California

California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W).

Facts and Figures

Area, 158,693 sq mi (411,015 sq km). Pop. (2000) 33,871,648, a 13.8% increase since the 1990 census. Capital, Sacramento. Largest city, Los Angeles. Statehood, Sept. 9, 1850 (31st state). Highest pt., Mt. Whitney, 14,491 ft (4,417 m); lowest pt., Death Valley, 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. Nickname, Golden State. Motto, Eureka [I Have Found It]. State bird, California valley quail. State flower, golden poppy. State tree, California redwood. Abbr., Calif.; CA

Geography

Ranking third among the U.S. states in area, California has a diverse topography and climate. A series of low mountains known as the Coast Ranges extends along the 1,200-mi (1,930-km) coast. The region from Point Arena, N of San Francisco, to the southern part of the state is subject to tremors and sometimes to severe earthquakes caused by tectonic stress along the San Andreas fault. The Coast Ranges receive heavy rainfall in the north, where the giant cathedrallike redwood forests prevail, but the climate of these mountains is considerably drier in S California, and S of the Golden Gate no major rivers reach the ocean. Behind the coastal ranges in central California lies the great Central Valley, a long alluvial valley drained by the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. In the southeast lie vast wastelands, notably the Mojave Desert, site of Joshua Tree National Park.

Rising as an almost impenetrable granite barrier E of the Central Valley is the Sierra Nevada range, which includes Mt. Whitney, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, and Yosemite National Park. The Cascade Range, the northern continuation of the Sierra Nevada, includes Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lying E of the S Sierra Nevada is Death Valley National Park. The drier portions of the state especially are subject periodically to large, wind-driven fires; in certain hilly areas sometimes devastating mudslides occur, particularly in the rainy season after large fires.

Sacramento is the state capital. The largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Long Beach, Oakland, and Sacramento.

Economy

California has an enormously productive economy, which for a nation would be one of the ten largest in the world. Although agriculture is gradually yielding to industry as the core of the state's economy, California leads the nation in the production of fruits and vegetables, including carrots, lettuce, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, and almonds. The state's most valuable crops are grapes, cotton, flowers, and oranges; dairy products, however, contribute the single largest share of farm income, and California is again the national leader in this sector. The state also produces the major share of U.S. domestic wine. California's farms are highly productive as a result of good soil, a long growing season, and the use of modern agricultural methods. Irrigation is critical, especially in the San Joaquin Valley and Imperial Valley. The gathering and packing of crops is done largely by seasonal migrant labor, primarily Mexicans. Fishing is another important industry.

Much of the state's industrial production depends on the processing of farm produce and upon such local resources as petroleum, natural gas, lumber, cement, and sand and gravel. Since World War II, however, manufacturing, notably of electronic equipment, computers, machinery, transportation equipment, and metal products, has increased enormously. Defense industries, a base of the economy especially in S California, have declined following the end of the cold war, a serious blow to the state. But many high-tech companies and small low-tech, often low-wage, companies remain in S California, in what is said to be the largest manufacturing belt in the United States. Farther north, "Silicon Valley," between Palo Alto and San Jose, so called because it is the nation's leading producer of semiconductors, is also a focus of software development.

California continues to be a major U.S. center for motion-picture, television film, and related entertainment industries, especially in Hollywood and Burbank. Tourism also is an important source of income. Disneyland, Sea World, and other theme parks draw millions of visitors each year, as do San Francisco with its numerous attractions and several entertainment-dominated Los Angeles–area communities. California also abounds in natural beauty, seen especially in its many national parks and forests—home to such attractions as Yosemite Falls and giant sequoia trees—and along miles of Pacific beaches.

One of the state's most acute problems is its appetite for water. The once fertile Owens valley is now arid, its waters tapped by Los Angeles 175 mi (282 km) away. In the lush Imperial Valley, irrigation is controlled by the All-American Canal, which draws from the Colorado River. In the Central Valley the water problem is one of poor distribution, an imbalance lessened by the vast Central Valley project. Cutbacks in federally funded water projects in the 1970s and 80s led many California cities to begin buying water from areas with a surplus, but political problems associated with water sharing continue. California's failure to develop a long-term plan to end surplus withdrawals from the Colorado led the federal government to stop the release of surplus water to the state in 2003.

