51 Reasons California is America's Best State

[Locutus of Bored]

ETA: No trees? WTF? Sacramento has more trees per capita than any city in the world (okay thst might be a little exaggeration, but still...). And what is that I see for hundreds of miles along the northern highways? Oh yeah, giant fucking redwoods!

Yeah, it is kind of an unfortunate choice to pick the state with the world's largest and also the world's (currently) oldest tree and call it treeless. It's like going to the Himalayas and saying "It's too damn flat here!" Trees are kinda our thing.

I think he needs to visit Griffith Park or Angeles National Forest or something, both right there in or directly next to LA.

 

[1001001]

ETA: No trees? WTF? Sacramento has more trees per capita than any city in the world (okay thst might be a little exaggeration, but still...). And what is that I see for hundreds of miles along the northern highways? Oh yeah, giant fucking redwoods!

Yeah, it is kind of an unfortunate choice to pick the state with the world's largest and also the world's (currently) oldest tree and call it treeless. It's like going to the Himalayas and saying "It's too damn flat here!" Trees are kinda our thing.

I think he needs to visit Griffith Park or Angeles National Forest or something, both right there in or directly next to LA.

I grew up at the base of the Angeles Forest (right there on the 210, just west of Pasadena). I looked out of my back yard, and saw dowtown Los Angeles. I looked out my front door, and saw a big mountain with lots of trees.

 

[farmkid]

Political stupidity is something everyone has to live with anywhere they live.

That's true, but California's political stupidity is on a level all its own.

No, it's really not. There are wacky secessionists, woefully unqualified candidates, celebrity politicians, weird laws and political practices, bad governance, criminal lawmakers, and other problems everywhere you go. Are there things that need reform? Absolutely. But acting like California has some kind of special monopoly on political stupidity is ignoring a lot of crap going on around the country.

I didn't say California has a monopoly, just that it's on a level above that of others. There is plenty of political stupidity everywhere, but the California legislature and local governments take it to a level rarely seen elsewhere.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I liked Los Angeles a lot. All of my friends who lived there would tell me, repeatedly, "That's because you only visit. If you lived here you would hate it as we do."

Silver Spring, Maryland is the best place in the world. It only lacks a beach.

The Washington, DC metro area has the third densest tree canopy in the United States, BTW - trailing only Portland and Atlanta (I forget which of those is first).

 

[Finn]

I have to admit, when I visited Washington State (as part of the Pacific Northwest where Gep appears to hail from originally), it appeared greener and more woodsy than my own native New England (at least in moderate to heavily populated areas), even when I was very close to downtown Seattle.

I've lived in Phoenix. Technically, there were trees, even wooded streets, but I can see how someone who hails from the Pacific Northwest would see a southwestern city as desolate and treeless.

 

[Kirby]

I have family in L.A., Santa Barbara and San Francisco. It's a great excuse to visit, and while I generally love the state, I hate driving around Los Angeles; total pain in the ass.
We get a lot of Californians and Texans moving to Colorado, and the joke is there are so many accidents in the winter time because these people come here with their SUVs and think they can drive however they want in a blizzard because that have four wheel drive. The real "Coloradans" can get around just fine in the snow without 4WD.

 

[farmkid]

I have family in L.A., Santa Barbara and San Francisco. It's a great excuse to visit, and while I generally love the state, I hate driving around Los Angeles; total pain in the ass.
We get a lot of Californians and Texans moving to Colorado, and the joke is there are so many accidents in the winter time because these people come here with their SUVs and think they can drive however they want in a blizzard because that have four wheel drive. The real "Coloradans" can get around just fine in the snow without 4WD.

It's the same in Idaho and Utah. I grew up in Idaho near a college that a fair number of Californians attended. Every year there was a rash of accidents the first time it snowed, and they were generally blamed on all the Californians driving in snow for the first time.

While I lived in California, I regularly drove through the Sierras on I-80. If you know anything about that road, you know chain controls and closures are common in the winter. On one of my trips through, we had to put on chains just west of Reno and we had to use them for nearly 100 miles. I realized then that the reason for the chain controls is less for traction and more to slow down the idiots who only see snow when they go skiing. We were driving along at 25 mph with chains on in snow I would have been comfortable driving at 40 mph in my front wheel drive van, but there were plenty of idiots in 4 wheel drives who thought they could drive at freeway speeds. The main purpose the chains served was to slow everyone down, not provide traction.

 

[Kestra]

I don't think it's really the Californians. I was born and raised in Illinois and every winter it's as if people have forgotten how to drive in the snow. You always have the idiots who are driving as if road conditions are normal, and then later you see them in some sort of accident. I think that's just people being stupid, honestly, and I don't think it's specific to any particular population.

 

[Spot's Meow]

ETA: No trees? WTF? Sacramento has more trees per capita than any city in the world (okay thst might be a little exaggeration, but still...). And what is that I see for hundreds of miles along the northern highways? Oh yeah, giant fucking redwoods!

