baseball player, catcher of a perfect game pitched by Jim "Catfish" Hunter

Mike Pinder, keyboard player, song writer, singer and founder of the Moody Blues

Dennis Richmond, retired Oakland television news anchor

John Rollin Ridge (1827-1867), Native American writer, is buried in Grass Valley

Richard Roundtree, the actor who played John Shaft

Josiah Royce, philosopher

Chris Senn, professional skateboarder

Jeremy Sisto, actor

Meadow Sisto, actress

Wallace Stegner (1903-1993), set his Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel Angle of Repose (1971) in Grass Valley

Clint Walker, Western movie actor The Cheyenne Series, The Night of the Grizzly, Dirty Dozen, Fort Dobbs and many more

Chuck Yeager, an ace fighter pilot and the first man to break the speed of sound in the Bell X-1

Greenfield

The Mesa Del Sol Vineyards is located in Greenfield.

An additional Yanks Air Museum facility will be built in Greenfield on a 440 acres (1.8 km2) plot purchased in 1994 by museum founders Charles and Judith Nichols. This planned project will include a museum facility and the 4,250 feet (1,300 m) runway that will support both museum flight operations as well as serve the private aviation needs of both museum visitors and local aviators. The new museum facility is not intended to replace the existing facility in Chino, but to greatly expand the opportunities

Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay hosts its popular "Art and Pumpkin Festival" on Main Street downtown in October

Healdsburg

Notable People

Mary Ellen Bamford: author

Helen Beardsley: author

Jim Cullom: professional football player

Paul Erdman: business and financial writer

Jess Jackson: wine entrepreneur

Heidi Newfield: country singer, formerly of Trick Pony

Ariana Richards: actress and painter

Ralph Rose: track and field athlete

Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman: tennis player

Chris Zootis: famous engine builder, competition and performance

Bear Republic Brewing Co.: world famous beer

Holtville

Holtville was famous in the 20th century with having the Imperial Valley Carrot Festival but was confused with the Coachella Valley from Bugs Bunny animated shorts in the 1940s when he reads the map seeking a Carrot Festival

Huron

Water issues In July 2009, action by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation to protect threatened fish reduced irrigation pumping to parts of the California Central Valley causing canals leading into Huron and the surrounding areas and the farms that rely on them to dry up.[4][5] Unemployment has reached over 40% as farms dried up. Governor Schwarzenegger stated the Federal action is putting the fish "above the needs of millions of Californians."[5] The issue received coverage on the Hannity program from Fox News broadcasting from Huron.[6] Comedian Paul Rodriguez acted as a celebrity spokesperson criticizing the action as his mother owns a farm in the area.[6] Fox's coverage of the issue has been criticized, and the California Progress Report argued that Huron's problems are more the result of poor water management decisions by the local water district than by federal government. Environmental and fishing groups have argued that the action to protect fish will ultimately save more jobs in the fishing and tourism industries than will be lost in agriculture

Indian Wells

The city hosts the Indian Wells Masters (also known by its current sponsorship name of BNP Paribas Open), one of the nine tournaments in the Masters 1000 of high-level events operated by the Association of Tennis Professionals (i.e., the men's tennis tour). The event is held in the 16,100-seat stadium of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden

King City

Ernst Steinbeck, father of the novelist John Steinbeck, claimed to have been the first permanent resident of King City. Steinbeck was certainly among the first settlers. He was the first agent for the S.P. Milling Company, which built an early warehouse and flour mill alongside the railroad tracks running through town.

The town's name is one of many mentioned in the 2007 motion picture, There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. In the film, a gentleman named Henry Brands (Kevin J. O'Connor) attempts to pass himself off as being a relative of the film's central figure, Daniel Plainview (Lewis). As Plainview comes to recognize that Brands is, in fact, an impostor likely bent on obtaining money from him, he confronts Brands in the middle of the night with a pistol. Brands explains that he is, in fact, not of the same bloodline as Plainview but that he met someone in King City who was, and who had mentioned a 'brother' that had recently come into a substantial amount of money. Shortly thereafter the brother died, leaving a diary with numerous insights into his personal life. Brands takes this and memorizes it so as to inhabit the role of the brother, and swindle Plainview out of his newfound wealth. Plainview, in a demonic rage, shoots Brands and scans through the diary, where a brief description of King City and the surrounding areas can be glimpsed.

The town features prominently in the song "Queen of King City," on the Red Meat album We Never Close.

King City is also mentioned repeatedly in John Steinbeck's novel, East of Eden. The book is principally set in the surrounding Salinas Valley.

Film shot in King City 1972: The Candidate directed by Michael Ritchie

Notable People

George Taylor Morris (1947-2009), radio host who popularized the "Dark Side of the Rainbow" phenomenon.

Kingsburg

Kingsburg is known as the "Swedish Village". With its Swedish architecture and village atmosphere, Swedish banners fluttering from lamp posts and brightly painted Dala horses, the Swedish heritage of the community is preserved.

Kingsburg is home to the world's largest box of raisins,[3] built by students at California State University, Fresno.

Notable People

Rafer Johnson, Olympic gold-medal decathlete

Jimmy Johnson, Cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers

Slim Pickens, actor, was born in Kingsburg.

Larry Hillblom, co-founder of DHL Worldwide Express

Monte Clark, former American football player

Larkspur

Janis Joplin's last known residence was located in Larkspur at 380 West Baltimore Drive.

Ki Longfellow grew up in Larkspur's Madrone Canyon.

The final scenes of Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" were filmed in Larkspur at the old Hutchison Gravel Qu

Lemon Grove

"The World's Biggest Lemon" There is a ten-foot-wide statue of a lemon located at 3361 Main Street. It lies before a small lemon grove beside the Orange Line Trolley tracks near the local Trolley station and downtown bus stop. Written across the base of this monument are the words "Best Climate On Earth".

Lemon Grove mummies - In 1966, two male teenagers ventured to caves near Chihuahua, Mexico, in search of a mummy to keep for their own. After spending more than a month exploring caves, the teens finally found two mummies, which they packed up and smuggled across the border. Having no idea what to do with their discoveries and not wanting their parents to know, the teens asked a friend if they could store a box in her garage in Lemon Grove, California. For 14 years, the mummies of the girl and the infant remained in the Lemon Grove garage, until the mother of the friend began to clean out her garage. The mother discovered the mummies and as a result believed a murder had taken place. When the mummies were tracked back to the two males, they wanted to donate the mummies to a museum. San Diego Museum of Man officials contacted Mexican authorities and asked for permission to keep the mummies as exhibits and an addition to the permanent collection. Permission was granted, and the mummies were placed on exhibit.[

Notable People

Noted cycling activist, author and cycling transportation engineer John Forester.

Speed Martin former Major League Baseball player

Actor Dennis Hopper, around age 13.

Lemoore

Notable People

Rock musician and Journey leader Steve Perry moved to Lemoore as a teenager and began developing his craft while attending high school there.

Sprinter Tommie Smith ran high school track at Lemoore High School before setting a world record in the 200 m at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Smith, along with his teammate John Carlos, is best known for his Black Power salute during the medal ceremony. (add image – Olympics fist in air)

Daniel Rhoads, a California pioneer and rancher who helped rescue the Donner Party.

El Adobe de los Robles Rancho (California Historical Landmark #206), a building built by Rhoads, can be found north of Lemoore along state highway 41.

Michael Baker, a NASA astronaut who considers Lemoore to be his hometown

Loma Linda

Loma Linda is a center of activity for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and is home to Loma Linda University, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian health sciences institution of higher learning with a world-renowned medical center. Notable firsts at the Loma Linda University Medical Center include baboon-to-human heart transplant and the first split-brain surgery. Animal Planet television show Venom ER was filmed at the medical center, as well.[5]

Loma Linda was featured by National Geographic Magazine as one of the three places in the world with the highest longevity rate.[6] Dan Buettner considers this community to be a Blue Zone. Since a popular practice of Seventh-day Adventists is vegetarianism, most restaurants in Loma Linda feature a vegetarian menu in addition to regular menu items. The Loma Linda Baker's Drive-Thru was the first in that fast-food chain to feature the "Loma Linda Kitchen" vegetarian menu. [7] The chain has since dropped the Loma Linda name for the menu and expanded its vegetarian choices. [8]

Due to the large number of Loma Linda residents who are Seventh-day Adventists, the city is one of the few which has weekend mail delivery service on Sunday instead of Saturday.