Government, Politics, and Higher Education

The state's first constitution was adopted in 1849. The present constitution, dating from 1879, is noted for its provisions for public initiative and referendum—which have led at times to difficulties in governance—and for recall of public officials. The state's executive branch is headed by a governor elected for a four-year term. California's bicameral legislature has a senate with 40 members and an assembly with 80 members. The state elects 2 senators and 52 representatives to the U.S. Congress and has 54 electoral votes. In the 1980s and 1990s, California elected Republican governors—George Deukemejian (1982, 1986) and Pete Wilson (1990, 1994)— before the Democrat Gray Davis was elected in 1998 (and reelected in 2002). In 2003, Davis was recalled and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected to succeed him; Schwarzenegger was reelected in 2006. In 1992, California became the first state to simultaneously elect two women to the U.S. Senate—Democrats Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.

Among the state's more prominent institutions of higher learning are the Univ. of California, with nine campuses; the California State University System, with 23 campuses; Occidental College and the Univ. of Southern California, at Los Angeles; Stanford Univ., at Stanford; the California Institute of Technology, at Pasadena; Mills College, at Oakland; and the Claremont Colleges, at Claremont. After a period from the 1960s through the 1970s when the state's well-financed public institutions were the envy of the nation, California's colleges have been forced to retrench by tax-cutting initiatives.

History

European Exploration and Colonization

The first voyage (1542) to Alta California (Upper California), as the region north of Baja California (Lower California) came to be known, was commanded by the Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, who explored San Diego Bay and the area farther north along the coast. In 1579 an English expedition headed by Sir Francis Drake landed near Point Reyes, N of San Francisco, and claimed the region for Queen Elizabeth I. In 1602, Sebastián Vizcaíno, another Spaniard, explored the coast and Monterey Bay.

Colonization was slow, but finally in 1769 Gaspar de Portolá, governor of the Californias, led an expedition up the Pacific coast and established a colony on San Diego Bay. The following year he explored the area around Monterey Bay and later returned to establish a presidio there. Soon afterward Monterey became the capital of Alta California. Accompanying Portolá's expedition was Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan missionary who founded a mission at San Diego. Franciscans later founded several missions that extended as far N as Sonoma, N of San Francisco. The missionaries sought to Christianize the Native Americans but also forced them to work as manual laborers, helping to build the missions into vital agricultural communities (see Mission Indians). Cattle raising was of primary importance, and hides and tallow were exported. The missions have been preserved and are now open to visitors.

In 1776, Juan Bautista de Anza founded San Francisco, where he established a military outpost. The early colonists, called the Californios, lived a pastoral life and for the most part were not interfered with by the central government of New Spain (as the Spanish empire in the Americas was called) or later (1820s) by that of Mexico. The Californios did, however, become involved in local politics, as when Juan Bautista Alvarado led a revolt (1836) and made himself governor of Alta California, a position he later persuaded the Mexicans to let him keep. Under Mexican rule the missions were secularized (1833–34) and the Native Americans released from their servitude. The degradation of Native American peoples, which continued under Mexican rule and after U.S. settlers came to the area, was described by Helen Hunt Jackson in her novel Ramona (1884). Many mission lands were subsequently given to Californios, who established the great ranchos, vast cattle-raising estates. Colonization of California remained largely Mexican until the 1840s.

Russian and U.S. Settlement

Russian fur traders had penetrated south to the California coast and established Fort Ross, north of San Francisco, in 1812. Jedediah Strong Smith and other trappers made the first U.S. overland trip to the area in 1826, but U.S. settlement did not become significant until the 1840s. In 1839, Swiss-born John Augustus Sutter arrived and established his "kingdom" of New Helvetia on a vast tract in the Sacramento valley. He did much for the overland American immigrants, who began to arrive in large numbers in 1841. Some newcomers met with tragedy, including the Donner Party, which was stranded in the Sierra Nevada after a heavy snowstorm.

Political events in the territory moved swiftly in the next few years. After having briefly asserted the independence of California in 1836, the Californios drove out the last Mexican governor in 1845. Under the influence of the American explorer John C. Frémont, U.S. settlers set up (1846) a republic at Sonoma under their unique Bear Flag. The news of war between the United States and Mexico (1846–48) reached California soon afterward. On July 7, 1846, Commodore John D. Sloat captured Monterey, the capital, and claimed California for the United States. The Californios in the north worked with U.S. soldiers, but those in the south resisted U.S. martial law. In 1847, however, U.S. Gen. Stephen W. Kearny defeated the southern Californios. By the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), Mexico formally ceded the territory to the United States.

The Gold Rush

In 1848, the year that California became a part of the United States, another major event in the state's history occurred: While establishing a sawmill for John Sutter near Coloma, James W. Marshall discovered gold and touched off the California gold rush. The forty-niners, as the gold-rush miners were called, came in droves, spurred by the promise of fabulous riches from the Mother Lode. San Francisco rapidly became a boom city, and its bawdy, lawless coastal area, which became known as the Barbary Coast, gave rise to the vigilantes, extralegal community groups formed to suppress civil disorder. American writers such as Bret Harte and Mark Twain have recorded the local color as well as the violence and human tragedies of the roaring mining camps.

