California News Blog » Los Angeles

Anaheim

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:17:11 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Anaheim, a neighborhood in the Los Angeles area, has suffered like many of its neighbors in the housing market downtown. With the onset of the financial crisis across the U.S., with ripples felt worldwide, the housing market in California began to take a dive, seeing home values plummet and foreclosures rise. Though the Anaheim real estate market is beginning to signs of improvement, it hasn’t made its way out of the woods yet completely.

Inventory is one area where the market has seen improvement in the area lately. According to the Orange County Housing Report, houses on the market as of Nov. 25 had spent an average of 2.74 months on the market before selling, down markedly from 7.14 months one year ago and 10.93 months two years ago. Much of the increased activity of these homes for sale in Anaheim can be attributed to the government’s program to offer tax incentives to home buyers in order to stimulate the housing market.

Prices in Anaheim, however, are still suffering and have not yet climbed their way out of the hole. One of the city’s ZIP codes featured a median home price in during a three-week period in November of $420,000, while another ZIP code featured a $375,000 median price. Those prices were down 9.7% and 35.3%, respectively.

The higher-priced market of real estate in Anaheim is also still suffering, with many homes stagnating on the market as buyers sit on the sidelines. As of November, according to local realtor Lesslie Giacobbi, there were nine homes for 29 homes on the market for more than $1 million, while there were more than 50 homes for sale in the under $1 million range, though those homes tend to spend less time on the market.

Los Angeles: Be On TV

admin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:25:19 +0000

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Due to the extremely large entertainment industry situated in L.A. and surrounding districts such as Hollywood, many people traveling to California feel that being part of the audience for the taping of a television show might be the perfect Los Angeles experience. Of course, getting tickets to be part of the audience is a lot harder than it sounds. TV shows usually don’t film during the months of March to July, and although tickets are almost always free, they are first come first serve and tickets to the top shows are always in great demand.

It is important to request tickets as far in advance as possible and realize that several episodes may be shot on a single day, requiring you to spend up to four hours in the theater, in addition to the one hour early check-in. Although you may luck out and get tickets to your show of choice, you will often be given a list of TV shows currently filming. You probably won’t recognize some to the show titles, since studios are always taping pilots, many of which never reach the air. Some shows also enforce age limits, with many shows restricting the admission of children under the age of 10, or in some cases under the age of 18. Tickets are also sometimes handed out at popular tourist sites such as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Universal Studios, and L.A.’s visitor information centers.

Popular Communities to Live In California

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:30:06 +0000

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Although California is home to major global cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose, it is often the smaller, less known communities and suburbs that offer the best living experiences. One of the most popular places to live in California is Riverside, which is located between Moreno Valley and San Bernardino in the heart of California’s Inland Empire. The community is known for the Festival of Lights, which is held during the winter holidays in downtown and features the nation’s second largest lighting display and an outdoor ice skating rink. Riverside is a technology-friendly community with convenient access to ports, rail transportation, and freeways, making Riverside a leader in Southern California’s international trade economy.

Temecula is another one of the most popular places to live in California. This suburban city is conveniently located within an hour drive of San Diego and LA counties and offers a historic Old Town, excellent dining and shopping complexes, affordable housing, beautiful parks, and an excellent school system. Temecula is especially popular for its annual Balloon and Wine Festival, thanks to the community’s wine country home to 22 award winning wineries.

Home to nearly 97,000 residents Vacaville is another popular Californian community founded as an agricultural and rail shipping center. Currently, the community has also experienced much growth and development that has established substantial retail and commercial activity in the region. Vacaville also boasts an extremely low unemployment rate, excellent schools, a stable housing market, beautiful parks, exciting community events and activities, and a eco-friendly atmosphere.

The California Science Center

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:24:08 +0000

: Image by themickeyd via Flickr

Located south of downtown Los Angeles, the California Science Center is an exciting science museum and hands-on activities facility situated in the historic Exposition Park. The Exposition Park is home to other museums and attractions including the California African American Museum, Natural Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Sports Arena, and the Rose Garden. The California Science Center itself is home to an IMAX theater, permanent attractions, and seasonal exhibits.

Some of the amazing exhibits in the California Science Center include Creative World, World of Life, Air and Space Exhibits, and the World of Ecology, which will be finished in 2010. Creative World allows visitors to explore the inventions and environments humans create in order to to establish their needs for communication, transportations, and structures. The World of Life is an exhibit that teaches people about how people, plants, animals, and the tiny living cells all work to survive. Air and Space Exhibits allow people to explore aerospace artifacts and the scientific principles that make aircraft and spacecraft possible. The World of Ecology will allow visitors to discover the Earth’s complex environments and how the planet is shaped by unique geophysical and biological processes. The California Science Center is also home to special exhibits, the Science Court, and the Science Plaza.

Sports in California

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:21:38 +0000

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Sports has always been a major component of life in California. The state hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the 1994 FIFA World Cup. However, California is also home to 19 major professional sports league franchises that are part of leagues including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer. Collegiate sports are also big in California, with universities such as UC Berkeley, USC, UCLA, Stanford, and Fresno State often containing nationally ranked athletic programs and teams.

