Whether you’re traveling by road, by printed page, or by imagination; whether you are a lifelong native or visiting for a week, we invite you to explore 100 Northern California landmarks that illuminate the one-of-a-kind story of Norcal.
Sardines... Spanish missions... counterculture... trolley parks... Eichler Homes... kissing bridges... Santa Rosa plums... Russian colonization... crime and punishment... camels... lawn bowling... Hetch Hetchy... skiing... blimps... landfills... fire lookouts... big trees... Japanese internment camps... octagon houses... Carnegie libraries... post office murals... Googie architecture... Bear Flag Revolt. This book will have you telling stories like a native in no time.
The photos and stories collected here are a fast and fun way to learn the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that make Northern California uniquely California. Why did California’s first railroad use a gauge seen nowhere else? Solved. Where was the largest ship ever constructed on the West Coast built? A mystery no more. Where was the U.S. Hickory Open contested in Northern California? Identified. Where is the world’s first reinforced concrete bridge? Revealed.
It is a story only NorCal can call its own. A story told in 100 landmarks. Almost all the selections within are open to the public, or a t least visible from public spaces. So, fire up the GPS and see the story of NorCal standing in plain sight on California streets!
