florida, midwest, southwest, california, pacific northwest

Florida, Midwest, Southwest, California, Pacific Northwest

Florida

A peninsula in the extreme southeastern corner of the USA

4th most populated state

Lots of retirees, lots of ‘snowbirds’

Many Cuban and Puerto Ricans

About two-thirds of the population was born in another state

Florida was the first part of the USA to be visited by Europeans

In 1513 the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon came

Spain controlled it, then Britain (who divided it into East Florida and West Florida)

Then Spain got it again, who sold it to the USA for $5 million

In the 1830s -40s the government tried to kick out all of the Natives in Florida

Very low, flat state The Everglades=

an enormously wide, very slow-flowing river encompasses the southern tip of the peninsula

Called the “Sunshine State”, is usually very warm there and never snows

Hurricane Season lasts from June-November

They grow about 70% of all the citrus fruit in the USA

Its beautiful beaches

South Beach – right in Miami’s downtown, full of people and excitement

Key West – good for snorkelling

Clearwater Beach – might spot some dolphins

Caspersen Beach – you WILL find fossilized shark teeth in the sand

Blue crab Other seafood like

conch, spiny lobsters, scallops

Cuban sandwiches Key Lime pie

Miami: most Caribbean cruises leave from here, if you fly to the Caribbean you probably transferred here

Tampa Orlando Jacksonville

The most visited attraction in the world, 52.5 million visitors annually

It includes 24 themed resorts, 2 water parks and 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom)

Not to be confused with Disneyland in California

About 70% of Americans have been to one of the Disney parks

Go check out the unique architecture in Miami’s Art Deco district

Obviously, go to Disney World

Drive through the Florida Keys and relax in Key West

Swim with manatees Go watch rockets

launch at Cape Canaveral

Watch NASCAR racing at Daytona Raceway

Midwest

In the northern central part of the USA

It consists of: Illinois, Indiana,

Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin

Called ‘America’s Heartland’ Tornado Alley: an area in the Midwest

that gets the most tornadoes Prairies, pioneers, and farms Baseball and breweries Weird roadside attractions

Carhenge in Nebraska

The Basket Building in Ohio

The Corn Palace in South Dakota

World’s Biggest Muskie in Wisconsin

Jolly Green Giant in Minnesota

World’s Biggest Ketchup Bottle in Illinois

World’s largest frying pan in Iowa

World’s largest weathervane in Michigan

World’s largest rubber stamp in Ohio

The Great Plains – prairie landscape of flat grasslands

Some mountainous regions like the Ozarks

The first Europeans there were the French explorers

Was owned by France as part of the colony of ‘New France’, so it was in the same colony as most of Canada at the time

This was the land of pioneers in covered wagons

Pork Cheese Swedish pancakes Polish pierogi Chicago-style deep

dish pizza Kansas style BBQ

Chicago: the 3rd biggest nin the USA, called the ‘Windy City’ and ‘Second City’

Indianapolis: the Indy 500 races happen here

Detroit: home of Motown music, once a thriving town is now partly abandoned, the city filed for bankruptcy

Milwaukee: known for it breweries

St Louis: famous for its huge Arch landmark

Ride the weird, round elevator up the St Louis arch to see the view from the top

Go see Mount Rushmore

Explore Chicago Visit the Rock n Roll

Hall of Fame in Cleveland

Southwest

In the central and western part of the southern USA

It consists of: Nevada Utah Arizona New Mexico sometimes

Colorado

It has several different landscapes: Rocky desert with

cacti, mesas and buttes

Flat prairies and grassland

Rocky Mountains

Phoenix: the largest city in the Southwest

Denver: in the Rocky Mountains, known for good skiing

Las Vegas: famous for its gambling, hotels, and shows

Was once owned by Spain, was once part of Mexico

Gold and silver mines drew fortune seekers, and practically overnight the lawless mining towns of the Wild West mushroomed

Gorgeous national parks

Deserts and cacti Mesas, buttes and

weird rock formations

Large Mexican and Native populations

Chili (each state has its own version)

Fajitas, burritos Quesadillos,

nachos Enchiladas Guacamole

Stand in 4 states at once at Four Corners

Be in awe of the Grand Canyon

Discover the ancient ruins in Mesa Verde

Ride in a balloon over the New Mexico desert

Go crazy in Las Vegas for a weekend

California

In the Southwest corner of the USA, on the Pacific coast

California is huge and has many different landscapes Sandy beaches Mountains like the

Sierra Nevada Deserts like the

Mohave Desert Giant redwood

forests in the North Lush agricultural

lands

First owned by Spain, then Mexico, then the USA after the Mexican-American War

The California Gold Rush in the mid 1800s led to widescale immigration and an economic boom

Los Angeles: the 2nd largest in the USA, many celebrities live there

San Francisco: many landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard street

San Diego Sacramento

Sushi Organic

ingredients Fusion cooking

(joining together 2 different styles, such as Korean/Tex-Mex

Dungeness crab

It is the most populated state

Produces over half of all the USA’s fruit

Surfing, beach culture

Earthquakes Hollywood and

celebrities

See the Walk of Stars and the Hollywood sign

Drive through a tree in Redwood National Park

Explore beautiful Yosemite Park

Go on a tour of Alcatraz

Explore the wineries Take a trolley ride

through San Francisco

Pacific Northwest

In the Northwest corner of the USA

Oregon and Washington

Tall, snow-capped Rocky Mountains

Lush, temperate rainforests

Rocky coastline

The Spanish and the British fought over it

There were even some Russian explorers who sailed down the coast and settled there

Explorers Lewis and Clark were the first Americans to cross this area all the way to the ocean in 1804

Seattle : the largest in the region, Grunge music was born here, both Nirvana and Pearl Jam were from here

Portland: lots of microbreweries and food carts, they pride themselves on being a little weird

Seafood like salmon and shellfish

Game meats like moose, elk

Wild mushrooms and berries

Food carts that sell unique fusion food like Japanese hot dogs and Korean burritos

Near constant rain

Grunge music Environmentalism An easy going,

creative vibe Food trucks Great coffee Very Democratic

area

Watch fresh fish get thrown around in Pike Place Market

Ride to the top of the Space Needle

Go whalewatching and see some orcas up close

Hike through a dense rainforest

Relax in a coffeehouse and listen to some new music