California is known for its many attractions; beaches, mountains, deserts and cities. However, it's not common knowledge that California also has windmills. These structures are prevalent throughout the state. Some windmills are of historical interest, while others serve practical functions, but all are interesting.
Solvang, a small town northwest of Santa Barbara, has a strictly Danish theme. Danish-style architecture dominates the town. The tallest structures in Solvang are its windmills, which were modeled after the water-pumping windmills of Denmark. Solvang's windmills, however, do not pump water, but are in place strictly for decorative interest.
The North Palm Springs Wind Farm is a large collection of electricity-producing windmills that stretches from the desert floor up to the hills surrounding the Banning Pass, a place where the wind blows 300 days a year. This Wind Farm produces enough electricity to power up the entire Palm Springs Area. The windmills are easily visible on both sides of the freeway from Interstate 10 as you're driving through the Banning Pass.
Even the city of San Francisco has windmills. Originally constructed in 1873, the Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park provided a low-cost water supply for the vast park's plants. Previously, water had been supplied by the Spring Valley Water Company, but their services grew to be expensive. Many people were skeptical about how much fresh water this windmill could pump, but it proved to successfully pump sufficient fresh water for the plants throughout Golden Gate Park. This windmill became obsolete with the use of electricity, but it still stands in Golden Gate Park as a tribute to its past.
The Altamont Pass Wind Farm is about one hour's drive east of San Francisco near the town of Livermore, and visible from Interstate 580. It has roughly 4,800 windmills, which produces 1.1 terawatt hours of electricity annually, according to Encyclopedia of Earth. The secret behind this wind farm's success is the fact that it is located between the colder climates of the San Francisco Bay Area and the warmer temperatures of the San Joaquin Valley. The temperature differential creates wind that blows steadily through the Altamont pass from the Bay Area to the valley. Construction started in 1981, making this one of the oldest wind farms in the world.
