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South KoreaSouth Korea, an East Asian country about a quarter the size of California, is the 13th-largest economy in the world, emerging as a major player on the global stage in a remarkably short span of historical time. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, what was once a poverty-stricken, largely agrarian population ruled by a military dictatorship has become an urban, industrialized, highly educated society. It's a young but durable democracy that has managed to withstand episodes of political turbulence and ongoing tensions with its nuclear-armed neighbor, North Korea. In recent years, Korean culture has become one of the country’s chief exports, with K-pop music and media, such as “Squid Game” and “Parasite,” attracting huge audiences in the West. At home, the country faces a demographic crisis, with declining birthrates, high youth unemployment, and the highest incidence of suicide in the developed world.Explore South Korea

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Some California cities outsource their public services entirely to the countySouthern California's "contract cities" incorporate as municipalities but pay Los Angeles County for police, fire, and other services rather than running their own departments—a cost-saving model common across the region. The Arias Journal In early 2026, Fremont, California, topped the list of happiest cities in the USWalletHub's annual happiest city rankings are based on 29 key indicators of happiness, including depression rates, income growth, and average daily leisure time. Nice News At one point, the land underneath the Imperial Palace in Japan was reportedly worth more than CaliforniaBefore Japan's economy crashed and sent the country into two decades of deep deflation, the real estate market was experiencing euphoric highs. The Imperial Palace never actually went on the market, so it's difficult to actually compare the value to California. ColdFusion One writer suggests using the California roll to evaluate sushi restaurantsChristine Carone uses the logic of the Big Mac Index—a metric for evaluating purchasing power by comparing countries’ Big Mac prices proposed by the Economist—for evaluating takeout sushi. Her recommendation is looking at the cost of a California roll, a relatively inexpensive, middle-of-the-road item for any American sushi spot. If it’s too expensive, the restaurant isn’t offering good value. But if it’s too cheap, you should worry about the quality of the fish. Eater The unofficial theme song for Wikipedia is based on 'Hotel California'Written by user Elf in 2004, the song's humorous lyrics highlight the efforts of volunteer editors and describe an evening spent by "wikipediholics" improving the site, set to the backdrop of the Eagles' 1976 song. Wikimedia Canada is the largest foreign buyer of California wineTariffs have impacted the wine industry in Canada significantly, given that California winemakers are responsible of 80% of the country's wine supply. Hustle Originals Carmel, California, is looking into banning pickleballPickleball is the fastest-rising sport in the US, but it's not without its controversies. Chief among them is noise, which Carmel, California, a wealthy enclave on the state's central coast, seeks to remedy with a ban on the sport. It would be the first in the state. SFGATE The default wallpaper for Windows XP, 'Bliss,' was taken in Sonoma, CaliforniaCaptured by National Geographic photographer Charles O'Rear in 1996, the photograph was uploaded to the stock image site Westlight in 1998, before being purchased by Microsoft. As of 2023, the hillside in the image is now home to rows of grapevines. Yahoo!Leonard Knight built a folk art landmark in the California badlandsSlab City is an unofficial off-the-grid community on the site of a decommissioned Marine Corps base in the Southern California desert. Knight began constructing his enormous and colorful "Salvation Mountain" in 1984. In 2000, it was designated "a folk art site worthy of preservation and protection." VICE California has the highest median rent in the US at $2,104Hawaii has the second-highest median rent in the US at roughly $1,942 per month, including utilities. That's as of 2024, based on data from the US Census Bureau. Visual Capitalist The Richter scale was only intended to quantify Southern California earthquakesThe scale, designed to rate the energy of the largest seismic waves released by an earthquake, was calibrated to the region’s crust and mantle properties. Since the 1970s, seismologists have instead used the moment magnitude scale, which considers all waves of released energy. Live Science The first fantasy football league began in Oakland, California Winkenbach organized the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League, the first fantasy football league. The game allowed team owners to draft players from both the NFL and the AFL, then separate leagues, and create an impossibly epic roster. Sports Illustrated California is one of the world’s 35 biodiversity hotspotsThe state comprises the hotspot known as the California Floristic Province, where roughly 3,000 species of vascular plants grow—roughly three-fifths of which are found nowhere else in the world (also known as endemic). Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund University of California Santa Barbara produced 6 Nobel prize winnersThe public school system is ranked as the eighth best by Forbes, and 56 of its faculty are members in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. See more figures on the school here. UC Santa Barbara Ranchos were large land grants in California to Spanish, Mexican leading familiesThey were typically given to leading families or retired soldiers as means of settling the land with loyal people. The hundreds of ranchos have since shaped land-use policy in the area, determining plots of major cities and ranches today. History Maps The Spanish consolidated power in California with 21 strategic missionsThis map shows the order of establishment of the Franciscan-led missions whose saintly names still grace contemporary maps, from Santa Rosa in the north to San Diego in the south. California Mission Guide The indigenous people of the central Californian coast made advancements in basketry, small stone tools, the use of shell beads as currency, and plank canoes for seafaring. In the years before European contact, their numbers reach 25,000 across 150 settlements.The indigenous people of the central Californian coast made advancements in basketry, small stone tools, the use of shell beads as currency, and plank canoes for seafaring. In the years before European contact, their numbers reach 25,000 across 150 settlements. SB Nature The first Trader Joe's opened in California in 1967Joe Coulombe was inspired by his travels outside the United States and wanted to open a store that offered some of the flavors he'd tasted abroad. Now, the store's unique products attract international visitors, who view it as a tourist destination. CNN The California Burrito is a french-fry filled spin on the Mexican stapleA California Burrito features carne asada and a generous heap of french fries wrapped in a flour tortilla. Its exact origin is unclear, but it's believed to have been invented in the San Diego area sometime in the 1980s. San Diego Magazine The history of Solvang, California's little Danish villageJust north of Santa Barbara sits a curious California gem: Solvang, a small town constructed in the Danish Provincial style. This video tour of the village provides a fascinating history of how the town became a miniature Copenhagen and does so in a unique way: by trying to recreate vintage photographs of the town. It makes for an entertaining and educational tour. View Master Travels There's a legal loophole behind California ChampagneIn the late 19th century, sparkling wine production took root in California before France began the fight to own the term “Champagne.” Many American winemakers already used it for easy recognition. The battle continued for over a century before reaching an agreement in 2005, stipulating that American sparkling wine couldn’t be labeled as Champagne unless the producer was already calling it such. VinePair How the California wildfires are impacting wildlifeThe deadly 2025 Eaton and Palisades Fires in California have devastated neighborhoods, forested canyons and chaparral—a type of shrubland. In addition to taking dozens of human lives and displacing thousands, the fires destroyed countless habitats and displaced many species. See the unfortunate effects of the flames on wildlife populations, including birds, snakes, wildcats, and fish. Smithsonian Magazine Some police departments in California have officers specialized in hive crimeThe cost of a beehive climbed from about $35 in the early 2010s to $200 as of 2020, which has incentivized some to steal hives at night. These kidnappings led to the creation of dedicated task forces in the state, whose almond farms have created an extraordinary demand for pollinators. The Guardian David Hockney's 'Splash' paintings depicted the Brit's adoration for CaliforniaBradford-born David Hockney saw the lure of California as an escape from the dreariness of London and a symbol of social and sexual freedom. Sotheby’s reflects on Hockney’s series of three "Splash" paintings, capturing ephemeral moments and the magic of America as a cultural export in the 1960s. Sotheby's In 2023, self-driving cars drove 3.3 million miles on California's roadsAccording to the state's DMV, the mileage represented a fivefold increase from the previous year. General Motors' Cruise and Alphabet's Waymo accounted for the bulk of miles, though 38 companies have received permits to test autonomous vehicles in the state. Reuters The film industry is responsible for more than 200K jobs in CaliforniaHollywood films generate roughly $49B for the US economy each year. In California, the film industry provides more than 200,000 jobs. Industry employees were paid more than $42B in wages in 2022. Motion Picture Association California startup Rivian has attracted disillusioned Tesla ownersSome electric vehicle buyers frustrated by Elon Musk's antics have been won over by the adventure-focused company, which has received a $5B investment from the Volkswagen Group to develop crossover and hatchback models with solid-state batteries. InsideEVs Napa produces only 4% of California's wineDespite its reputation, the Napa Valley has a modest share of its state's annual wine production. The valley's over 400 wineries produce only 4% of the state’s wine. Napa Valley Vintners Visualizing California's wine productionWhile Europe has France, Italy, and Spain, the US has California. The bulk of US wine production takes place in the Golden State, accounting for roughly two-thirds of the United States’ nearly 800 million gallons produced each year. This chart compares California and United States wine production from 1995 through 2022. Production in both has been trending down for several years, partially due to extreme weather events. Wine Institute The extraordinary lives of California's coast RedwoodsThey live 400 years, add 2,000 pounds of wood to their weight each year, and stand taller than any carbon-bearing organism in the world. Redwood trees are the kings of the forest, with a potential diameter of 25 feet, and their specific grandeur limits them to specific climates in coastal California. Roughly 2 million acres of the tree once existed, 96% of which was logged. Learn more about the remaining 90,000 individuals with this glowing essay. NOEMA The bison with mystery origins on California's Santa Catalina IslandBison roam the 75 square-mile channel island of Santa Catalina about 25 miles south of Los Angeles in the Pacific. It's not clear exactly how they got there, but one theory says 14 of them were dropped off as part of a Hollywood film production. Generally beloved by the locals and vacationers, their numbers ballooned to nearly 600 but dwindled amid resource scarcity. What now? See the state of conservation efforts here. National Geographic The ritual burns of California forestsMany ecosystems around the world have adapted to regularly occurring wildfires. Some human cultures saw the advantage of such fires and integrated them into their community rituals. Learn about similar tribal traditions looking to better manage California's forests