Ground water near Loma Linda is contaminated by a plume of the chemical perchlorate which was used in the manufacture of rocket fuel. The chemical was formerly (decades ago) prescribed by physicians to control overactive thyroid glands. Attempts to quantitate the effects of low-level exposure to perchlorate have met with resistance from environmental (and other) activists. A nearby plant operated by Lockheed has been accused of improperly disposing of the rocket fuel, which leached into the ground water northeast of Loma Linda. Loma Linda's municipal water supply is nevertheless unaffected by the plume, the extent of which is monitored regularly.

Lomita

Landmarks

Lomita Railroad Museum, Opened in 1966 by Irene Lewis, the Lomita Railroad Museum is a small museum in Lomita devoted to the steam engine period of Railroading. Mrs Lewis, along with her husband Martin, operated "Little Engines of Lomita" which sold kits for live steam engine locomotives. Her engines also appeared in movies, including "The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)" and "Von Ryans Express (1965)". This operation inspired Mrs. Lewis to earn a mechanical engineering degree late in life and to build the museum as a showplace for her products. When built, the museum was the first of its kind west of Denver. The museum was designed to replicate the Boston & Maine's Greenwood Station in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The Museum was donated by Mrs. Lewis to the City of Lomita in honor of her late husband, Martin Lewis, in 1967. On display are a 1902 Baldwin Locomotive, a Southern Pacific tender, a 1910 Union Pacific caboose, and a Santa Fe caboose. The Museum also houses a full-size replica of a 1920s water tower that was constructed in 2000. The museum also incorporates a small public park, which accommodates a Union Pacific boxcar and a Union Oil tank car.

Notable People

Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs pitcher

The Descendents, hardcore punk band

Jim Thorpe, Native American athlete

Chad Qualls, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher

Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes resides on the edge of the Long Valley Caldera. The area around the town is geologically active, with hot springs and rhyolite domes that are less than 1000 years old. Visitors can take State Route 203 from the town of Mammoth Lakes to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, over Minaret Summit, then down to Devil's Postpile National Monument, with access to the Ansel Adams Wilderness. The area has natural hot springs which are sometimes used after skiing. Other features include lakes, a soda springs, and an obsidian dome.

Maricopa

The Carrizo Plain is northwest of the town, and the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field, the third largest oil field in the United States, is adjacent to the town on the north and east. The Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed plain, approximately 50 miles (80 km) long and up to 15 miles (24 km) across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Los Angeles, California.[1] It contains the 250,000 acres (1,012 km²; 101,215 ha) Carrizo Plain National Monument, and it is the largest single native grassland remaining in California. It includes the Carrizo Plain Rock Art Discontiguous District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the easiest places to view the San Andreas Fault which cuts through the plain

Marysville

The Bok Kai Festival and Parade (北溪慶會) Marysville annually celebrates the Chinese New Year and the Bok Eye god with a festival. The Bok Kai parade has been produced each year for more than 125 years and is the oldest continuing parade in California.[citation needed] Because the festival celebrates New Year according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the date of the parade is different each year. The crash of gongs, the cracking of firecrackers, and the pounding of drums signal the beginning of the Bok Kai Parade. Marching bands, fire trucks, antique cars, floats, and dance groups walk the streets of historic downtown. Over 15,000 spectators each year come to watch the parade's greatest asset, a dragon 150-foot (46 m) long. Other activities during the festival include martial art demonstrations, food vendors, and art exhibits. The festival concludes with the Bomb Day Event Bok Kai Temple (北溪廟)) Five years after the first contingent of Chinese arrived in California to work the gold mines, a temple to worship their gods was erected in Marysville. The year was 1854 and the foremost of the gods worshiped there was Bok Eye (北帝), the god of water who had the power to control the rains. Unfortunately, the original temple first built in the early 1860s nearly two blocks upstream from the present site was destroyed by fire. The temple was replaced and rebuilt on the present site in 1880 and remains a great focus of the present Marysville Chinese community, who have dedicated themselves to preserving the temple. The Bok Kai Temple is the only one of its kind in the United States. People from as far away as Taiwan come to worship at the secluded temple. During the ritual of worship at the temple, each individual finds out how the new year will benefit him or her in their particular endeavor. The Bok Kai Temple is located at the corner of D and First Street, Marysville. Tours are by special appointment; contact the Marysville Chamber of Commerce.

Mendota

Recognized for its immense production of cantaloupes. Appropriately, the city of Mendota is identified as The Cantaloupe Center of the World

Monte Sereno

John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men in a wooded home at 16250 Greenwood Lane in what is now Monte Sereno [3]

Beat generation figure Neal Cassady lived in a Monte Sereno ranch house in the 1950s

Christmas Decorations - A dispute between two neighbors over extravagant Christmas decorations gained Monte Sereno attention in national news. Bonnie and Alan Aerts of Monte Sereno had for years showcased elaborate holiday displays, costing as much as US$150,000, on their front yard. The displays attracted large masses of visitors, resulting in great traffic around the normally quiet cul-de-sac of four houses. Neighbors Le and Susan Nguyen protested, and, in late 2003, the city council voted 3-2 (Nesbet, Brodsky, Wright for, Garner, Baxter against) to pass an ordinance regarding "regulation of special events" [1], [2] which would require permits for such displays. On the first Christmas season for which the law was effective (in 2004), the Aertses declined to apply for a permit, which would allow the Aerts's holiday display to be active only for 12 hours in a 72-hour period and would require a 30-day waiting period before a new 72-hour permit could be applied for. Instead, they erected a huge, 10-foot-tall Grinch on their lawn, who swayed from side while singing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". The Grinch's outstretched arm pointed conspicuously at the home of the Nguyens. [3] The spectacle gained mention from the Associated Press and NPR. [4] The Aerts and the Nguyens also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, a late night talk show, about the situation.

It is also the home of Saint Mary's College of California

Notable Alumni

Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Actor, nominated for 2009 Screen Actors Guild Award "Outstanding Performance by a Cast" for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Joseph Alioto '37, (dec.) former mayor of San Francisco

Brother Alfred Brousseau '28 (dec.) mathematician, widely-renowned authority on the Fibonacci numbers. The recently built science building is named after him.

Andrew Demcak '97, award-winning poet and author

Robert Hass '63, Poet Laureate of the United States, 1995–97

John F. Henning, '38, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation and U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand

Ken Hofmann '45, former owner, Oakland Athletics; developer

Harry Hooper 1907, (dec.) National Baseball Hall of Fame

John Henry Johnson '53, Pro Football Hall of Fame

Bob Ladouceur '89, head football coach, De La Salle High (Concord), holder of longest high school winning streak (151 games)

Tony Martin '35, entertainer; member, Hollywood Walk of Fame

Tom Meschery '61, pro and college basketball great; teacher and poet

George P. Miller '12 (dec.), Member of Congress from California, 1945–1973

Nicholas Moore '63, Chairman (Retired), PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Don Perata '67, President Pro Tempore and Senator, California State Senate, 1998-2008 (President Pro Tempore 2004-2008)

Quentin Reynolds '29 (dec.), former Chairman, CEO, Safeway Stores, Inc.

