On Route 66, a Gas Station Is History Worth Saving

In Rancho Cucamonga, We’re Turning a Long Abandoned Roadside Landmark Into a Museum

In 1964, my parents packed up our old Ford and took my brother and me on a cross-country trip from San Diego to Washington, D.C. and back. Part of our trip was along the famed Route 66. Even though I was only 4 years old, I still have vivid memories of that trip and watching the ever-changing countryside.

Route 66, dubbed the “Mother Road” by John Steinbeck, was officially decommissioned in 1985. But it has held a special nostalgic place for many of those who traveled it–and even for those …

by David Dunlap | January 30, 2015

California Is No Longer a Destination

A State Once Famous for Offering Escape and Lucky Breaks Is Now Just a Place Where People Aspire to Stick Around and Settle In

by Joe Mathews | January 15, 2015

Today’s California dream is not your grandfather’s California dream.

So why do we keep telling ourselves that we’re still seeking the same California dream? “California dream” has become a verbal …

You, Too, Can Become a California Saint

Rule Number One: Don’t Bother Being a Nice Guy

by Joe Mathews | January 1, 2015

Let’s say your New Year’s resolution is to be not just a better Californian, but a truly great one. You seek to be a secular California saint, so revered that …

L.A., Where the World Convalesces

Today, It’s Chinese Health Tourists. A Century Ago, It Was American Consumptives Coming for the Sunshine.

by William Deverell | December 18, 2014

The historical record is full of such stories: He moved to Los Angeles “for health reasons.” She relocated to Southern California “for her health.” Booster rhymes of the late 19th …

Are Californians Big Losers?

From the Gold Rush to Marriage Equality, This State’s Success Stories Have Always Followed Spectacular Failures

by Joe Mathews | June 12, 2014

How do you win in California? Lose big first.

That’s a very old bit of wisdom in a state founded by people who abandoned their homes and families to move here …

When California Was Waterlogged

The 1862 Floods That Ravaged the West Were Just As Scary As the Drought That Plagues Us Today

by William J. Cowan | May 19, 2014

Frenzied, the people fled to higher ground along the far bank, saving little more than the soaked clothes slung over their bodies. Some of the last to escape had to …

California history