RURAL CALIFORNIA 



fornia constitutes approximately two-thirds of the 

 national boundary of the continental United States 

 on the Pacific Ocean exclusive, of course, of Alaska. 



Disregarding the obliqueness of California, it is 

 usual to designate the boundaries of the State as fol- 

 lows: on the north, the state of Oregon; on the 

 east, the states of Nevada and Arizona from the lat- 

 ter of which it is separated by the Colorado River; 

 on the south, Mexico ; on the west, the Pacific Ocean. 

 It is the western environment of California which is 

 overwhelmingly important. The Pacific Ocean is 

 the dominating factor in determining the climate 

 of the State: it is, in historical and economic ways, 

 also the father of the State and it will be the archi- 

 tect of the future of California, not only in its 

 own development and its relations to national in- 

 tegrity of the United States, but in its service to the 

 world as the front line of occidental civilization and 

 enlightenment. 



California is most eligibly situated and naturally 

 endowed to discharge this world duty, for her front- 

 age on the Pacific Ocean includes two natural land- 

 locked harbors in the bays of San Diego and San 

 Francisco, the latter being popularly estimated to 

 have capacity enough to hold at anchor all the ocean- 

 crossing craft, both naval and merchant marine, of 

 all Pacific border countries. Government engineers 

 have also given California a third safe harbor at San 

 Pedro (Los Angeles) and several other indentations 

 of the coast line are available for harbor improve- 

 ment. The coast line of California lies but a few 