Greg Reyes '84, former Chairman & CEO, Brocade Communication; ownership group, San Jose Sharks

Tracee Talavera '90, gymnastics national champion, Olympic medalist, and USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame member

Herman Wedemeyer '49 (dec.), football star; Hawaii legislator; original cast of "Hawaii 5-0"

K.C. Estenson '95, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com

Mark Teahen '02 Major League Baseball third baseman

Morro Bay

Morro Rock - The town's most striking feature is Morro Rock, a 176 m high volcanic plug. Morro Rock stands at the entrance to the harbor, and a causeway connects it with the shore. Previously, it was surrounded by water, but the northern channel was filled in to make the harbor. The Rock, as locals call it, was quarried from 1889 to 1969. There is no public access to the rock itself because it is a reserve for the locally endangered peregrine falcon. However, the area around the base of Morro Rock can be visited. Every few years, someone is caught trying to climb the rock. Climbers risk more than fines or jail time as the rocks that form Morro Rock are loose and fall down regularly. The base of Morro Rock is littered with fallen boulders. Morro Rock is one in a series of similar plugs that stretch in a line inland called the Nine Sisters. It is possible that the landscape moved over a volcanic hot spot through the ages.

Notable People

Jack LaLanne, fitness guru

Lu Chi Fa, Chinese immigrant and author

Mount Shasta

Notable People

Former NFL defensive star Jason Sehorn is a 1989 graduate of Mount Shasta High School.

Writer Anita Loos, author of the screenplay Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, was born in Sisson (now Mount Shasta) in 1888.

Sherrie Russell Meline, the artist whose painting of a Ross's Goose was selected for the 2006-2007 Federal Duck Stamp, lives in Mount Shasta.

Needles

Movies/shows using locations in Needles

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Route 66 (1960) "The Strengthening Angels" TV Episode Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) Convoy (1978) Evicted (2000) The Amazing Race (2001) TV Series Domino (2005) Criminal Xing (2007) Into the Wild (2007)

Books In Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family stops in Needles when they enter California.

Print media

In the comic strip Peanuts, whose creator Charles Schulz lived in Needles as a boy, Snoopy's brother Spike lived in the desert outside Needles. He frequently heads to Needles to partake of the town's nightlife, often running afoul of the local coyotes.

Recordings In 2004, John Lowery (John 5), former guitarist for Marilyn Manson, released his CD Vertigo, in which the first track is entitled "Needles, California".

The town is mentioned in the lyrics of Hoyt Axton's "Never Been To Spain"; the song was a hit for Three Dog Night in 1972. Quoted in Three Dog Night's "Never Been to Spain." Also performed by Elvis – Well I never been to England, but I kinda like the Beatles. Well, I headed out for Las Vegas, only made it out to Needles. Can you feel it? Must be real. It feels so good!

Television

In October 2006, two students and two teachers from Needles High School were invited to Washington DC to meet with the Under Secretary of Defense, in which they spoke of the new program at Needles High School called MOCK National Security Workshop. The students were also interviewed for the nation-wide, fifteen minute television news show, Channel One News, where the episode was aired on October 25.

Needles was the main site of a 2009 UFO Hunters episode investigating a supposed UFO Crash.

Other popular culture connections

April 11, 1992: the 38-year old comedian Sam Kinison was killed in a head-on car crash in Needles, California. His newlywed wife was also critically injured.

Tony Hawk at the opening of the Needles Skate Park on January 3rd, 2004. In late 2000 to early 2001, skateboard legend Tony Hawk donated $10,000 to the Needles Skate Park, which is still in use today. Hawk was present for the grand opening of the park in January 2004.

Needles (and the surrounding area) was the scene for the hit 1986 post-apocalyptic computer RPG Wasteland.

Nevada City

Beginning in 1985, the Sierra Storytelling Festival has brought together storytellers. The event takes place each July in a pine-shaded amphitheater built specifically for storytelling.[11]

Modern day Nevada City was the setting for the 2006 Hallmark Channel original movie, The Christmas Card.

Notable People

Tina Basich (resident), professional snowboarder

Bobby Birdman, musician Joseph Cornell resident, naturalist and author

Alela Diane (resident), singer/songwriter

Noah Georgeson, musician, producer

Mary K. Greer internationally renowned tarot scholar and practitioner

Roger Hodgson (resident), singer/songwriter and ex-Supertramp member

Stephen McNallen an influential Germanic Neopagan leader and writer

Joanna Newsom, harpist and singer/songwriter

Utah Phillips (former resident), folk singer

Ed Reimers, actor and television announcer

Terry Riley, renowned minimalist composer

Aaron Augustus Sargent, U.S. Senator from California

Niles Searls, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California

Mariee Sioux, folk singer

Gary Snyder (resident), poet associated with the Beat generation

Heinrich Sylvester - Theodor Tiling former resident, physician and botanist

Norco

As a horse community, there are few sidewalks in the city of Norco; instead there are horse trails. Riders can ride to town and tie their horses at the many hitching rails and corrals placed close to businesses

The Norco shootout was an armed confrontation between five heavily-armed bank robbers and Riverside and San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies after the perpetrators robbed the Security Pacific Bank in Norco, California, USA on May 9, 1980. The bank robbers were armed with shotguns, an assault rifle, handguns, and improvised explosive devices. Two of the perpetrators and a Sheriff's deputy were killed in the shootout. Eight other Sheriff's deputies were wounded. A film, Rapid Fire was made about the shootout.

Oakdale

Oakdale goes by the slogan "Cowboy Capital of the World". The Oakdale Cowboy Museum focuses on area ranchers, rodeo cowboys and cowgirls. Exhibits include historic photographs, saddles, rodeo artifacts and cowboy gear

Notable People

College Football Hall of Fame member Eddie LeBaron attended Oakdale High School.

Professional football player and coach Bruce Coslet was born in Oakdale. He attended Oakdale High School, winning 16 varsity letters before graduating and playing at University of the Pacific.

Oakdale is the birthplace of singer/songwriters Brett Dennen and William Duke.

Drag racer Eric Medlen attended Oakdale High School and also was raised here

Dean Brown was born and raised here

Artist Souther Salazar grew up here.

Michael Allsup, guitarist for the band Three Dog Night was born in Oakdale

Ojai

Ojai is the home of the Ojai Film Festival, which showcases independent films from around the world, founded in 2000 The Ojai Music Festival, founded in 1947, is an annual festival of performances by some of the world's top musicians and composers, and occurs on the first weekend after Memorial Day. Notable appearances include Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Pierre Boulez, who was festival director in 2003.

The Ojai Poetry Festival began in 2003 as a biennial gathering of poets for two days of readings and discussions. It features poets of national repute such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Galway Kinnell, Jane Hirshfield, Robert Bly, Coleman Barks and Gary Snyder.

The Ojai Wine Festival which began in 1987, draws approximately 4000 people and 60 wineries each year to the shores of Lake Casitas in the Ojai Valley. The event is held at the picturesque site of the 1984 Olympic Rowing competition and features approximately 200 wines, a selection of beer, 10 local restaurants, live music, free boat rides, and many art and craft vendors. Many of the wineries consider this festival to be their favorite as it is the best combination of good weather, great scenery, and enthusiastic people who come to enjoy the food and wine culture of the Ojai Valley. The event is held annually on the second Sunday in June.

The Ojai Big Chili Cook off, held on the first Saturday in October each year, brings thousands of eager tasters and approximately 50 cooks together for the areas largest chili and salsa competition. The chili village is set on the shore of Lake Casitas and includes live music, free boat rides, a kids area, food, beer, and wine. The cooks compete in multiple categories for over $4000 in prize money. Attendees taste a wide variety chili and salsa and participate judging.

The local public high school (Nordhoff High) also has a decorated music program. Its concert band held the California State Champion title in its division for three years in a row, until state budget cuts ended the festival, and performed in Carnegie Hall in April 2003 and again in April 2007, along with Nordhoff's award-winning choirs.

Ojai hosts the oldest competitive tennis tournament in the United States, known as The Ojai, which has been held since 1893.

