California State Parks
Many Of The Areas On The List Of California State Parks Preserve Beautiful Redwood Forests
The ninety one state parks in California are managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. They are also responsible for sixty four state beaches, forty eight state historic parks and thirty three state recreation areas!
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To scroll down and see the list of California State Parks Just Click Here |
Other park property includes marine reserves, lighthouses, overlooks, museums, vehicle recreation areas and even a poppy reserve. In all the Department of Parks controls over 1.4 million acres of land, 280 miles of shoreline and 625 miles of river and lake frontage. |
This is a huge amount of land set aside for public use. However, as California has a population of around 38 million people, the largest of any state in the country, the California State Parks play a vital role in providing leisure areas for the people of the state
One Of The Many Redwood Forests In California
The first of the California State Parks was created in 1902. This was Big Basin Redwoods State Park, just one of the many state parks in California dedicated to preserving and protecting the wonderful Redwood Forests.
The Department of Parks actually dates back to 1864 when the Yosemite Valley was set aside for protection. However, it wasn`t until 1927 that the Governor established the California State Parks Commission.
In recent years the state of California, like many other states, has been wrestling with a huge budget deficit. In January 2008 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that forty eight parks would close due to a lack of funds.
Worse was to follow. It was announced in May 2009 that 220 areas would have to be closed leaving only fifty nine open.
After a public outcry, the Governor`s office struggled and somehow managed to keep all the units open, but with some reduction in services. This included closing portions of some parks and cutting back opening hours of others.
As of May 2011 some seventy of the state parks in California are still due to be shut.
The Sea And The Beach. What California Is Famous For!
The land which is now California was once part of the Spanish empire. However, following the Mexican war of independence in 1821 it then became their property.
American victory in the 1846 war against Mexico saw them gain possession of the land and it soon became the 31st state admitted to the Union on September 9th 1850.
California is an amazingly diverse land. The country ranges from mountains in the east, through an agricultural central valley, to an incredibly beautiful coastline in the west that stretches for hundreds of miles.
One of the key stages in the development of California was the Gold Rush of 1848, it led to a boomtime and a rapid expansion in the size of the population.
One of the California State Parks, Placerita Canyon State Park, is on the site of the first documented discovery of gold in the state.
The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Los Angeles becoming the center of the American film industry early in the 20th century was another factor in the growth of the state.
Many of the state parks in California have featured in movies over the years because of their stunning scenery and location.
China Camp State Park, Crystal Cove State Park, Leo Carrillo State Park and Malibu Creek State Park have all been used for filming.
There are any number of world famous sites in the state that have California State Parks in their vicinity.
Angel Island State Park and Eastshore State Park are both in the San Francisco Bay area close to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Emerald Bay State Park and D.L.Bliss State Park are both on beautiful Lake Tahoe which is a renowned worldwide tourist destination.
Beautiful Lake Tahoe
Other interesting state parks in California are Border Field State Park, which has the border with Mexico as its southern boundary.
Also the Donner Memorial State Park, located high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, it commemorates the fate of a party of pioneers caught for months in terrible weather as they attempted to reach California in the 1840`s.
Here is a list of California State Parks
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This is a county map of California
