Interpreting California and “the West”

1 8 6 W A L 3 4 ( 2 ) S U M M E R 1 9 9 9 ac t u ally m o r e M e x ic a n t h a n w h e n I le ft it. Sp a n ish r ad io p r o gr am s, t ie n d as, r e st au r an t s, co lo r fu l p o st e r s a d v e r t isin g a M e x ic a n r o d e o — a c h ar r e ad a— su gge st a r e c o n q u e st in fu ll sw in g, r e m in d in g u s o f all t h e t er ritor y in 9 w e st er n st at e s t h a t w as o n c e lite r ally M e x ic o . V alley In d ian s ar e also m o r e p r e se n t t h a n b efo r e, in t h e fo r m o f t h e w ella d v e r t ise d T a b le M o u n t a in C a sin o . A s in t h e r e st o f t h e W e st , t h e o ld e x t r a c t iv e in d u st r ies o f lo ggin g, m in in g, an d r a n c h in g h a v e giv e n w ay t o t h e 2 n d h o m e s, v a c a t io n r eso r t s, r e t ir e m e n t c o m m u n it ie s, an d t o u r ist h a u n t s o f t h e n ew r e c r e a t io n a l W est. In M a d e r a I p ay a H in d u fo r gas an d b u y a F r e sn o B e e , w h er e I r e ad t h a t n e ar ly 2 o u t o f 5 p e o p le in t h e V alle y ar e n o w fo r e ign b o r n . N o t b ad , I t h in k . A lm o st lik e t h e O ld W e st o n c e again , w h e n t h e st a t e s w it h t h e la r ge st p e r c e n t a ge o f fo r e ign - b o r n p o p u la t io n w ere all w e st o f t h e M ississip p i. C a lifo r n ia is c h a n gin g, t h a t ’s fo r su r e. N o d o u b t fu t u r e n o v e ls w ill d r am at ize t r a n sfo r m at io n s a n d p a r a d o x e s w e h a v e n ’t p r e v io u sly se e n in lit e r at u r e . Bu t a s C a lifo r n ia c h a n ge s, it w ill c o n t in u e t o b e w h at it w as— m o r e , n o t less, w e st e r n t...