Ojai is home to the annual Ojai Playwrights Conference, a two week playwrights festival that brings professional writers and actors from across the country to Ojai.Over a period of just a few years, the Conference has become one of Southern California's most eagerly anticipated annual cultural events

Notable People

David Allen, productivity trainer and consultant, best known for Getting Things Done

June Allyson, actress in The Glenn Miller Story and Little Women

Mark Andes, bassist in rock group Heart

Sergio Aragonés, cartoonist known for his work in MAD Magazine and his comic book Groo the Wanderer

Daniel Ash, former member of Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, and Tones on Tail

Perla Batalla, singer-songwriter

Elmer Bernstein, film and television composer

Ingrid Boulting, artist, actress The Last Tycoon and model

Eileen Brennan, actress in Private Benjamin

Jerry Bruckheimer, film and television producer

Tim Burton, film producer and director

Johnny Cash, singer-songwriter

Julie Christensen, singer, most notably in documentary film Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

Julie Christie, Oscar-winning actress for Darling and star of Doctor Zhivago

Daniel Colegrove, photographer and photojournalist

Ted Danson, actor, Cheers and Becker

Johnny Depp, actor

John Diehl, director, actor in Stripes and Miami Vice

Vernon Dvorak, meteorologist, Dvorak Technique for tropical cyclone analysis

Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor, Oscar-nominated for Brokeback Mountain

Larry Hagman, actor in I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas

Toby Hemingway, actor in The Covenant and Feast of Love moved to Ojai with his mother when he was thirteen

Gay Hendricks, personal growth and relationships author

Sir Anthony Hopkins, Oscar-winning actor

Howard Hughes, industrialist, attended The Thacher School

Mikael Jorgensen, keyboardist for Wilco

Cody Kasch, actor and SAG award winner for Desperate Housewives

Linda Kelsey, actress in Lou Grant

Roger Kellaway, jazz pianist and composer.

Ed Kowalczyk, lead singer for Live

Jiddu Krishnamurti, philosopher

Diane Ladd, actress, writer, director nominated three times each for Emmys and Oscars "Rambling Rose"

John Langley, creator of COPS

Harry Lauter, character actor in film and television

James Kyson Lee, Korean American film actor, was educated at Villanova Preparatory School

Zachary Levi, actor in Chuck and Less Than Perfect

Ted Levine, actor in The Silence of the Lambs and TV's Monk

Larry Linville, actor in M*A*S*H

Jackie Lomax, Composer, Guitarist, singer. The first artist signed to Apple Records, a label started by The Beatles

Seth MacFarlane (Former resident), actor/producer and creator of the TV series Family Guy and American Dad!

Dave Mason, English musician, singer and songwriter

Malcolm McDowell, actor in A Clockwork Orange

Devin Oatway, artist, actor in Camp Nowhere

Bill Paxton, actor in Weird Science and Aliens

Charles Millard Pratt, oil industrialist and philanthropist

Betsy Randle, actress, "Boy Meets World"

Rick Rossovich, actor in Top Gun and Roxanne

Peter Scolari, actor in Newhart and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show

Jan Smithers, actress in WKRP in Cincinnati

Mary Steenburgen, Oscar-winning actress, who lived and raised her children in Ojai

Izzy Stradlin, guitarist, formerly in rock group "Guns N' Roses"

Donna Steichen, Roman Catholic journalist and critic of feminism

Peter Strauss, actor in The Jericho Mile and Rich Man, Poor Man Caroline Thompson, screenwriter and director, wrote the screenplays for three of Tim Burton's movies

Thornton Wilder, playwright, author of Our Town, attended Thacher School

Reese Witherspoon, American actress, won an Academy Award for her portrayal of June Carter

Beatrice Wood, artist, teacher at the Happy Valley School

David Zucker, director of Airplane!, Top Secret!, and The Naked Gun

Joe Flanigan, actor in "Stargate: Atlantis", lived in for a while and went to boarding school in Ojai

Max Bemis, lead singer of the band "Say Anything"

Justin Bieber, Teen Solo Artist

Oroville

The Chinese Temple (CHL #770 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places is another monument to Oroville's storied past. Chinese laborers from the pioneer era established the Temple as a place of worship for followers of Chinese Popular Religion and the three major Chinese religions: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The Chinese Temple and Garden, as it is now called, has an extensive collection of artifacts and a serene garden to enjoy.

Ishi, Oroville's most famous resident, was the last of the Yahi Indians and is considered the last "Stone Age" Indian to come out of the wilderness and into western civilization. When he appeared in Oroville around 1911, he was immediately thrust into the national spotlight. The Visitor's Center at Lake Oroville has a thorough exhibit and documentary film on Ishi and his life in society.

In the early 1970s the Movie "The Klansman", starring Richard Burton, Lee Marvin and O.J. Simpson, was filmed in Oroville. The story took place in rural Mississippi and at the time Oroville looked a bit like the old South. Simpson was a great favorite with local citizens, handing out awards at the high school sports award banquet and making friends everywhere he went. Marvin and Burton, whose wife Elizabeth Taylor was sometimes in residence at a rented mansion, held down the bar at the Prospectors Village Motel. While Marvin stuck to drinking, Burton presented a "pre-engagement engagement ring" to the local Miss Pepsi Cola. Toward the end of the shoot a high school janitor heard that Burton was dallying with his wife, whereupon the janitor chased the movie star out of town.

U-2 Spy Plane Crash North of Oroville on January 31, 1980

The Oroville Dam, perhaps Oroville's most famous site, is one of the 20 largest dams in the world, the largest earth filled dam in the US, as well as the tallest dam in the US

The Mother Orange Tree, located in Oroville, California, is the oldest of all Northern California orange trees.

Notable People

Ishi, last surviving member of the Yahi Native American Tribe

Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason novels

Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier

Gary Nolan, professional baseball player

Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 that landed on the Hudson River on January 15, 2009 is married to Lorraine (Lorri) Henry. Lorri graduated from Oroville High School in 1976.

Bobby Chacon, two time world boxing champion

Ben Shields, Chris Clements, and Danny Savage of ShoddyRadio (Podcast)

The Marcy Brothers, an American country music trio

Kevin Brown, professional baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers in the early 1990s

Isaac Austin, professional basketball player

Sean Becker[4], Sprint Car racer

Robert H. Young, Korean War Medal of Honor recipient

Pacific Grove

Pacific Grove is known for its Victorian homes,

Asilomar State Beach,

its artistic legacy and the annual migration of the Monarch butterflies.

The city is endowed with more Victorian houses per capita than anywhere else in America;

[citation needed] some of them have been turned into bed and breakfast inns.

The city is also known as the location of the Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the West Coast,

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, located in the historic downtown, and

the Stowitts Museum & Library.

Notable People

Joseph Campbell, mythologist

Paul Fleischman, author

Ben Jealous, NAACP President (2008-present)

Slim Keith, socialite and fashion icon

Ward Moore, science fiction writer

Gina Prince-Bythewood, film director and writer

Clark Ashton Smith, fantasy fiction writer

John Steinbeck, author

Bill Walsh, American football coach

Frank Zappa, composer

Palos Verdes Estates

Palos Verdes Estates is the 81st richest place in the United States with at least 1,000 households

( The city was masterplanned by the noted American landscape architect and planner Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.

Patterson

Patterson is known as the "Apricot Capital of the World" During the first weekend in June, Downtown Patterson hosts the town's largest celebration of the year, the Apricot Fiesta

Piedmont

Piedmont was one of the "25 Top-Earning Towns" in CNN Money Magazine's list of 'The Best Places to Live in 2007, and was also named the "Best Place To Live" in the United States in 2007 by Forbes.

Notable residents

Major League Baseball player Dave McCarty,

ex-National Football League star Bubba Paris, San Francisco 49ers,

ex-National Football League star Bill Romanowski, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis,

Green Day member Tre Cool,

Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong,

Ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich,

and Peter Docter, director of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. and Up and co-writer of WALL-E.

Author Jack London lived in Piedmont, and

John F. Kennedy's Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara grew up in Piedmont, where his family lived on Annerley Road.[8]

Clint Eastwood resided in Piedmont and attended Piedmont schools.

Country Joe McDonald resided in Piedmont in the 1970s.

Dean Butler - actor - (Little House on the Prairie)

Austin Tichenor – actor- (Reduced Shakespeare Company) also grew up in Piedmont.

tennis player and coach Brad Gilbert, grew up in Piedmont.

Charles R. Schwab, founder of the discount stock brokerage firm bearing his name, and his family also lived in Piedmont in the early 1980s.