The three major NFL franchises in California are the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, and San Francisco 49ers. The popular baseball teams part of the MLB in California include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants. NBA basketball teams include the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings. The Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks are major NHL ice hockey teams. The Chivas USA, Los Angeles Galaxy, and San Jose Earthquakes are MLS soccer teams in California.

Hollywood

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:14:47 +0000

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Considered the icon of the motion picture industry throughout the world, Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles that can actually be considered separate from Los Angeles. Although it is not typical of the major Californian city to establish specific boundaries for city districts and regions, legislations have allowed Hollywood to be established as its own, independent district. The establishment does not have its own municipal government, but it does have an official “Mayor of Hollywood” who is for ceremonial purposes only.

Although much of the movie industry has expanded into the outlying regions of Hollywood, the community is still home to numerous historic movie studios, and theaters, as well as some editing, effects, props, post-production, and lighting companies. The backlot of Paramount Pictures is still located in Hollywood. Many of the historic theaters are still used as venues and concert stages for premiers of major theatrical releases, as well as events such as the Academy Awards. Hollywood still boasts a great nightlife and tourism scene and is home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Pollution in Los Angeles

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:03:01 +0000

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Many major cities throughout the United States, as well as throughout the world, suffer from pollution because of the dense population and reliance on automobiles, airplanes, locomotives, shipping, and other sources that spew carbon dioxide into the air. This causes water pollution and air pollution, often in the form of smog, to greatly threaten the environment and health of the city’s residents. Los Angeles is one of these large cities that suffers from air and water pollution, in fact, it is one of the most polluted cities in the nation. The city’s geographical location also increases the problems of pollution because the Los Angeles Basin is susceptible to atmospheric inversion, where the smog is trapped and wind and rain has trouble getting rid of the smog.

Los Angeles’s smog can be contributed to mostly by the exhaust from automobiles, and the city’s groundwater is also threatened by MTBE from gas stations, as well as the perchlorate from rocket fuel. Nevertheless, the city has taken drastic measures to reduce these environmental problems by passing legislation such as the Clean Air Act and mandating low emission vehicles. In fact, the number of Stage 1 smog alerts has greatly declined from over 100 per year in the 1970’s to nearly zero in the current decade.

About California

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:44:34 +0000

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Located on the west coast of the United States, California is the third largest state by land area and most populous state with a population of about 36.8 million residents. In fact, California is the second most populous sub-national division behind Sao Paulo, Brazil. California is bordered by Oregon to the North, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. The Pacific Ocean borders the west coast of California. Some of the largest cities in the state include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, although the state is home to eight of the nation’s fifty largest cities.

Although the California Gold Rush is what brought many people to California in the 19^th century, the major industries supporting California’s economy today include aerospace, petroleum, and information technology. However, despite the fact that California has one of the largest gross domestic products in the world, being larger than all but eight countries, California has suffered from a budget deficit for the past couple of years, causing many legislations being made in an attempt to alleviate the problem. California is a state known especially for its car culture, resulting in cities with some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation. However, the state is still served by public transportation options including Amtrak California, Metro subway and light rail networks, and trolley and bus lines. Major airports in California include the Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

Popular Events in California

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:27:12 +0000

Due to California’s vast size, there are a countless number of great events that can be found on any day of the week in the state. California is especially popular for its numerous food festivals that celebrate foods such as wine, beer, strawberries, lemons, and garlic. The state is also home to numerous parades, fireworks, car shows, races, sporting events, historical festivals, and much, much more. There are also both annual, monthly, and ongoing events such as farmers markets. California’s year round sunny weather and relatively warm climate allow events to be held year round.

Some of the famous festivals that take place in California include the Strawberry Festivals in Garden Grove and Arroyo Grande. California is also home to the New Year’s Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, which is one of the most televised events. There are also numerous art and music festivals that take place throughout the year including the Fiddlers Music Festival, Dixieland Jazz Festival, Art & Craft Festival, Mendocino Music Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Jazz Trax Festival. Numerous events and festivals are also held for every major holiday.

About Los Angeles

admin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:46:23 +0000

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With a population of about 3.8 million in the city and 12.9 million in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States to New York City. Los Angeles is a major international city, being one of the world’s centers for business, trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, technology, and education. The city is home to a number of professional and cultural fields and has one of the most substantial economic engines in the nation.

Los Angeles is also especially well known for its excellent dining, shopping, and entertainment opportunities and highly active lifestyles. Some of the major landmarks in Los Angeles include the Hollywood sign, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Bowl, the Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Stapes Center, and Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles also has a hot nightlife in places such as downtown Los Angeles, Silver Lake, Hollywood, and West Hollywood, which is home to the world-famous Sunset Strip. Some of the popular shopping districts in Los Angeles include the Hollywood and Highland complex, the Beverly Center, Melrose Avenue, and The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center.