Sacramento's nickname is literally "the city of trees." I preferred the Bay Area to the Sacramento region, but it's not horrible here. Very bad job market at the moment though.

I do have to agree that it can appear like there are less trees though, simply because our trees are less green and more brownish. When I visited Florida, although there was probably the same amount of grass/trees, I was instantly struck by how vibrantly green it seemed. It looked so lush. Out here the grass and trees are golden more often than green.

 

[Kestra]

I love the gold hue, actually. I think it's beautiful!

 

[Captain Ice]

48. The tacos. Sweet Jesus, the tacos.

California: Proud home of the second best Mexican food in the US.



And "NMIPS" sounds about right.

I guess that makes New Mexico the proud home of the third best Mexican food in the US...

Eww, New Mexican food.

EXACTLY!

Best Mexican food in the US...

1. Arizona
2. California
3. New Mexico
....

Though personally I would rank California number one, you're telling us that California has to be number 2, Clegg

That's true, but California's political stupidity is on a level all its own.

No, it's really not. There are wacky secessionists, woefully unqualified candidates, celebrity politicians, weird laws and political practices, bad governance, criminal lawmakers, and other problems everywhere you go. Are there things that need reform? Absolutely. But acting like California has some kind of special monopoly on political stupidity is ignoring a lot of crap going on around the country.

I didn't say California has a monopoly, just that it's on a level above that of others. There is plenty of political stupidity everywhere, but the California legislature and local governments take it to a level rarely seen elsewhere.

Then you've never looked at politics in Massachusetts, Texas, Utah, or Arizona...all of which have done things on that level.

While I lived in California, I regularly drove through the Sierras on I-80. If you know anything about that road, you know chain controls and closures are common in the winter. On one of my trips through, we had to put on chains just west of Reno and we had to use them for nearly 100 miles. I realized then that the reason for the chain controls is less for traction and more to slow down the idiots who only see snow when they go skiing. We were driving along at 25 mph with chains on in snow I would have been comfortable driving at 40 mph in my front wheel drive van, but there were plenty of idiots in 4 wheel drives who thought they could drive at freeway speeds. The main purpose the chains served was to slow everyone down, not provide traction.

I came to realize the same thing happens along Arizona's stretch of I-40 every winter.

I get quite a good laugh every time I drive up there in winter. Almost inevitably I will be passed by someone driving a Tahoe/Expedition/Durango/Jeep with 4wd doing at least 60 in the snow only to see them again about 5 miles down the road...with their truck in a ditch or on it's side.

 

[RJDiogenes]

ETA: No trees? WTF? Sacramento has more trees per capita than any city in the world (okay thst might be a little exaggeration, but still...). And what is that I see for hundreds of miles along the northern highways? Oh yeah, giant fucking redwoods!

Yeah, it is kind of an unfortunate choice to pick the state with the world's largest and also the world's (currently) oldest tree and call it treeless. It's like going to the Himalayas and saying "It's too damn flat here!" Trees are kinda our thing.

I think he needs to visit Griffith Park or Angeles National Forest or something, both right there in or directly next to LA.

Sometimes you can't see the trees for the forest.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Political stupidity is something everyone has to live with anywhere they live.

That's true, but California's political stupidity is on a level all its own.

No, just the ballot initiative system. That really needs to go away.

 

[Admiral Shran]

I didn't say California has a monopoly, just that it's on a level above that of others. There is plenty of political stupidity everywhere, but the California legislature and local governments take it to a level rarely seen elsewhere.

Then you've never looked at politics in Massachusetts, Texas, Utah, or Arizona...all of which have done things on that level.

Let's not forget Washington D.C., which puts all those places (including California) to shame.

 

[Venardhi]

Sacramento however is California's ugly sweaty backfat and, other than containing many good friends, memories and Jimboy's Tacos, I can't think of any reason not to hope the big one takes out most of the central valley. . . maybe the produce.

Them's fighting words boy.

I live in Sacramento, and THAT, and that alone, makes it the greatest place on Earth.

I do agree, it gets hot here in the summertime, what place doesn't? But that's what air conditioning is for.

We live about 25 miles south of Sacramento. It does get very hot here, but Sac is a cool town. It's not LA or SF, but it has lots to do. It has a certain charm, I think.

I lived there for about 3 years in total. Though admittedly they were all without AC, and while I was even more broke than I am here in LA.

 

[RandyS]

Them's fighting words boy.

I live in Sacramento, and THAT, and that alone, makes it the greatest place on Earth.

I do agree, it gets hot here in the summertime, what place doesn't? But that's what air conditioning is for.

We live about 25 miles south of Sacramento. It does get very hot here, but Sac is a cool town. It's not LA or SF, but it has lots to do. It has a certain charm, I think.

I lived there for about 3 years in total. Though admittedly they were all without AC, and while I was even more broke than I am here in LA.

You lived here without AC? Heh. You must have LOVED July.