Dorothy and Robert DeBolt who rose to international prominence while raising their 20 children, including 14 adopted, multi racial and multi-handicapped, to complete self sufficiency.

A 1977 documentary of their family's story, "Who Are The DeBolts?" won an Academy Award .

F. Wayne Valley, philanthropist, construction magnate, owner of the Oakland Raiders and founding member of the AFL.

Frank C. Havens, for whom Havens Elementary School is named, and

James Gamble, president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, who, in 1877, founded the Piedmont Land Company, thus introducing the name later adopted by the city upon its incorporation.

Jim Pugh - Robert Cray Band

Burton Becker

Richard Carlson (author)

Peter Cornell

Erin Fetherston

Joan London (American writer)

Mark Loper

Elsie Whitaker Martinez

Xavier Martínez

Gyo Obata

Ashley Paris

Courtney Paris

Cynthia Stevenson

Debbie Tenzer

David C. Waybur

Herman Whitaker

Zhaoming Wu

Pinole

Music

Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt from Green Day went to Pinole Valley High School.[citation needed]

Nathan Good, ex-drummer for indie rock band Death Cab For Cutie, teaches English at Pinole Valley

Sports

1992 Heisman Trophy Winner Gino Torretta is from Pinole.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ken Burrow (1971-75, 152 career catches) attended elementary/junior high in Pinole, and De Anza High Class of 1966

Pismo Beach

Pismo Beach is the "Clam Capital" of California. The city holds the "Clam Festival" every October, complete with clam chowder competitions and a clam-themed parade. At the southern end of Price Street upon first entering Pismo Beach, a gigantic concrete clam statue greets visitors. Clamming is restricted, due to over-harvesting by humans and the protected sea otter. An 8 inch shell of the Pismo clam (Tivela stultorum) is on display at the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce.

In "Ali Baba Bunny", Bugs Bunny and his travelling companion Daffy Duck emerge from a burrow, believing they have arrived at Pismo Beach "and all the clams we can eat".

Pismo Beach hosts one of the largest gatherings of custom and classical cars every June, on the 3rd full weekend

The codename for the last revision of Apple Computer's PowerBook G3 is "Pismo", named after Pismo Beach. (The previous PowerBook, "Lombard", takes its name from San Francisco's Lombard Street.)

In The Big Lebowski, Walter refers to Pismo as one of the places that Donny surfed.

In "Futurama" Bender fights "The Gizmo from Pismo" a reference to Pismo Beach.

In Ali Baba Bunny and Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales, Bugs and Daffy were on their way to Pismo Beach when they ended up in the desert somewhere on the other side of the world.

In the movie Clueless, the main character helps establish emergency aid for the "Pismo Beach Disaster", an entirely fictitious event.

Placerville

Record breaking snowfall for a single storm under an 8 hr. period took place on Dec. 7, 2009. 21 inches in downtown Placerville and more than 30 inches on the outskirts of town. Also with a record tying low temperature of 14 degrees for the night of Dec. 9th

Notable People

Henry Hooker - cattle baron

Edwin Markham - poet

John Studebaker - auto maker

Levi Strauss - clothing maker

Mark Hopkins - railroad financier

Thomas Kinkade - painter

Toby Hall - baseball player

Annie Le - Yale University medical/doctoral student, murdered September 8, 2009 [14]

Spider Sabich - ski racer from Kyburz - buried in Placerville

Jerome R. Waldie - United States Representative from California

Plymouth

Daffodil Hill is open to the public every spring; on display are dafodill bulbs numbering more than 300,000 and more than 300 different varieties of daffodils.

The Amador Flower Farm boasts twelve acres of gardens, growing grounds, a potted plant area, and four acres of landscaped demonstration gardens.

Point Arena

The original Point Arena Lighthouse tower, damaged by an earthquake in 1906. The San Andreas Fault runs out to sea at Point Arena. The 1906 earthquake was strongly felt at Point Arena and caused moderate damage.

The Point Arena Mountain Beaver - The Point Arena area is home to an endangered species of rodent known as the Point Arena Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia rufa nigra). According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the habitat for this sub-species of Mountain Beaver lies only within a 24 sq mi (62 km2) area around Point Arena. The biggest threat to the PAMB is loss of habitat, and it was officially listed as an endangered species on December 12, 1991. Much local folklore revolves around this mysterious creature.

Port Hueneme

Since 1998, every year the city of Port Hueneme holds a theme-based beach festival at 550 E. Surfside Dr., Port Hueneme, Ca 93041. This 2-day event is held in mid/late August. Entertainment includes live music, rides, games, attractions, food/ vendor booths and exhibits. Free admission and parking are included

The United States Navy maintains a facility at Port Hueneme, in support of the naval air station at Point Mugu to the south and San Nicolas Island 60 miles (97 km) offshore, with which it comprises Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme.

Port Hueneme is the West Coast home of the Construction Battalion, the famous "Seabees", as well as a link in the coastal radar system. On the base is the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum, one of fifteen official U.S. Navy museums

Alaska Airlines Flight 261

Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was a flight route operated by Alaska Airlines that provided service between Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washington. On January 31, 2000, after experiencing problems with the horizontal stabilizer, the flight was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport. During the diversion, the plane inverted and crashed at high speed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Port Hueneme near Anacapa Island on January 31, 2000. All 83 passengers and five crew members on board perished. Roughly one year after the crash, the friends and family of the victims dedicated a giant sundial on Hueneme Beach as both a memorial to the victims and a work of public art in gratitude to the residents of Port Hueneme for their assistance in the recovery effort.[3] Each year on the anniversary of the crash, friends and family of the victims hold a memorial event at the sundial. On January 31, 2007, the bronze heart on the sundial was found sawed off. The thief has not been found. The heart was soon replaced.

Portola

Portola was in the national media spotlight in 1996-1997 when a conflict occurred between the local community and the Department of Fish and Game over how to deal with an invasive species of Northern Pike in Lake Davis. The lake was chemically treated in 1997 to eradicate the fish, but they reappeared in 1999. In early September 2007, the California Department of Fish and Game plans to eradicate the pike using CFT Legumine, a new liquid formulation of rotenone

Portola Valley

Portola Valley is one of the top forty wealthiest towns in the United States of America, with a median household income of $158,217 a year. Within the State of California, Portola Valley is ranked as the sixth wealthiest place. The zip code 94028, which encompasses the whole of Portola Valley, has the 37th most expensive housing prices within the country according to Forbes Magazine 2009

Notable People

Bill Lane, the first mayor and one of the founders of Portola Valley, also served as Ambassador to Japan and Australia for the US, and the publisher of Sunset Magazine. [1], [2].

Operatic tenor Richard Crooks (1900-1972), longtime host of The Voice of Firestone on network radio, lived in Portola Valley for many years until his death. In later years, he sang with the choir at the local Presbyterian church.

Jacques Littlefield (d.2009), President and Founder of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, one of the largest and most significant collections of historical military vehicles in the world

Red Bluff

The annual Red Bluff Round-Up, first held in 1926, has become one of the west's largest rodeos. The town is well-known throughout the nation due to its popular bull competitions.

In late 1984, it was discovered that Colleen Stan had been kept as a sex slave on Weed Court since 1977, without anyone outside her abductors household knowing.

On November 19, 2002, Andrew Mickel shot and killed Officer David Mobilio of the Red Bluff Police Department in an attempt to make a political statement against "corporate irresponsibility" and the government's "police-state tactics". The case brought national media attention to Red Bluff

Notable People

William B. Ide, who joined the Bear Flag Revolt and was named President of the California Republic

Mary Ann Day Brown, widow of abolitionist John Brown

Clair Engle, a former United States Senator, was known as "The Pride of Red Bluff"

Robert Shaw, famous choral conductor

Michael Chiarello, American celebrity chef

Gale Gilbert, NFL quarterback

Bill Redell, former Occidental College quarterback and College Football Hall of Fame member

Chuck Cecil, former National Football League safety

Tom Hanks, actor Jim Hanks, voice and character actor (brother of Tom Hanks)

Jeff Serr, radio personality and voice actor

Shane Drake, award-winning music video director

Leo Gorcey, American stage and movie actor

Marv Grissom, Major League Baseball player

Rio Vista

Rio Vista was visited by a lost Humpback whale in 1985, despite being 60 miles (100 kilometers) upriver from the Pacific Ocean. The young whale, nicknamed "Humphrey", attracted throngs of curiosity seekers before he was eventually guided back to sea by rescuers. Again in May 2007, Humpbacks were sighted in Rio Vista. "Delta" and "Dawn," mother and calf, stopped at least twice in the river near the town.

