California Differences

Having just moved to San Diego, California, I’ve noticed some unique things about it that I wanted to write down before they became commonplace to me.

Traffic lights – only one light above two lanes.

Snails on sidewalks after watering – similar to worms on sidewalks in the East.

California Refund Value (CRV) – you pay extra for cans and plastic bottles, and if you take them to a recycling center after emptying them, you get money back.

Increased speed limits on surface roads – surface roads I would consider 35 or 45 mph limits are posted as 50 or 55 mph. The locals drive very fast.

Bike lanes, and lots of bikes use them.

Interstates and state highways are referred to as “The Five” instead of “I-5” or “Interstate 5”; “The Seventy-Eight” instead of “CA-78” or “California 78” or “State Highway 78”.

Lots of pregnant women. I see more pregnant women here than anywhere I’ve lived. Maybe it is the weather. Maybe it is the water. Maybe it is the culture.

Lots of things are known to be toxic in the State of California. Proposition 65.

The traffic report includes delay time to get across the United States border to Mexico. The report also includes the delay coming into the United States from Mexico. Today it was a 2 hour delay.

Dr. Laura and Bill Handel are local radio hosts.

Sticks of butter in California stores have different dimensions than the ones I have seen in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, and Tennessee. Wikipedia says that the sticks are known as Western-Pack shape and are common West of the Rocky Mountains.