From a land maintained by indigenous peoples, to its emergence as a tourist attraction, to the site of conflict over humanity's relationship with nature, Yosemite is ever-changing.
California deserts have sparked imaginations around the world. From the famously alien landscape of Joshua Tree to the wide expanses of seemingly empty land, the desert has been seen as a place of reinvention -- a blank slate on which to create your dream.
Surfers, bodybuilders, and acrobats taught California how to have fun and stay young at the beach. The 1968 documentary "The Endless Summer" shared those ideas with the rest of the world.
Some California dreams succeeded, creating megalopolis regions in the state’s north and south. Other dreams failed, leaving nothing but ruins: Bodie, a Mono County gold mining settlement that was preserved in time; Llano Del Rio, a socialist utopian community in the Mojave Desert; and Zzyzx, a former health spa on the way to Las Vegas.
Venice Beach boasts a rich history, from its origins as a themed seaside resort -- Venice of America -- to international fame as a countercultural hub.
From the 1910s and ‘20s, when early filmmakers built elaborately themed outdoor sets that often remained standing for months or years, Los Angeles has been the place where you can imagine something and then build it -- as exemplified by nearby Anaheim's Disneyland.