Rio Vista is home to the annual Bass Festival in October

Ripon

Notable People

Gay Jacobsen D'Asaro, fencing champion

Robert Kroese, author

Riverbank

Each year during the second weekend of October, the annual Cheese and Wine Expo is held. The two-day event features wine and cheese tasting, carnival games, and arts and crafts booths. The Expo draws thousands of people from the surrounding towns and agricultural areas

Rolling Hills

Rolling Hills is the 21st richest place in the United States (based upon per capita income), and #4 for places with a population of at least 1,000.

Ross

Notable People

Julia Child

Frank Moore Cross

John Gray

Phil Lesh

Huey Lewis

Robin Wright

Penn Sean Penn

John Battelle

Joan Ryan

Dean Karnazes

San Anselmo

The town features in the song Snow in San Anselmo by Irish born singer/songwriter Van Morrison, about an unusual bout of winter weather that occurred when he was living in Fairfax, near San Anselmo in the 70's

Notable People

Ford Greene: anti-cult attorney, current Town Councilman and Vice-Mayor

Michael Jantze: syndicated comic strip writer "The Norm"

John Walker Lindh: The first "American Taliban"

George Lucas: film producer, screenwriter, director and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd

Brian Leigh Maxwell: athlete, coach, entrepreneur, philanthropist, inventor of the PowerBar energy bar

Marc Reisner: environmental author

Movies filmed in San Anselmo - Bandits (2001) Farmer & Chase (1997) Juko's Time Machine (2009) The Martini Shot (2000/I)

San Juan Batista

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Scenes for the Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo were filmed around the historic plaza, including the historic mission, of San Juan Bautista in the fall of 1957.

Sand City

Every August, the artists of Sand City and neighboring areas hold a street fair called the "West End Celebration".

Sanger

In 1949, the city of Sanger was designated the "Nation's Christmas City" by the U.S. Postal Service. Which still to this day has a Christmas tree standing.

Notable People

Earl J. Atkisson - World War I Colonel in the US Army

Tom Flores - Professional football player

Jim Merlo - Professional football player

Manuel Neri - Artist

Edward Dean Price - United States federal judge

Francis Rogallo - Aeronautical engineer and inventor

Selma

Notable People

19th-century inventors Frank Dusy, Abijah McCall and William Deidrick;

the poets William Everson (Brother Antoninus, 1912-94) and Larry Levis (1946-96);

William R. Shockley (1918-1945, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II;

author-historian Victor Davis Hanson (1953- );

and Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox (1941- ).

Clarence Berry (1867-1930), who struck it rich in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 and became known as an innovative mining engineer and businessman, had earlier been a fruit farmer in Selma.

Also known as C.J. Berry, he left Selma for Canada's Yukon Territory after he was forced to declare bankruptcy

Shafter

Notable People

Anna Jelmini - Track and field athlete Larsen Jensen - Olympic medalist - Swimming Dean Florez - CA state senator, candidate Lt. Governor

Solvang

The city is home to some bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark in California. The architecture of many of the buildings follows traditional Danish style. There is a copy of the famous Little Mermaid statue from Copenhagen, as well as one featuring the bust of famed Danish fable writer Hans Christian Andersen. A replica of the Copenhagen observatory Rundetårn in the scale 1:3 was finished in 1991 and can be seen in the city centre In the city is located the Hans Christian Andersen Museum and Elverhoj Museum of History and Art.[

Much of the Oscar-winning 2004 film Sideways was filmed in Solvang and in nearby Buellton.[4]

Patricia Hitchcock, the only child of the film director Alfred Hitchcock, currently resides in Solvang.

Solvang was one of the two locations featured in the William Castle film, Homicidal. The location used for the drugstore and flowershop still stands today and remains relatively unchanged.

Rancho del Cielo, President Ronald Reagan's ranch which served as the "Western White House" during Reagan's two terms in office, is located about six miles (10 km) outside of Solvang.

In The Simpsons episode "Little Orphan Millie", it was revealed that Milhouse has an uncle from Solvang named Norbert "Zack" Van Houten. Bart has a telephone conversation with a switchboard operator in Solvang, and a wooden "Solvang Air" airliner, whose fuselage resembles buildings in the town, is shown landing at Springfield Airport. Uncle Zack's overwhelming pride in his Danish heritage also reflects Solvang's history from its founding by Danish citizens.

Ska-punk band Mad Caddies call Solvang their home.

In American Dad, Roger refers to buying chocolate in Solvang.

The town of Solvang was featured on Bravo's hit television show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, on its third season.

In an episode of "Pinky and the Brain", Brain forms a basketball team that has a practice session in Solvang.

The Tour of California cycle race has had time trial stages in Solvang on three occasions; 2007, 2008 and 2009.[5]

In season 5 episode "Happy Birthday, Anastasia", The Girls Next Door and their guests take a road trip which includes a visit to Solvang; its original airdate was January 4, 2009.

Sonora

Notable People

Vaughn Armstrong – actor

Melvin Belli – attorney

Jack Cassinetto – painter

Phil Coke – MLB pitcher

Charles Dellschau – artist

Brooke Haven – pornographic actress

James P. Hogan – writer

Jenny O'Hara – actress

Dan Pastorini – NFL quarterback

Molly Culver - actress

Josh Parry - NFL fullback

St. Helena

Ellen White, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, had a home called "Elmshaven" near St. Helena, beginning in 1900. She died there in 1915 and the site is now a National Historic Landmark.

Susanville

The site of the High Desert State Prison, California - The prisons and their effects on the community were featured on the PBS documentary, Prison Town, USA.

Susanville is mentioned in the Quentin Tarantino film, Jackie Brown. The character of Louis says he served four years in prison, presumably at California Correctional Center.

Actor Danny Trejo served some time in the California Correctional Center in Susanville.

In the film Pink Cadillac, Susanville is said to be only 25 miles (40 km) from Reno, NV., not the true distance of 86 miles (138 km).

On the Vandals album The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes is a song called Susanville, about a trucker who has been driving for so long he can't remember what his cargo is or where he is heading. He recalls a girl called named Mary in Susanville, but following the lyrics of the song this could just as well be a girl named Susan in Marysville.

Notable People

Aaron Duran, Writer, Media Producer

Mike Leach, Texas Tech's head football coach was born in Susanville

Mike Skinner, NASCAR driver

Ken Shamrock, UFC Hall of Fame, Former WWF (WWE) Superstar

Frank Shamrock, Mixed martial arts

Ryan O'Callaghan, NFL player for the Kansas City Chiefs and former New England Patriots

Frank Cady, Played Sam Drucker, on Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and Beverly Hillbillies, CBS Shows, 1960's

Jack Ellena, UCLA All American football player, later played with the Los Angeles Rams, was born and raised in Susanville.

Benjamin Wade, Reality Television Contestant (Survivor: Tocantins) [

Sutter Creek

In popular culture In the television series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Sutter Creek was shown as the lawless hideout of Big Smith, played by M. C. Gainey

Taft

Taft is situated in a major petroleum and natural gas production region in California and is one of the few remaining towns in the United States which exist exclusively because of nearby oil reserves. In celebration of its oil heritage, Taft holds its "Oildorado" festival every five years.

Formerly named Moron According to a display at the West Kern Oil Museum, local residents asked the Southern Pacific Railroad if the station could be named Moro when the rails arrived about 1900. A railroad official, the story says, declined because the name would be too easily confused with the coastal town of Morro Bay. Instead, the railroad directed the station be called Moron. Pictures of local businesses, including the Moron Pharmacy, hang in the museum. After a fire burned much of the town during the 1920s, it was renamed Taft, in honor of the U.S. President of the same name.

