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Theculture of California, also referred to asCalifornian culture, encompasses varioussocial norms,traditions, andcustoms inCalifornia, including literature, music, visual arts, performing arts, food, sports, religion, law, alongside other beliefs andcultural expressions. Californian culture has been shaped by thehistory of California, itsgeography, and various other internal and external factors.
Californian culture is intimately connected to the largerculture of the United States, as well as thecultures of Mexico andSpain, which both ruled California prior to its becoming a part of the United States following theAmerican conquest of California. California is considered an international gateway to theUnited States and has been heavily influenced by immigration, with the variouscultures of Asia andLatin America having left their mark on California's cultural landscape.[1]
In terms of current socio-cultural mores and national politics, Californians are perceived as moreliberal than most other Americans living in any other state, especially to those who live in the coastal or northern regions of California. The state, as a whole, is perceived as very liberal, voting for the Democratic Party with supermajorities, although the northeast region (predominantly the area covering the California half of the proposedState of Jefferson) consisting of more rural, mountainous, and inland areas as well as certain parts of the southern coastal region (i.e.Orange County) are conservative. California is also home to prestigiousuniversities includingStanford University, theCalifornia Institute of Technology, theUniversity of California, theUniversity of Southern California, and theClaremont Colleges.
California was first settled byIndigenous tribes and the names of many cities in California are of Indigenous roots.Spain had explored the present state during the 16th century,[2] although it did not colonize it and did not exert its cultural influence in earnest until the 18th century. By the 19th century, Spain had builtmissions throughout the state and California consisted of huge land extensions (called"ranchos").Indigenous cultures, though significantly damaged, survived to some extent by adapting to European influences in the missions.[3] From that time to the present,Hispanic Californians have always been among the largest cultural groups in the state. Furthermore,Mexican immigration into California has also resulted in a large share of cultural contributions, with critics labeling this phenomenonMexifornia.[4]
Around the time of California's 1850 statehood, Mexicans and indigenous people were seen somewhat negatively by theincoming American population due to economic competition as well as racist attitudes.[5][6] TheCalifornia Gold Rush of the 1850s is now seen as a symbol of California's modern economic style, a pioneering spirit that tends to generate technology, social ventures, entertainment, and economic fads and booms that, in many cases, are followed all around the globe.Southern California, having not experienced the migration boom of the gold rush, became less Americanized thannorthern California.[7] A growingAsian presence and the advocacy ofblack Californians also contributed to a unique Californian cultural and political scene.[8][9]
California has long been a subject of interest in the public mind and has often been promoted by its boosters as a kind of paradise. In the early 20th Century, fueled by the efforts of state and local boosters, many Americans saw the Golden State as an ideal resort destination, sunny and dry year round with easy access to the ocean, deserts, and mountains.[10] In the 1960s, popular music groups such asthe Beach Boys promoted the image of Californians as laid-back, tanned beach-goers. Thehippie movement began inSan Francisco, California in the early 1960s and progressed into the late 1970s.
English is the main language of California's inhabitants.Spanish is a common second language throughout the state. Theofficial language of California has been English since the passage ofProposition 63 in 1986.[11] However, many state, city, and local government agencies print official public documents in Spanish and other languages since Proposition 63 doesn't regulate how governments use other languages.[12] Spanish was the official administrative language in California through theSpanish andMexican periods until 1848, whenAlta California wasceded from Mexico to the United States following the U.S.Conquest of California. Early American governments in California protected the rights of Spanish speakers in the 1849Constitution of California, but those constitutional protections were removed in 1879.[13]
California English is a dialect of the English language spoken within California. California is the home to a highly diverse populace, and this is reflected in many other languages, especially Spanish. Not all features of California English are used by all speakers in the state, and not all features are restricted in use only to the state. However, there are some linguistic features which can be identified as either originally or predominantly Californian.[14] As the nation's majormotion picture and television entertainment center,Hollywood has influenced English throughout the world, by making English speakers of many dialects very visible and by making known new terms and new meanings.[15] The media outlets and entertainment industry based in California also popularizes the California English accent and dialect to the rest of the country and the world.
California was once home to over 300 languages spoken by theIndigenous peoples of California.[16] Most of these languages face extinction and declining speakership in the modern era, owing to centuries of cultural repression and theCalifornia Genocide. Some indigenous Californian tribes are pursuinglanguage revival policies to increase the number of speakers of their native languages, such as theYurok language of theYurok Tribe, California's largest tribe.
