So You Think You Know the Golden State?: A Story of Northern California Told in 100 Buildings

If those walls could talk...this is what they would say. A story about Northern California.

Sardines... Spanish missions... counterculture... trolley parks... Eichler Homes... kissing bridges... Santa Rosa plums... Russian colonization... crime and punishment... camels... lawn bowling... Hetch Hetchy... skiing... blimps... landfills... fire lookouts... big trees... Japanese internment camps... octagon houses... Carnegie libraries... post office murals... Googie architecture... Bear Flag Revolt. This book will have you telling stories like a native in no time.

The photos and stories collected here are a fast and fun way to learn the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that make Northern California uniquely California. Why did California's first railroad use a gauge seen nowhere else? Solved. Where was the largest ship ever constructed on the West Coast built? A mystery no more. Where was the U.S. Hickory Open contested in Northern California? Identified. Where is the world's first reinforced concrete bridge? Revealed.

Imagine a group of settlers arriving in an undeveloped location. First come shelters in which to live and then structures in which to work and shop. There are buildings for worship and education. As the community grows gov- ernment buildings are required. With prosperity comes places in which to spend leisure time. And each step along the way builds a story only Northern California can call its own. A story told in 100 buildings. Almost all of the se- lections within are open to the public, or at least visible from public spaces. So, if you haven't seen these landmarks in person, fire up your GPS and get out and see the story of the Golden State standing in plain sight on Northern California streets!