According to local folklore the town was actually named after a picture of President Taft. During a meeting at the Post Office to come up with a new name someone suggested Taft based on the picture currently on the calendar on display in the Post Office. Another legend tells that after the railway was built and people outside the establishment started passing through the town local residents were feeling uneasy that their town and themselves were often mocked to be mentally retarded

Notable People

Ryan Shuck, guitarist

Tracy Rogers, NFL football player

Jeanne Cooper, actress

Loren Cunningham, co-founder of Youth With A Mission

Dennis Fimple, actor

William Nelson, 2008 Olympian, Athletics

Kodieanne Dixon,2009 actress

Movies filmed in Taft

Thelma & Louise

Attack of the 50ft Woman

Five Easy Pieces

The Best of Times

Too Young to Die?

Meteor

Bands from Taft

Heavy Heavy Low Low

Tiburon

In 2004 Tiburon became the first city in the world to eliminate trans-fats from all its restaurants

In 2006, Tiburon launched the Get Ready 94920 program, which seeks to be the first city in the nation to train 100% of its citizens in disaster preparedness.

Blackie was a swaybacked horse who, for 28 years, was a well known fixture in Tiburon, CA. He not only stood in the same spot in a pasture at the corner of Tiburon Boulevard and Trestle Glen Road, rarely moving, day after day, but he faced in the same direction, becoming the local mascot of several generations. Born in Kansas, Blackie was brought to California to become a cutting horse at rodeos. After his rodeo career he was sold to the Army and became a cavalry horse, accompanying the Army horses stabled at the Presidio of San Francisco as they rode to Yosemite National Park each spring to patrol the park. He was retired when he was 12 years old. On October 1, 1938, Blackie made history by swimming across the San Francisco Bay from the Marin County side to San Francisco's Crissy Field. He swam it in 23 minutes and 15 seconds, winning a $1,000 bet for his then owner, Shorty Roberts. A short time later, Anthony Connell, his new owner, put him in the Tiburon pasture where he found his spot and stood, day after day in the same place, for 28 years. When Blackie collapsed and died while standing in “his" spot on February 27, 1966, the Marin County Health Department approved his burial in the pasture. His grave was marked by a simple cross and a memorial plaque made possible by contributions from citizens of the peninsula. In June 1995, thanks to a gift by the family of Gordon Strawbridge, Tiburon's first mayor, the Tiburon Peninsula Foundation erected a life-sized sculpture of Blackie created by the noted Bay Area artist, Albert Guibara, in what is now known as Blackie’s Pasture

Trinidad

California's smallest incorporated city (with a 2000 population of just 311)

Notable People

Michael John Fles - poet and musician

Howard B. Keck - businessman

Tim McKay - environmental activis

Truckee

The Donner Party ordeal is arguably Truckee's most famous historical event. In 1846, a group of settlers from Illinois, originally known as the Donner-Reed Party but now usually referred to as the Donner Party, became snowbound in early fall as a result of several trail mishaps, poor decision-making, and an early onset of winter that year. Choosing multiple times to take shortcuts to save distance compared to the traditional Oregon Trail, coupled with infighting, a disastrous crossing of the Utah salt flats, and the attempt to use the pass near the Truckee River (now Donner Pass) all caused delays in their journey. Map of Donner Party encampments on Donner Lake Finally, a large, early blizzard brought the remaining settlers to a halt at the edge of what is now Donner Lake, about 1,200 feet (370 m) below the steep granite summit of the Sierra Nevada mountains and 90 miles (140 km) east of their final destination, Sutter's Fort (near Sacramento). Several attempts at carting their few remaining wagons, oxen, and supplies over the summit—sometimes by pulling them up by rope—proved impossible due to freezing conditions and a lack of any preexisting trail. The party returned, broken in spirit and short of supplies, to the edge of Donner Lake. A portion of the camp members also returned to the Alder Creek campsite a few miles to the east. During the hard winter the travelers endured starvation and were later found to have practiced cannibalism. Fifteen members constructed makeshift snowshoes and set out for Sutter's Fort in the late fall but were thwarted by freezing weather and disorientation. Only seven survived: two were lost, and six died. Those who died were used as food by those who remained. The Truckee camp survivors were saved by a Reed Party member who had set out ahead after having been ejected from the party months earlier for killing another man in a violent argument. Seeing that the group never arrived at Sutter's Fort, he initiated several relief parties. Of the original 87 settlers in the Donner-Reed party, 48 survived the ordeal. The Donner Memorial State Park is dedicated to the settlers and is located at the East End of Donner Lake.

Tulelake

In a recent episode of Discovery Channel's series Dirty Jobs a goose and duck processing business and pillow factory in Tulelake was featured.

Twentynine Palms

The Willie Boy Story - Carlota, the daughter of William Mike, a Twentynine Palms Chemehuevi Amerindian who had moved his family to the Gilman Ranch in the Coachella Valley near Banning, was part of a tragedy that rocked Southern California in 1909, and has since been the subject of books and a movie. A cousin named Willie Boy fell in love with her, but their marriage was forbidden because they were cousins. He persuaded her to elope with him, but her father tracked them and brought them back. Accounts vary with respect to what followed, but agree that Willie Boy shot and killed William Mike, perhaps by accident, escaped with Carlota into the desert, was tracked by a Sheriff's posse, and left Carlota hidden in a wash with his coat and waterskin. She died, either shot by the posse by mistake, or due to exposure. According to Chemehuevi tradition, Willie Boy escaped, but has not been seen again

Music A song titled "The Lady from Twentynine Palms" was recorded by several artists, including Frank Sinatra in 1939.

The town is referred to in two different Sublime songs ("April 29th, 1992" and "Thanx").

Former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant had a hit single called "29 Palms", from his solo album Fate of Nations in 1993.

A song entitled "29 Palms" appears on the Jazz album Places by Brad Mehldau, released in 2000.

The town of Twentynine Palms is also referred to repeatedly in the song "Broken Parakeet Blues" written by Ike Reilly and appearing on the 2007 album We Belong to the Staggering Evening by the Ike Reilly Assassination.

Film 29 Palms is a 2002 murder mystery direct-to-video film that takes place on an Indian casino near town.[10]

Twentynine Palms is a 2003 drama/horror movie.[11]

It was also briefly mentioned in the 1996 movie Independence Day.

It was also mentioned in the final book of the Animorphs Book series

Ukiah

Ukiah was ranked the #1 best small town to live in California and the sixth-best place to live in the United States.[

From 1965 - 1974, Jim Jones developed the congregation of his Peoples Temple in nearby Redwood Valley.[7][8] Many of these people accompanied him to Central America, where they were involved in the mass suicide at his colony of Jonestown.[9]

On July 19, 1984, twelve members of the white nationalist revolutionary group The Order (led by David Lane) robbed a Brink's armored car for $3.6 million in Ukiah.

Notable People

Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life and senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County) was raised in Ukiah before his family moved to Southern California.

Serial killer Leonard Lake lived near Ukiah in the early 1980s.[12]

Ukiah resident Carl Sassenrath introduced multitasking to personal computers in 1985 with the creation of the Amiga Computer operating system.

Gary Scott Thompson, television and film screen writer and producer, graduated from Ukiah High School in 1977.

Actor Shiloh Fernandez (b.1985) was born and raised in Ukiah.

AFI lead vocalist Davey Havok, guitarist Jade Puget, drummer Adam Carson, and tour manager Smith Puget were all raised in Ukiah,[13] as were original-lineup guitarist Mark Stopholese and bassist Vic Chaulker.

Tiger Army lead singer Nick 13 was raised in Ukiah.[14]

American singer/songwriter Holly Near was born in Ukiah.[15]

Facts about Ukiah

Ukiah is home to the Vichy Springs, known for their champagne baths. They claim to have the only naturally carbonated hot springs in North America. Visited by several notable figures of the 19th century, it is advertised as Jack London's 'favorite hot spot'.

