It's Tuesday. What you love most about where you live. Plus, a substantial atmospheric river will soak the West Coast this week.
On a recent short drive from my home in San Francisco, I ended up in Petaluma, where I had as close to a perfect day as possible. I strolled through antique stores, stumbled across a delicious lunch spot and walked along the river that meanders through the historic Sonoma County town. On our way home, my boyfriend and I remarked on just how much wonder seemed to be in our backyards. That appears to be the case in much of California, if my inbox is any indication. Readers have been writing to me recently about what they love most in their part of the state — and why they stay in California despite the high cost of living and what can often feel like a steady drumbeat of natural disasters. You can email me your own California love letter to CAtoday@nytimes.com. I always enjoy reading these messages. I hope you do, too. Here are some examples, lightly edited: "Outside of California, people don't know much about Davis, but I feel so lucky to live in this hidden gem. We loved bikes before we came, but living in the bicycle capital of America has totally changed us. I now bike everywhere — to work, to dinner, to my daughter's activities — and the game changer is that I feel completely safe doing so. Throw in the quintessential college town with our farmers' market, theaters, essential coffee shops, local book and record stores, and plenty of boba tea shops — all within an easy bike ride or walk — and you have a magical place." — Kari Edison Watkins, Davis "When I was a little girl traveling with my parents from Seattle to Sonoma on Highway 101, I thought the Ukiah Valley and the next one south to Hopland had to be among the most beautiful places on earth. Now, 70 years later, I still think so. It's hard to believe I am here." — Leslie H. Smyth, Ukiah Valley "I love San Diego County. One day many years ago, a friend and I had breakfast on the beach and a dip in the ocean. We packed a few things and drove one and a half hours up to Julian in the coastal mountains. Had lunch with a pal there, then continued east, another hour or so, down into the desert for dinner and an overnight in Borrego Springs. Beach, mountain, desert, all in one day. Changes in climate, plants, animals — even the air smelled different." — Sandra Zarcades, Rancho Santa Fe "I grew up in the New York metropolitan area, but in 1989 it was a series of Grateful Dead shows at the Kaiser auditorium in Oakland and at the Warfield that hooked me on their homeland. As the song goes, 'I'll be knocking on the golden door, like an angel standing in a shaft of light, rising up to paradise.' In California I feel perpetually bathed in that light. The Grateful Dead brought me to the promised land of adventurous, creative and poetic souls, coupled with breathtaking landscapes of ancient redwood and sequoia groves, thousand-foot cliffs hanging above the Pacific, stunning granite spires of the Sierra, vast majestic desert wilderness. California is a land of immense beauty, brilliance and creative possibility." — Albert Flynn DeSilver, Woodacre "As third-generation San Franciscans, we left the city for Carmel 30 years ago to have a family. Raising a family here was perfection. It has the charm of a small town, yet has a symphony and Sunset Center drawing nationally known entertainers. There's a stunning beach and a California outdoor lifestyle. We knew our children's friends and families, and decades later, many stay in touch. Unlike city life, most parents made it to their children's 3 p.m. sports tournaments and school events. Finally, we're an hour or two away from the big arenas, museums and plays in San Jose and San Francisco. It's been heaven." — Lori Silver, Carmel
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And before you go, some good newsAfter decades of state policies that allowed beavers to be hunted and removed from their habitats, state officials are beginning to recognize the role the animals play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem and making the state more climate-resilient. In an article for Bay Nature magazine, Erica Gies explores the history of California's beavers and the new efforts to restore them.
Beavers were once abundant in California, but they were nearly wiped out after being hunted for their fur for decades. As few as 1,300 beavers were left in the state by some estimates. Late last year, state and tribal agencies released a family of beavers in Plumas County with the goal of re-establishing a breeding population there, the first release of beavers for that purpose in California in almost 75 years. The state's new outlook on beavers mirrors similar moves by other Western states, and it comes after years of advocacy by environmental groups and experts who have pushed for coexistence with the animals and for restoration programs in some areas. "The activists are inspired by science that shows beaver wetlands buffer flood and drought, create firebreaks, and build habitat for other wildlife," Gies wrote. "In California and elsewhere, beavers' water storage skills will only increase in value with climate change, say scientists, as more precipitation falls as rain rather than snow." Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword. Maia Coleman and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
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California Today: Love Letters to California
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