TheIndigenous Farm worker Study of 2007–2009 found 23 languages ofMexico andMesoamerica spoken in California.[17]
Apart from thearchitecture of the California missions and other colonial buildings, there are manyarchitectonicreminiscences of the Spanish period, especially inSouthern California, where whitestucco walls, red roof tiles, curvilinear gables, arched windows, balconies or even bell towers are incorporated into modern building styles in what is known as theSpanish Colonial Revival architecture, a United States architectural stylistic movement that came about in the early 20th century.[18]
While Spanish architectural styles appear statewide,Northern Californian cities more prominently feature historicVictorian architecture, for whichSan Francisco is renowned, but which dominates the central historic districts of most Northern California towns. The towns ofEureka andFerndale, inHumboldt County, are particularly noteworthy for their well-preserved Victorian building stock.
Today's architecture in California is a mixture of many other cultural influences that has resulted in groundbreakingmodernist styles that have generated many other interesting and unusual building types.
California is home toHollywood (a district ofLos Angeles), the center of theAmerican film industry, which has given rise to the popular fashion movie-star image and stereotypical lifestyles such as beach-dwelling surfers.
Hollywood has had a profound effect on culture across the world since the early 20th century. During the so-calledGolden Age of Hollywood, which lasted from the end of the silent era in American cinema in the late 1920s to the late 1950s, thousands of movies were released from Hollywood studios. Spectacular epics, which took advantage of newwidescreen processes from the 1950s, have become increasingly popular.[19]
Today, in spite of fierce competition from other countries and even other states within the US, California still dominates the industry.
Theguitar was the instrument that the Mexican state of Alta California chose and two composers for the instrument are represented in the collection.[20]Manuel Y. Ferrer's were collected in a book of 144 pages, called "Compositions and Arrangements for the Guitar" published in San Francisco in 1882, then reprinted in Boston byOliver Ditson in 1915. Many of his pieces appear in the sheet music collection.[20] An additional Californian artist,Luis T. Romero is represented by his 1889 arrangement forguitar ofLa Paloma by Yradier.
In 1898, a collection called "Characteristic Songs of the Spanish Californians" was published as Canciones del Pais de California" inSanta Barbara.
California is the birthplace of several internationally renowned music genres, including:
Other well-known artists from California from genres which did not necessarily originate in the state include:
Many songs mention California in their title, regardless of whether the band is from California or not.Hotel California by theEagles is a song mentioning California in the title by a band from California, contrasted byCalifornia Dreamin' byThe Mamas & the Papas, who are not from California.
Notable authors who were either native to California or who wrote extensively about California include:
Several notable art movements have arisen in California.California Impressionism (also called California Plein-Air Painting) arose in the early 20th century as a regional variant ofAmerican Impressionism characterized by artists whoworked outdoors directly from nature.[25] It influenced theCalifornia Scene Painting movement, which flourished from the 1920s to the 1960s.[26]
In the mid-20th century, theBay Area Figurative Movement rejected the dominantabstract expressionism of the period.[27] In the 1960s and 1970s, the Bay Area was the epicenter of thefunk art movement, another figurative movement with ananti-establishment bent.[28]
TheLight and Space movement originated in Southern California in the 1960s. It is characterized by a focus on perceptual phenomena, such as inJames Turrell'sskyspace installations that frame the sky.[29]
California has notable museums:
California's many immigrants bring their culinary traditions to the state. Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Vietnamese, and Indian food, as well as many other foreign foods, can be found throughout California. In 1903, The Landmarks Club Cookbook (which was published as a fundraiser to restore California's Spanish missions) claimed that Los Angeles had the most diverse cuisine of any city.[30]
Produce plays an important role in California cuisine. California encompasses many diverse climates and therefore is able to grow many types of produce. Additionally, California'sCentral Valley contains some of the most fertile soil in the world. California is the number one U.S. producer of many common fruits and vegetables, including broccoli, spinach, tomatoes and avocados, amongst others.[31] A health-conscious culture also contributes to the popularity of fresh produce. Fruit festivals, such as the National Orange Show Festival inSan Bernardino County, are common throughout the state.
Avocados play a special role in California cuisine. Many popular California dishes integrate avocados and/or guacamole. Avocados were unfamiliar to most Americans until the mid-20th century, when growers of the subtropical fruit successfully convinced many Americans to try it. In California, avocado is commonly used in sandwiches, hamburgers, salads and even on pizza, in addition to tacos, and other Mexican foods.
