Your Host Family lives in Northern California. Their community is in a geographic “cluster” of towns that has other Host Families and Au Pairs and is assisted by your Community Counselor.
California is on the Pacific Coast of the United States. Of the 50 states, California ranks 3rd in size (after Alaska and Texas) with an area of 155,959 square miles, or three-quarters the size of France, by comparison. California is first in population with about 37 million people, most of them in coastal cities. California leads the United States in agriculture and manufacturing.
Your cluster is one of many in the greater San Francisco area, and includes San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and “Silicon Valley” where the world’s computer age was born. While reminders (and missions) of three centuries of Spanish rule are everywhere, the area includes many high-technology industries which drive the economy. The San Francisco Area played a central role in the history of Spanish settlement, the American West and the Gold Rush. Today, San Francisco is one of the beautiful and great cities of the world.
Also known as the ‘Bay Area’ the greater San Francisco area, like all California, has a very diverse ethnic and cultural heritage, with numerous houses of worship for all faiths, restaurants serving a wide variety of cuisines in all price ranges, museums, theaters, operas, ballet, orchestras and more. San Francisco, and the Bay Area generally, have everything a big city has to offer. Lucas Films Studios (owned by George Lucas of “Star Wars” fame) is located near the Bay area.
Berkeley is home to the main campus of the University of California with its own, varied cultural life. For shopping, there is everything from discount to expensive retail, from large suburban malls to Chinatown boutiques, and farmers markets and sidewalk vendors.
Nearby recreational facilities include amusement parks, arcades, beaches, movie theaters, skating rinks, bowling alleys, tennis and basketball courts, golf courses, bicycle trails, swimming pools, picnic areas, parks, playgrounds, and much more.
Much of this area has extensive bus and train service. Some have streetcar and cable car service, but many of the outlying towns and parts of Silicon Valley have only limited public transit. The closest airports are San Francisco International, Oakland and San Jose airports.
The climate in Northern California is temperate. Summers are hot, with temperatures in the 90s Fahrenheit common, although it is usually cooler by the ocean. Winters can drop to freezing, but are usually mild. There is no snow except in the mountains above 5,000 feet.