A Letter from California, USA

A Letter from...

California, USA

Dear Friends,

I write to you from Corona, California. We sometimes jokingly call it "Corona No Del Mar" because so many people think of Corona Del Mar first! Corona Del Mar is along the Pacific Coast. Corona is in the "Inland Empire". The Inland Empire refers to Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California. We are inland, away from the ocean (no del mar).

Corona is in a terrific location. We are only 30 minutes from Disneyland (except at morning rush hour it could take three times that long). We are also less than an hour from the mountains. We can drive north or east and be in the desert in about an hour. Palm Springs is east of us. We can get to San Diego (driving past Top Gun's Miramar Air Station) in about an hour and a half, Hollywood in about an hour.

Southern California has something to interest just about anybody. We drive a lot on freeways in Southern California and you really need a car to get around. Public transportation isn't as good as it is in Europe and other places. European visitors have mentioned how far away everything is. We are used to it, and just get into our cars and go. We can go to a baseball, football, or hockey game or maybe the theater, museum or concert. There are many amusement parks with in an hour or hour and a half drive. We can go the beach and the snow on the same day if we want. Corona seems to be close to everything.

The city is called "The Circle City" because of a circular street in the middle of our downtown. Grand Circle makes a complete circle. Many years ago, they used the street for car races! In the center of the circle, where Main Street and Sixth Street cross, is our city library. It is a beautiful building that I think looks almost like a modern castle. South Corona used to be covered with orange groves. Corona was originally founded because of the citrus industry. The smell of orange blossoms is so fragrant. Unfortunately, most of the Corona orange groves have been replaced by houses. People like this area so much it keeps growing and growing.

Norco is the city directly north of us. Norco comes from (North Corona). It is an interesting city. The city motto is: "City Living in a Rural Atmosphere". There are very few sidewalks in Norco, but many horse trails. Sometimes people ride their horses to the grocery store. Many people in Norco own horses. Some people have pigs and goats and all sorts of other animals. Burt Ward, who played Robin in the old Batman television series, rescues Great Danes that people discard for whatever reason, and keeps them until he can find them good homes. Many people get animals that are cute when they are babies but they do not want them when they get older and bigger. Great Danes are very large dogs and need a lot of space to have a happy life. These dogs are very happy in Norco while they wait for a new home.

There are people of many different nationalities and religions in Corona. Many different languages are spoken. We are a very diverse area.

If you ever come to Corona, California, I hope you will visit our beautiful library and the Heritage Room. The Heritage Room has very nice displays, which show Corona's past.

Your friend,

Michelle

Last Updated:
11 May 2002