The California Dream is the psychological motivation to gain fast wealth or fame in a new land. As a result of the California Gold Rush after 1849,

California's California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

name became indelibly connected with the Gold Rush, and fast success in a new world became known as the "California Dream". California was perceived as a place of new beginnings, where great wealth could reward hard work and good luck. The notion inspired the idea of an American Dream. California was seen as a lucky place, a land of opportunity and good fortune. It was a powerful belief, underlying many of the accomplishments of the state, and equally potent when threatened. Historian H. W. Brands noted that in the years after the Gold Rush, the California Dream spread across the nation: : Overnight, California gained the international reputation as the "golden state"—with gold and lawlessness the main themes.

Migrants

Generations of immigrants have been attracted by the California Dream. California farmers, oil drillers, movie makers, aerospace corporations and "dot-com" entrepreneurs have each had their boom times in the decades after the Gold Rush. Part of the "California Dream" was "that every family could have its own private home." As historian

Kevin Starr Kevin Owen Starr (September 3, 1940 – January 14, 2017) was an American historian and California's state librarian, best known for his multi-volume series on the history of California, collectively called "Americans and the California Dream." ...

has pointed out, for many if not most migrants to the golden state, "the dream outran the reality." The Okies of the 1930s "found their California dream transformed into a nightmare,' notes Walter Stein. As a result, "the California Dream is a love affair with an idea, a marriage to a myth"

Psychology

Observers report a common stereotyped perception that people are happier in California. This perception is anchored in the perceived superiority of the California climate, and is justified to some extent by the fact that Californians are indeed more satisfied with their climate than are Midwesterners, with much of California enjoying a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. Surveys of students show the advantages of life in California were not reflected in differences in the self-reported overall life satisfaction of those who live there.

20th century

Historian

in his seven-volume history of the state has explored in great depth the "California Dream"—the realization by ordinary Californians of the American Dream. California starting in the late 19th century promised the highest possible standard of life for the middle classes, and indeed for the skilled blue collar workers and farm owners as well. Poverty existed, but was concentrated among the migrant farm workers made famous in ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Priz ...

'', where the Joad family, driven out of the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) a ...

, searches for the California Dream. By the 1950s the Joads and the other "Okies" and "Arkies" (migrants from Oklahoma and Arkansas) were achieving the dream too. It was not so much the upper class (who preferred to live in New York and Boston). The California Dream meant an improved and more affordable family life: a small but stylish and airy house marked by a fluidity of indoor and outdoor space, such as the ubiquitous California bungalow and a lush backyard—the stage, that is, for quiet family life in a sunny climate. It meant very good jobs, excellent roads, plentiful facilities for outdoor recreation, and the schools and universities that were the best in the world by the 1940s. James M. Cain, an eastern writer who visited the Golden State, reported in 1933 that the archetypal Californian "addresses you in easy grammar, completes his sentences, shows familiarity with good manners, and in addition gives you a pleasant smile." Cultural phenomena which have fed into the California Dream include the rise of the Hollywood film industry,

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Coun ...

, California's aerospace industry, the California wine industry and the

Dotcom boom The dot-com bubble (dot-com boom, tech bubble, or the Internet bubble) was a stock market bubble in the late 1990s, a period of massive growth in the use and adoption of the Internet. Between 1995 and its peak in March 2000, the Nasdaq Compo ...

. The phrase has been used in describing Californian's struggles to find a suitable location in the state to achieve success, in 2017, when the cost of living in places like the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

were prohibitive. The phrase "Taking the Cure" was conjured to describe 1950s "u-haul" migrants who, after a year or so pined for home. One drive back home was enough to convince them to stay after all.

Popular culture

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The term has been referenced in numerous media, most notably in the song title ''

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 1 ...

'', with "California dreaming" used in book and film titles that reference some aspect of the California Dream, such as the 2007 film '' California_Dreaming''._ California_Dreaming''._Lawrence_Donegan">California_Dreaming_(TV_series)">California_Dreaming''._Lawrence_Donegan's_''California_Dreaming:_A_Smooth-running,_Low-mileage,_Cut-price_American_Adventure''_references_the_California,_(and_American)_Dream._Also_referencing_it_is_poet_Christopher_Buckley_(poet).html" ;"title="Lawrence_Donegan.html" ;"title="California Dreaming (TV series)">California Dreaming''. California_Dreaming_(TV_series)">California_Dreaming''._Lawrence_Donegan's_''California_Dreaming:_A_Smooth-running,_Low-mileage,_Cut-price_American_Adventure''_references_the_California,_(and_American)_Dream._Also_referencing_it_is_poet_Christopher_Buckley_(poet)">Christopher_Buckley's_''Sleepwalk:_California_dreamin'_and_a_last_dance_with_the_'60s''._Numerous_songs_have_been_written_about_the_California_Dream.

_See_also

*''Blue_Sky_Dream.html" ;"title="Lawrence Donegan">California Dreaming (TV series)">California Dreaming''. Lawrence Donegan's ''California Dreaming: A Smooth-running, Low-mileage, Cut-price American Adventure'' references the California, (and American) Dream. Also referencing it is poet Christopher Buckley (poet)">Christopher Buckley's ''Sleepwalk: California dreamin' and a last dance with the '60s''. Numerous songs have been written about the California Dream.

References

{{California California Gold Rush Pre-statehood history of California History of California American culture California culture