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Look up Californication in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Californication is a portmanteau of California and fornication, appearing in Time on May 6, 1966 [1] and written about on August 21, 1972, additionally seen on bumper stickers in the U.S. states of Idaho, [2] Washington, [3] Colorado, Oregon, Oklahoma, [4] [5] and Texas. [6]
It was a term popular in the 1970s and referring primarily to the "haphazard, mindless development [of land] that has already gobbled up most of Southern California", [7] which some attributed to an influx of Californians to other states in the Western United States.
One of the most well-known uses of the word occurs in the Red Hot Chili Peppers's album Californication (1999), which has a song by the same name. The song refers to a Hollywood-driven exportation of culture, with further references to plastic surgery, war, population control, and natural disasters. [8]
The concept is also familiar within the social sciences, and is understood as American cultural imperialism emanating from California. [9] This Californication is a particular ethos packaged as a cultural commodity and broadcast throughout the world in order to penetrate into other cultures.[ citation needed ]
Steven Malanga, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, said he believes that domestic migration from California is mainly driven by high housing costs and taxation rates in the state, citing polls with California residents on their desire to leave. Malanga suggested that migrants from California are likely to trend politically conservative, whereas liberals are less likely to want to leave the state. [10]
On November 7, 1972, in a statewide referendum, Colorado voters rejected a bond issue to fund the hosting of the 1976 Winter Olympics. The venue for the games would have been spread over 150 miles (240 km) and was widely viewed as a license for unbridled development. As part of the opposition to the bond, the slogan "Don't Californicate Colorado" was coined, appearing on bumper stickers and placards across the state. This rejection by Colorado voters followed a trend in the western states to blame California-style "mindless development" for the urban growth problems experienced in states like Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Oregon. [7]
Idaho was the fastest-growing state in the 2010s as the city of Boise experienced significant migration from California. Of the roughly 80,000 new Idaho residents in 2016, 17,000 arrived from California. Increased house purchases by out-of-state migrants, especially retirees, led to significant increases in real estate prices in and around Boise. [11] Idaho's appeal to Californians has been attributed to its low cost of living and high quality of life. [12]
Californication as a pejorative was a culmination of sentiments known in the 1940s, typified by Stewart Holbrook, author and Oregonian columnist, who campaigned through the fictitious James G. Blaine Society against development and unchecked population growth. [13] Similar groups—such as The Miller Society—jokingly promoted measures like building a 16-foot (4.9 m) tall fence all along Interstate 5 to prevent exiting between California and Washington, expelling non-native Oregon-born residents, and instituting a $5000 immigration fee. [14]
In 1965, Eugene's first planning commission began to question decades of promotion by chambers of commerce and developers. It referred to a 1959 pro-growth development plan and rampant road building as "All the way to San Jose"—an allusion to freeways' decreasing neighborhood livability. [14] Interstate 5 from California was completed the year before. Previously, the main route into Oregon from California was through twisty, two-lane U.S. Route 99.
Governor Tom McCall was interviewed by Terry Drinkwater and appeared on national television January 12, 1971, for his acclaimed conservation experience. Extemporaneously he said, "Come visit us again and again. But for heaven's sake, don't come here to live." [15] Soon, bumper stickers that discouraged migration to Oregon were widely seen: "The famous radioactive vapors of the Columbia River will get you!", and "Oregonians don't tan; they rust". The banner "Don't Californicate Oregon" became the symbol of James Cloutier's line of "Oregon Ungreeting Cards", which carried sentiments such as "Tom Lawson McCall, governor, on behalf of the citizens of the great state of Oregon, cordially invites you to visit... Washington or California or Idaho or Nevada or Afghanistan". [15]
Seattle Times columnist Emmett Watson remarked in a 1989 piece on Lesser Seattle that the "invasion of California nitwits to the Northwest" had reached "epidemic" proportions. [16]
The Boise, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is an area that encompasses Ada, Boise, Canyon, Gem, and Owyhee counties in southwestern Idaho, anchored by the cities of Boise and Nampa. It is the main component of the wider Boise–Mountain Home–Ontario, ID–OR Combined Statistical Area, which adds Elmore and Payette counties in Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon. It is the state's largest officially designated metropolitan area and includes Idaho's three largest cities: Boise, Nampa, and Meridian. Nearly 40 percent of Idaho's total population lives in the area.
WinCo Foods, Inc. is a privately held, majority employee-owned American supermarket chain based in Boise, Idaho, with retail stores in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington. It was founded in 1967 as a no-frills warehouse-style store with low prices. The stores feature extensive bulk food sections.
Christopher Scott Petersen is an American former college football coach. He was the head coach for eight seasons at Boise State University; Petersen guided the Broncos to two BCS bowl wins in the 2007 and 2010 Fiesta Bowls. He is the first two-time winner of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, which he won in 2006 and 2009. Petersen also won the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 2010. At the University of Washington, Petersen led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff in 2016, but fell to Alabama in the Peach Bowl. Petersen announced his resignation on December 2, 2019, effective after the team's bowl game.
Demosthenes Konstandies Andrecopoulos was an American college football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He was the head coach at the University of Idaho from 1962 to 1964 and Oregon State University from 1965 to 1975, compiling a career record of 62–80–2 (.438). A native of Oklahoma and a World War II veteran, Andros played college football as a guard at the University of Oklahoma. After retiring from coaching, he was the athletic director at Oregon State from 1976 to 1985.
Basque Americans are Americans of Basque descent. According to the 2000 US census, there are 57,793 Americans of full or partial Basque descent.
The Followers of Christ is a small Christian denomination based in the U.S. states of Oklahoma, Oregon, Idaho, formerly California, Montana, Utah, and was founded in Kansas.
The Brother Speed Motorcycle Club is an American outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Boise, Idaho in 1969, and is active in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. It once was referred to by the Oregon Department of Justice as one of the nine "motorcycle clubs" active in their state.
"Keep Portland Weird" is a popular slogan that appears on bumper stickers, signs, and public buildings throughout Portland, Oregon and its surrounding metro area. It originated from the "Keep Austin Weird" slogan and was originally intended to promote local businesses, though it has since evolved into an all-encompassing slogan that secondarily promotes individuality, expressionism, local art, as well as atypical lifestyle choices and leisure activities. The slogan frequently inspires articles and debate that attempt to quantify the exact level to which Portland is considered weird, unusual or eccentric. It has been called the unofficial motto of Portland, as well as the informal mantra of the city's residents.
The James G. Blaine Society is an unofficial organization dedicated to protecting the U.S. state of Oregon from overpopulation. It was founded in the early 1960s by writer Stewart Holbrook. The goal of the society is to discourage people from immigrating to Oregon. The society is named after James G. Blaine, a United States senator from Maine, because he never visited Oregon. The society has no organization, leaders, membership roster, meetings, or dues. However, the society was often mentioned in media articles about population growth in Oregon during the 1970s and 1980s.
The following television stations operate on virtual channel 34 in the United States:
The following television stations broadcast on digital channel 11 in the United States:
The following television stations broadcast on digital channel 21 in the United States:
The following television stations broadcast on digital channel 25 in the United States:
The following television stations broadcast on digital channel 31 in the United States:
The following low-power television stations broadcast on digital or analog channel 22 in the United States:
The following low-power television stations broadcast on digital or analog channel 31 in the United States:
The following low-power television stations broadcast on digital or analog channel 25 in the United States:
The following low-power television stations broadcast on digital or analog channel 20 in the United States:
The following television stations operate on virtual channel 10 in the United States:
Prost is a small chain of German beer bars in the United States.