I had always been aware that people had misconceptions about California, but it wasn't until I moved across the country that I realized how misinformed people are about the Golden State. Lets put some things to rest:
Snow
“Have you ever seen snow?”
Yes. Believe it or not, it snows in California. The Sierra Nevada Mountain Range cuts right through the east side of the state. Ever heard of Tahoe? That’s where we go to ski and snowboard. Sure it doesn’t snow in lower elevation areas on the coast or in the southern part of the state, but I have only met a handful of Californians who haven’t seen snow here. In the North Bay we even had a week-long vacation from school in the early spring called "Ski Week." The one time it snowed in my hometown is legendary, I was only a few years old at the time, but some of my classmates growing up still claim to remember it.
Celebrities
“Do you know anyone famous?”
No. No I don’t. I once saw the back of Robin Williams’ head at the Marin County Fair and met Tony Hawk and Kyle Massey at a charity event in LA, but that’s the extent of my celebrity experience; and frankly that's more than most Californians. I’m not personally acquainted with any celebrities. There are famous people who live all over California, but the odds of a regular person being friends with one or even just spotting one are slim to none, even in LA.
The Beach
“Do you go to the beach, like, all the time?”
Not really. Maybe this is something I don’t take advantage of as often as I should, but the water in Northern California is cold, the water in LA is dirty, and San Diego is beautiful and warm, but I hardly ever get the chance to go that far south. And believe it or not, it can take over 2 hours for people who live in the Central Valley of California to get to the coast – it’s a big state. To believe that all Californians have access to the beach is a huge misconception; I’m lucky to live where I do.
Beauty
“Is there even such thing as an ugly person in California?”
I didn’t even think this was a question people had about California, but apparently it is. And the answer is no. We are all beautiful, god-like creatures inside and out who do yoga each and every day and live off of avocados and kale. We also know how to surf and we most definitely smoke pot on the daily.
Weather
“Do you miss the weather over there? Get ready for the cold.”
No matter how many times I've told my roommate this semester that it gets cold in California too, she stubbornly didn’t believe me. It was only until I was Skyping my family one night and they said it was thirty degrees did she realize I wasn't exaggerating. She was shocked to say the least. The easiest way to spot tourists in San Francisco is if they’re wearing shorts and t-shirts. Heads up, fog isn’t warm. It doesn’t get quite as cold in Southern California (they freak out when it rains) but Northern California reaches freezing temperatures during the winter quite often.
Distance
"Do you go to Los Angeles a lot?"
The driving time from San Francisco to Los Angeles is around eight hours. California is the third-largest state in the country. It takes anywhere from 12 to 16 hours to drive from top to bottom. So no, I don’t go to LA often. People think that San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego are all right next to each other. Let's learn some geography and acknowledge the fact that there’s a lot more to California than just the big well-known cities. Even just driving from one town to another on the freeway can take half an hour. Everything is very spread out. We have to drive everywhere. Also, there's an infamous rivalry between NorCal and SoCal, so really the only motivation to make the cross-state-trek is to catch an SF Giants vs LA Dodgers game. And if the away team loses, it's a long trip home.
