Ch 17. Hawaii and the Pacific Islands

http://www.imusgeographics.com/map-of-united-states

     The Hawaiian Islands consist of 8 inhabited islands and approximately 120 uninhabited islands located near the center of the North Pacific Ocean. The state of Hawaii is known for its submerged volcanoes that extend 3600 miles west. Although many people might think of Hawaii as a beautiful paradise, these volcanoes pose hazards from lava flows, tephra, volcanic gases, ground settling, earthquakes, and tsunamis (Hardwick 329). 

http://www.elverhoj.org/history.html

     What the Hawaiian Islands and Solvang share in common is that tourism has become a significantly important contributor to both of its economy since World War II. Tourism has brought in vast quantities of revenue in both regions. Although the Hawaiian Islands and Solvang are small in size, they are recognized as great tourist destinations. However, the difference between the two is that while both places are tourist-oriented, Hawaii is also home to many people who aren't retirees. There are educational institutions in the Hawaiian Islands whereas Solvang lacks them. 

Ch 16. The Pacific Northwest

http://www.imusgeographics.com/map-of-united-states

     The Pacific Northwest refers to the states of western Oregon, western Washington, British Columbia west of the Rocky Mountains, an the southeastern panhandle of Alaska. Most of the region is mountainous, with the Pacific Ocean at the west. Like that of California, variations in precipitation and temperature are the direct result of the location patterns of mountains and valleus in the Pacific Northwest (Hardwick 304). 

     The region's economy is highly diversified, as lumbering, fishing, aircraft manufacturing, tourism, and high technology industry are all important. Starbucks Coffee, Microsoft, and Amazon are all companies that are internationally associated with the city of Seattle. As a current Starbucks employee, I would like to visit the first original Starbucks at Pikes Place in Seattle, where the best-selling Starbucks coffee Pikes Place Medium Roast got its name from!

http://mividavegan.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/solvang-ca/

     Agriculture is a large part of the Pacific Northwest region; recently, organic famers have become increasingly important contributor to the larger agricultural scene in Washington and Oregon. Many farmers sell their organically grown foods at booths set up at farmer's markets in many parts of this region, such as Seattle's daily indoor Pike Place Market and Downtown Portland's Saturday Market. These markets serve as a social function as gathering places for local residents and visitors as well as providing an outlet for organic farmers to sell their goods. (Hardwick 311). 

     Solvang also hosts farmers' market every week or so as a weekly event. Both residents and tourists can explore the various goods farmers bring in from locally owned farms. Also, like in Solvang, wine industry is pretty big in the Pacific Northwest, especially in Oregon. 

Ch 15. California

http://www.imusgeographics.com/map-of-united-states

     California, our beloved state! Finally, I have come to the chapter where Solvang is actually a part of. California (and I say this with absolute objectivity), like many would agree, is the state of many of the greatest cities on Earth. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Orange County, and Solvang are all places that attract millions of tourists each year.

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/socal/

     One of the greatest things about California is its Mediterranean climate, with cool and occasionally rainy winters and long summers with warm to hot temperatures and little or no precipitation (Hardwick 287). The weather is so nice that you can literally see people wearing those Tommy Bahama styled vacation t-shirts all year long. Ever since the Gold Rush, population in California has been increasing exponentially. Today, it is the largest state in population with nearly 30 million residents, surpassing New York!

http://www.menupix.com/losangeles/n/247/Koreatown-restaurants

     One of the many factors that have contributed to this growth is is rich natural resources. Valleys in California boasts high quality soils and long growing seasons. Solvang is one of the many places in California where farmers have specialized in fruits, vegetables, and other crops. Also, California is home to millions of immigrants. Solvang is the home for Danish immigrants. Los Angeles contains the largest Mexican, Korean, and Vietnamese community.

http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/local/heritage-parades-in-solvang/
article_7ddd3da6-ffba-11e1-89f1-0019bb2963f4.html

     Solvang is one of the many tourist attractions that can be found in California. Universal Studios, Disneyland, SeaWorld, Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags, and the San Diego Zoo are all part of California.

