Say what you want about the great state of California, but it is home to countless firsts, top-tens, best-of categories, and unique attractions. Besides historic San Francisco, glitzy LA, Hollywood Boulevard, Baja, world-famous racetracks, and stunning beaches, the western state’s 40 million residents make it the most populous in the U.S. But what about the facts that aren’t widely known? Here’s a roundup of what makes the third-largest U.S. state truly unique.
Old World Village
SoCal city Huntington Beach is home to the nation’s only shopping district in which most of the merchants reside in loft apartments above their stores. Old World Village has been in business for almost 50 years and remains one of the state’s most unusual malls in the nation.
Economic Wonders
The state’s official brochures and literature broadcast the fact that California, if it were a sovereign country, would have the fifth largest economy on earth. But few know that the San Francisco Bay Area economic zone is in the world’s top 20 metro areas based on commercial activity. Plus, local entrepreneurs run more than 4,000,000 small businesses, making the area one of the most startup-friendly locales of all. For companies that want a built-in consumer market and a thriving economy, California is the place to be.
Truck Fleets Follow Strict Rules
Government truck fleets that operate in the Golden State must adhere to strict smog check rules. Every fleet vehicle must comply, but supervisors have excellent tools in the form of telematics technology to minimize the time it takes drivers to submit to checks. In fact, telematics systems result in less downtime, can lower overall operating expenses, and happier drivers. No other U.S. jurisdiction has such busy truck routes, a fact partly due to California’s position as a major international port.
Wine Capital of the U.S.
The region’s wine-related statistics are impressive. The state’s production accounts for more than three quarters of all the country’s wine, with more than 5,000 wineries in current operation. In all, those entities sell in excess of 3 billion bottles of the beverage every year, and the popularity of CA wine grows each month. Those numbers pale in comparison to the local wine country’s export sales, which exceed $1.5 billion annually.
From Seaport to Shining Seaport
Anyone who wonders where the two largest U.S. seaports are located need look no further than Los Angeles and Long Beach, with the two ports receiving shipped freight that comes into the nation each year. One reason the recent supply chain situation was so harmful to the local economy is that a majority of all the backed-up ships were waiting in line on the state’s shorelines.
Here Come Electric Buses
With the nation’s most ambitious environmental agenda anywhere, on top of many other ways to save the environment California will feature a completely electric bus transit system by the year 2040. Already, cities like Pomona and dozens of others operate vast fleets of e-buses, which have saved municipalities millions of dollars in fuel expenses and helped keep the local air cleaner and more breathable.