today. The Guardian Side-by-side shots of once-dry California lakes now filledIn late 2022, much of California was in drought; by early 2023, after a series of downpours from atmospheric rivers, much of the state's reservoirs had been re-filled. See the dramatic difference in this series of photos. The Associated Press California rules that bees can be fishIn a move that thrilled bee enthusiasts, California judges decided that endangered invertebrates were legally protected — under the category of “fish” Insider Increasingly intense western wildfires are beginning to threaten California's redwoods, some of which are thousands of years old.An inferno last year among ancient redwoods raises a question: Can nature’s most resilient trees weather the ravages of climate change? E&E News Watch a time-lapse from space of photosynthesis across EarthUsing NASA satellite imagery, carbon absorption can be tracked and serves as a proxy for photosynthetic activity on land and in the oceans. Over the course of a year, seasonal changes can be observed as plants become dormant in the fall and active again in the spring. California Academy of Sciences Watch how coral bleaching resembles an organism's immune system attacking itselfMicroorganisms called zooxanthellae are in a symbiotic relationship with coral polyps and provide them with food created through photosynthesis. When ocean temperatures or sunlight exceed an optimal range, zooxanthellae release harmful chemicals that irritate coral cells. To protect themselves, corals sacrifice their food source and expel the colorful microorganisms, becoming white. California Academy of Sciences Visualize how hard corals build reefs using minerals dissolved in seawaterThese organisms—also known as stony corals—form a type of calcium carbonate called aragonite from ions brought to the ocean by rivers that have broken down terrestrial rocks. The accumulation of aragonite protects the soft parts of coral polyps' bodies and creates reef structures when colonies of polyps cement themselves together. California Academy of Sciences Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of infected ticksIt's an infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. It's spread through the bite of two species of infected ticks, the Western blacklegged ticks on the West Coast, and Blacklegged ticks found throughout the eastern US. The ticks can transmit the disease at both the nymph and adult stage. It's not known to be transmitted from one person to another via kissing or sex. California Department of Public Health See a wild bear observe fellow bears at the zooAt the Sequoia Park Zoo in California, a wild bear visited the bear enclosure to see three bears in captivity. Zookeepers referred to him as a "polite visitor," adding, "He stayed on the boardwalk path, kept two feet on the ground, and didn't try to climb over the railings!" the Guardian K-pop is one of South Korea's biggest exportsWriter Vivian Yoon could never have imagined that the music she secretly loved as a kid growing up in Los Angeles’ Koreatown would become the phenomenon it is today. In this 14-part podcast, Yoon takes the deepest dive into the history of K-pop, a surprising journey that passes through the 1992 LA riots and a hip-hop club in Seoul once frequented by Black American GIs. LAist Studios The 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill galvanized the modern environmental movementIn January 1969, an oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara ruptured, releasing roughly 3 million gallons of crude into the Pacific. The spill killed over 10,000 seabirds, dolphins, and seals, coating 35 miles of coastline. NPR Presidios were fortified outposts the Spanish used to fend off Russians, EnglishThe creation of these forts went hand in hand with the Missions. The Spanish aimed to gain defensive support from natives by converting them to the Catholic faith. California Frontier Project The Chumash manufactured shell beads for thousands of years, eventually as moneyThe practice was unique to the Chumash among North American Indians. Some researchers have made the case theirs was the first use of money on the continent. Archaeology Magazine Pickleball injuries were responsible for $350M in medical costs in 2023Unsurprisingly, picklers over 50 account for 90% of the injuries, with the most common being sprains, strains, and fractures. Experts say a substantial pregame warm-up can prevent most injuries. University of California Mail-in voting has been used in US elections since the Civil WarAmericans have cast mail-in ballots for more than a century, but COVID-19 greatly expanded their use. Modern systems track ballots and often require signature verification, increasing access while maintaining election security. California Institute of Technology Nate Silver argues the Electoral College can reduce the impact of excess votesIn this article, Silver weighs the Electoral College's flaws—especially popular-vote inversions—against its advantages, arguing it can limit the effect of surplus votes in heavily one-sided states and encourage broader competition. Silver Bulletin Is a coral a predator, a producer, or both?To humans, coral reefs may just look like an assembly of colorful rocks. In reality, reefs are formed by colonies of coral polyps, which capture and eat microorganisms swimming by in the ocean. What pops out is the prey’s skeleton, typically made of calcium carbonate, which is accumulated onto the hard surface of the reef. This mechanism slowly but surely grows the reefs over the course of millions of years. This quick video reveals how these polyps operate and contribute to the ocean ecosystem. California Academy of Sciences Entanglement creates correlations between particles across vast distancesQuantum entanglement occurs when two or more particles become linked, resulting in correlated properties. Scientists have ruled out hidden variables and have shown that these correlations depend on how and when measurements are made—not on faster-than-light communication. California Institute of Technology NASA's exoplanet archiveExplore an archive of all known exoplanets California Institute of Technology

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