Ch 14. MexAmerica

http://www.imusgeographics.com/map-of-united-states

     The MexAmerica region stretches throughout parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It is the region near the borders between the U.S. and Mexico. Due to this, the region is characterized by contrasting cultures. Although the regions along the borderline is one of the poorest places in the U.S., its status as the gateway between the two countries has lead the region to achieve significant growth in population and income in recent years (Hardwick 271).

http://www.santaynezvalleyjournal.com/archive/9/24/8513/

     Cities in MexAmerica are similar to Solvang in that they are all influenced by a non-American culture. MexAmerica is heavily influenced by the nearby country Mexico, and Solvang is the little Denmark of America. For example, San Antonio features tourist attractions such as La Villita, the Riverwalk, and the Alamodome, along with trendy downtown boutiques where Mexican-American culture and heritage are both promoted and celebrated. Also Solvang is more Danish than Danish-American, both Solvang and MexAmerica share a common quality in that both have incorporated a foreign culture and were very successful. However, Solvang is quite different to MexAmerica when it comes to cultural and ethnic diversity, for it is highly populated by Danish people.

Ch 13. The Intermontane West

http://www.imusgeographics.com/map-of-united-states

     The Intermontane West is located between the two major mountain ranges: the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada and Cascades. It covers all or parts of Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. This region is characterized by mining and agriculture in terms of economic activities rather than manufacture, due to its high transportation costs, lack of water, rugged typography, and a relatively small labor force (Hardwick 258). 

http://www.visitingdc.com/las-vegas/las-vegas-skyline.asp

     However, like Solvang, the Intermontane West also boasts popular tourist destinations due to its scenic beauty. One of these places are Las Vegas, the paradise of casinos! Since Las Vegas is itself a city based almost entirely on entertainment, it is safe to safe that the Intermontane West is highly influenced the the tourism sector of the economy. Although Solvang does not have any casinos and if relatively small compared to Vegas, the two are well-known tourist attractions that bring in millions of tourist every year. Both places are very similar in that they are dedicated to living off of profit generated by tourists. 

     

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hsupafly/7729370586/lightbox/

     When I visited Solvang, it didn't feel like it was a place for someone to grow up, attend school, and get a job in. The streets were full of gift shops and inns that were clearly targeting a specific group of people: tourists. Also, Las Vegas and Solvang both have strong, clear themes. Las Vegas is all about entertainment and gambling and Solvang is about experiencing the Danish community. 

Ch 12. The Rocky Mountain Region

http://www.imusgeographics.com/map-of-united-states

     The Rocky Mountain region is composed of mountain ranges that extends approximately 2000 miles from central New Mexico to northeastern British Columbia (Hardwick 228). This region, as the name suggests, is heavily characterized by the Rocky Mountain. Similarly, Solvang is also known for its bike trails at the nearby Santa Ynez mountain. 

http://www.outdoor.com/places/cities-and-towns/helena/

     Cities in the Rocky Mountain region attracts tourists who seek the Old West charisma that can be found in the 19th-century mansions. If Solvang is a danish themed place, it can be said that the state capital of Montana is a western themed tourist attraction. Helena, Montana was a result of Rocky Mountain communities who launched historic preservation efforts in an attempt to retain the unique character of the region's towns (Hardwick 238). 

http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/santa-barbara/pacific-theater-conservatory-of-the-arts.html

     This is quite different as to what happened in Solvang in that the city of Solvang was upgraded rather that historically preserved. After World War II, the residents of Solvang came to an agreement to incorporate danish-styled architecture to the city's buildings in order to attract tourists. 

Ch 11. The Great Plains

http://www.imusgeographics.com/map-of-united-states

     The Great Plains includes all or part of the following 12 states: Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Parts of Canadian Provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta also falls into the category.

     Many areas of this region have experienced population loss over the years due to young people moving our to urban and suburban areas in search for economic and cultural opportunities. Solvang, although a beautiful city, is also mostly characterized by retired elderly rather than young people.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/16384961  

     The Great Plains is generally well-known as a agricultural region, especially because of the wheat being a major crop (Hardwick 216). Solvang is also heavily influenced by agriculture in that there are a plethora of wineries; in fact, when I visited Solvang last December, the only places that were open after 10 p.m. were wineries. The reason for these wineries are due to the various vineyards near Solvang.

     Also, both Solvang and many Great Plain states have low rates of crime and social disruption. The owner of a used book shop in Solvang that my friend and I visited, Bill, told me that the most recent crime that occurred was a few months ago when someone put a soap in the water fountain, causing a lot of bubbles.