California is also an important producer of tomatoes. California tomatoes have become a staple ingredient in ketchup, though ketchup was originally made with everything fromplums tomushrooms.[30]
WithNapa Valley in the north,Santa Barbara, and theTemecula Valley in the southern part of the state, California is the world's fourth largest producer of wines, and accounts for 90 percent of the wine production in the United States. Originally started by Spanish settlers to create wine forMass in the 18th century, the wine industry in California rivals other wine-producing countries of the world, such as France, Australia and Chile, even winning theJudgment of Paris wine competition.
Santa Maria, California is home to a unique type ofbarbecue, which normally encompasses beef, in particular tri tip, smoked over oak wood served with beans and salsa.
Veganism is popular in California.[32]
McDonald's,In-n-Out,Jack in the Box,Original Tommy's,Rubio's,Round Table Pizza,Taco Bell,Del Taco,Jamba Juice,Carl's Jr.,California Pizza Kitchen,Wienerschnitzel andThe Cheesecake Factory, have origins in California.[33]
California has a reputation forenvironmentalism. Californians, especially those living on the coasts, are viewed as being advocates of environmental issues. The environmental culture of California can be partly attributed to public outrage atthe major oil spill in theSanta Barbara Channel in 1969. The influential social conditions resulting from this oil spill are explained in detail by environmental sociologistHarvey Molotch.[34]
In 1965, California became the first state to regulate vehicle exhaust by setting limits on hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions. In 1967, the California EPA set the nation's first air quality standards for total suspended particulates, photochemical oxidants,sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and other pollutants. TheUnited States Congress has allowed California to set its own pollution standards, and the state's legislators have responded with some of the strongest environmental laws ever passed.[35]
Some Californians are concerned about the rising water levels that will be caused byglobal warming which will threaten areas along the coast.[36] Additionally, with warming trends at their present rates, experts generally agree that theSierra Nevada snowpack, which is crucial to the state's drinking water, could decline by approximately 50 percent.[37]
California's Water Board's regulation ofPFOA andPFASs have the strictest notification level requirements in the Nation.[38]
California offers a three-tier system of public postsecondary education:
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California is also home to such notable private universities asStanford University, theClaremont Colleges, theCalifornia Institute of Technology (Caltech), and theUniversity of Southern California (USC). California has hundreds of other private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions.
Public secondary education consists of high schools that teach elective courses in trades, languages, and liberal arts with tracks for gifted, college-bound and industrial arts students. California's public educational system is supported by aunique constitutional amendment that requires 40% of state revenues to be spent on education.
In the 1960s, surfing became immensely popular due tosurf rock bands likethe Beach Boys, surf films like Bruce Brown'sThe Endless Summer, and Hollywood blockbusters likeGidget. Due to this mainstream surf culture explosion, surfing soon embodied the ideal Californian lifestyle and became a teen sensation as well as a sport.[39] Malibu, California was at the heart of surf culture not only because it is a world-class surf spot, but also due to its youthful "beach" atmosphere and warm weather. Young men began strutting around the beach in boardshorts and women wore more revealing bikini swim suits, which, along with the surfboard, became symbols of beach culture. The surf culture boom of the 1960s soon led to an enormous increase of surfers at beaches around the country and helped surfing develop into the sport it is today.[39]
Although unified as a single state,northern California andsouthern California share a rivalry. "NorCal" or "SoCal" pride is a part of many residents' culture.[40]
The rivalry also manifests itself in professional sports, such as rivalries between the following teams:
Sureños andNorteños are rival groups of gangs that, except in rare exceptions, strongly follow a northern-southern divide in territory
In 1986, California voters amended the state constitution to provide that the: The [sic] Legislature and officials of the State of California shall take all steps necessary to insure that the role of English as the common language of the State of California is preserved and enhanced. The Legislature shall make no law which diminishes or ignores the role of English as the common language of California.
English has been the "official" language of California since 1986, when voters passed Proposition 63. You'd barely know it. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters prints ballots in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and Tagalog. California drivers can take the written license exam in 31 languages, from Amharic, which is spoken in Ethiopia, to Thai. You can view the state's online Megan's Law database of registered sex offenders in Portuguese or Punjabi. [...] Proposition 63, which received 73 percent of the vote in 1986, was largely symbolic, sending a message to immigrants that they should learn to speak English if they expected to live in California. The measure directed the state to "preserve, protect and strengthen the English language," but did not call for any specific action or enforcement. Twenty-six other states have official-English laws on the books.
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