"Ukiah" is the name and subject of a song on the 1973 Doobie Brothers album The Captain and Me.

Ukiah is featured prominently in C.D. Payne's novel Youth in Revolt.

Vernon

Vernon is the original site where The Battle of La Mesa occurred on January 9, 1847, the day after the Battle of Rio San Gabriel, which ended hostilities in Alta California during the Mexican-American war, 1846–1848

Villa Park

Notable People

Kevin Costner graduated from Villa Park High School in 1973.

Susan McCaw, US Ambassador to Austria

Aaron Boone, Major League Baseball Player

Bert Blyleven, Major League Baseball player

Aaron Corp, USC quarterback

Wasco

The classic film "North by Northwest", Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, includes a scene where Grant's character flees a menacing airplane. This scene was filmed near Wasco.

The beginning of the film "Son in Law" is filmed during the graduation of Rebecca Warner played by Carla Gugino.

Weed

The area's landscape is dominated by an immense towering volcano, Mount Shasta, which usually has snow near its peak all year round. Mount Shasta is the second highest peak in the Cascade Range and the fifth highest in California. Crystal Geyser Natural Alpine Spring Water is bottled in Weed at 4 different spring sources below Mount Shasta. Weed is also home to the Mt. Shasta Brewery, which produces several varieties of microbrewed beer. RadioStar Studios, run by producer Sylvia Massy and team, is a full service media facility, with video production, audio recording and production, is located in downtown Weed in the building which was formerly the Weed Palace Theatre constructed in the 1920s[22]. Weed is referenced in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The city's name has been used as the source of humor because the name can be a slang term for cannabis. Ryan Stiles of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, responded to a question about "U.S. cities that would never have a song written about them" by saying "What's the matter with Weed?". At some stores in the area, you can find souvenirs bearing ironic slogans such as: "I'm high on Weed..., California", "We Enjoy Every Day", or simply "Enjoy Weed, CA". Weed is where From First to Last recorded the album Heroine. Aaron Thomas, NFL player, attended school in Weed. Graduating from Weed High School, where he played football, prior to attending Oregon State University. Charles Byrd, once Police Chief of Weed, became the first African American to be elected as a sheriff in the State of California, in 1986; holding his office of Siskiyou County Sheriff for four terms

Westlake Village

Notable People

James Caveziel[20]

Jimmy Clausen[21]

Lenny Dykstra, baseball player[22]

Mariel Hemingway[23]

Hulk Hogan[24]

Cobi Jones, Former Los Angeles Galaxy Player[25]

Scarlett Keegan[26]

Hayley Kiyoko[27]

Martin Lawrence[28]

Mike Lieberthal, baseball player[29]

Jonathan Lipnicki[30]

Maureen McCormick, actress, played Marcia Brady in the TV series The Brady Bunch[31]

Joe Montana[32]

John Ratzenberger, actor, best known as postal worker Cliff from the 80s sitcom, Cheers.[33]

Bas Rutten[34]

Mike Scioscia[35]

George C. Scott, actor[36]

Vin Scully, voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers[37]

Guillermo del Toro[38]

Robert Young, actor

Willits

Every July, Willits hosts the Frontier Days & Rodeo, the oldest continuous rodeo and Independence Day celebration in California.

It is also home to the Roots of Motive Power Locomotive Museum and the Mendocino County Museum.

The Willits area is the final home of the racehorse Seabiscuit. Ridgewood Ranch, where Seabiscuit trained, recuperated, lived out his retirement and was buried, is located a few miles south of the city.

Notable People

Judi Bari, labour leader and environmental activist who fought to save the Redwoods. Over 1000 people attended her funeral here in 1997.

Tre Cool, the drummer for Green Day,

and Mona Gnader, the bass player for Sammy Hagar.

Although the band Tommy Tutone is usually referred to as "a San Francisco band", they were located in Willits at the time that their enduring hit single "Jenny (867-5309)" was released.

Hal Wagenet, guitarist for the band It's A Beautiful Day in their early years, is a graduate of Willits High School.

The folk singer Jeff Buckley spent a year at Willits High School[citation needed].

Stagecoach bandit Charles Bolles (aka Black Bart) stole multiple Wells Fargo boxes and mail from stagecoaches traveling through Willits. [7]

Technical death metal bands Embryonic Devourment & Hellusinit also come from Willits.

During the 1950s, seascape painter Marshall Merritt maintained a studio in Willits.

Many residents of the city are currently[when?] embroiled in a class-action lawsuit against the Whitman Corporation, alleging that hexavalent chromium pollution left by the Remco Hydraulics chrome plating plant, which was owned by Whitman and operated in Willits from 1964-1995, is responsible for a host of local health problems. [8] Litigator Erin Brockovich, known for the eponymous movie about her work in a similar case, is participating in the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs.

Willows

Notable People

Ace Adams, born in Willows, former major league baseball All-Star[4]

Floyd H. Nolta (1900-1974), a pioneer in aerial firefighting. A member of the Army Air Corps during World War I, he returned to Willows to found the Nolta and later Willows Flying Service in 1927. He also developed the first Agricultural Aviation 'Seeding Aircraft,' and later 'Crop-Dusting Aircraft in the 1930s. He developed the first operational Air Tanker for firefighting for the Mendocino National Forest, later used by the California Department of Forestry and other firefighting agencies across the country.

Daniel Taylor (Aug. 5th 1980 - Sept. 15th 2009) - writer and musician, whose bands included Surrogate and Casing the Promised land. Credited with coining the genre descriptor "post emo."

Winters

Notable People

It is noted as the one-time residence of cartoonist R. Crumb

former baseball player Frank Demaree.

Woodside

Woodside is among the wealthiest small towns in the United States Several

Notable People

Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation;

Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel and originator of Moore's Law;

John Thompson, CEO of Symantec;

Neil Young, rock singer, who owns a 1500 acre (6 km²) ranch there;

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc. and formerly of Pixar, has a house here, but actually lives in Palo Alto;

Shirley Temple Black, US ambassador and former child actress;

Michelle Pfeiffer, actress, and her husband David E. Kelley, producer;

Thomas Siebel, founder of Siebel Systems;

Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit, Inc.;

Jack Miller, founder of Nok on Wood;

John Doerr, venture capitalist;

Dr. Carl Djerassi, novelist and member of team that developed the birth control pill;

Singer Tennessee Ernie Ford lived in Woodside for many years until his death.

Kenneth Fisher, investor, Forbes columnist, author, and local historian;

Susan Dawson, philanthropist; and

Joan Baez, folk singer.

Woodside is also home to Koko, the gorilla who was taught in American Sign Language.

The house in the Robin Williams movie Bicentennial Man is in Woodside.

Dynasty was filmed at the Filoli Estate (not the interior of the mansion, but the exterior), as were the films The Wedding Planner, The Game, Lolita, George of the Jungle, Heaven Can Wait, and Harold and Maude. The musical Rent also has a scene filmed inside the Filoli Estate.

Yreka

Well-known poet Joaquin Miller described Yreka during 1853-1854 as a bustling place with "... a tide of people up and down and across other streets, as strong as if a city on the East Coast."

Incorporation proceedings were completed on April 21, 1857. In November 1941, Yreka was designated as the capital of the proposed State of Jefferson, a secession movement along the Oregon and California border that has gained cultural traction in the following decades.

Yreka Bakery" is a popular palindrome, but no such business currently exists,[12] although sources indicate that there was one as early as 1886,[13] which may have been the foundation of Mark Twain's story. A business with the name Yreka Bakery existed in the early 1970s until the late 1990s. Martin Gardner mentioned that Yreka Bakery was in business on West Miner Street in Yreka,[14] but it was pointed out by readers "the Yreka Bakery no longer existed. However, in 1970 the original premises were occupied by the Yrella Gallery [also a palindrome], and Ms. Wilson sent a Polaroid picture of the gallery's sign to prove it."[15]

Yreka is mentioned in Ann Rule's true crime novel, "The I-5 Killer".