About Baja California Norte  Baja California Norte is a unique place known primarily as the border state that connects Mexico with Southern California. Boasting a breathtaking landscape that is comprised of four major mountain ranges and lovely coastal towns, Northern Baja is most commonly known for its municipality of Tijuana, the most visited town in all of Mexico. But it's the uniqueness of this border city alongside the beauty of the port town of Ensenada, the tranquility of Rosarito beach, and the charm of places like San Felipe that make Baja California Norte such a beautifully versatile state. The increasing popularity of this area for its wine production has added to the cultural offerings, with various vineyards scattered around the state that complement an already robust amount of sporting attractions.
Tijuana's urban culture isn't the traditional Mexico—but is slowly becoming more reputable with new cultural and sporting attractions, extensive shopping, and strong business growth that are brightening its image. It provides a nice contrast to the towns further south from the border. Ensenada is a lovely port city that features great sport fishing, surfing, and more of the Mexican culture that one might seek out of a beach town. It provides a beautiful backdrop from which to relax and enjoy a Mexican sunset. Likewise, Rosarito Beach has become more of a resort town after the movie Titanic was filmed here, and visitors will find a great beach equipped with all the modern amenities to which they are accustomed. The versatility of Baja California Norte make it a worthy trip indeed; join us this month we explore all that this area has to offer.
History
In the colonial period, Cortés sent five expeditions to the area of Baja California because there was word of a passage that linked the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the discovery of which would help Spain become more powerful. After founding a colony, the area eventually the area got the name of California, whose origins trace back to a novel called "Las sergas de Esplandián (The Exploits of Esplandián)." The book mentions an island of the same name to the right of America, governed by queen Califa and populated exclusively by women, where everything was supposedly made of gold. In this respect California was named in jest, to make light of the hardships of life there.
By the beginning of the 19th century, most of the present-day communities were established, Loreto in Baja Sur became the capital of just the peninsular area, and local governments were granted to places in Alta California like San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. In 1850, after Alta California had been annexed by the United States to become the US state of California, Baja California was further divided into northern and southern territories. In 1952 Northern Baja California became the 29th state of Mexico. |