Statehood and Immigration

With the gold rush came a huge increase in population and a pressing need for civil government. In 1849, Californians sought statehood and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, nonslavery state by the Compromise of 1850. San Jose became the capital. Monterey, Vallejo, and Benicia each served as the capital before it was moved to Sacramento in 1854. In 1853, Congress authorized the survey of a railroad route to link California with the eastern seaboard, but the transcontinental railroad was not completed until 1869. In the meantime communication and transportation depended upon ships, the stagecoach, the pony express, and the telegraph.

Chinese laborers were imported in great numbers to work on railroad construction. The Burlingame Treaty of 1868 (see Burlingame, Anson) provided, among other things, for unrestricted Chinese immigration. That was at first enthusiastically endorsed by Californians; but after a slump in the state's shaky economy, the white settlers viewed the influx of the lower-paid Chinese laborers as an economic threat. Ensuing bitterness and friction led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (see Chinese exclusion).

A railroad-rate war (1884) and a boom in real estate (1885) fostered a new wave of overland immigration. Cattle raising on the ranchos gave way to increased grain production. Vineyards were planted by 1861, and the first trainload of oranges was shipped from Los Angeles in 1886.

Industrialization and Increased Settlement

By the turn of the century the discovery of oil, industrialization resulting from the increase of hydroelectric power, and expanding agricultural development attracted more settlers. Los Angeles grew rapidly in this period and, in population, soon surpassed San Francisco, which suffered greatly after the great earthquake and fire of 1906. Improvements in urban transportation stimulated the growth of both Los Angeles and San Francisco; the advent of the cable car and the electric railway made possible the development of previously inaccessible areas.

As industrious Japanese farmers acquired valuable land and a virtual monopoly of California's truck-farming operations, the issue of Asian immigration again arose. The bitter struggle for the exclusion of Asians plagued international relations, and in 1913 the California Alien Land Act was passed despite President Woodrow Wilson's attempts to block it. The act provided that persons ineligible for U.S. citizenship could not own agricultural land in California.

Successive waves of settlers arrived in California, attracted by a new real-estate boom in the 1920s and by the promise of work in the 1930s. The influx during the 1930s of displaced farm workers, depicted by John Steinbeck in his novel The Grapes of Wrath, caused profound dislocation in the state's economy. During World War II the Japanese in California were removed from their homes and placed in relocation centers. Industry in California expanded rapidly during the war; the production of ships and aircraft attracted many workers who later settled in the state.

Growing Pains and Natural Disasters

Prosperity and rapid population growth continued after the war. Many African Americans who came during World War II to work in the war industries settled in California. By the 1960s they constituted a sizable minority in the state, and racial tensions reached a climax. In 1964, California voters approved an initiative measure, Proposition 14, allowing racial discrimination in the sale or rental of housing in the state, a measure later declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1965 riots broke out in Watts, a predominantly black section of Los Angeles, touching off a wave of riots across the United States. Also in the 1960s migrant farm workers in California formed a union and struck many growers to obtain better pay and working conditions. Unrest also occurred in the state's universities, especially the Univ. of California at Berkeley, where student demonstrations and protests in 1964 provoked disorders.

Republicans have generally played a more dominant role than Democrats in California politics during the 20th cent. From the end of World War II through the mid-1990s alone, five of the seven governors were Republicans, starting with Earl Warren (1943–53). Ronald Reagan, a former movie actor and a leading conservative Republican, was elected governor in 1966 and reelected in 1970; he later served two terms as U.S president. The two Democrats were liberals Edmund G. (Pat) Brown (1959–67) and his son Jerry Brown (1975–83). In the late 1970s, Californians staged a "tax revolt" that attracted national attention, passing legislation to cut property taxes.

During the 1970s and 80s California continued to grow rapidly, with a major shift of population to the state's interior. The metropolitan areas of Riverside–San Bernardino, Modesto, Stockton, Bakersfield, and Sacramento were among the fastest growing in the nation during the 1980s. Much of the state's population growth was a result of largely illegal immigration from Mexico; there was also a heavy infux of immigrants from China, the Philippines, and SE Asia.

Population growth and immigration contributed to growing economic pressures, as did cuts in federal defense spending; meanwhile, social tensions also increased. In Apr., 1992, four white Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of brutality charges after they had been videotaped beating a black motorist; the verdict touched off riots in South-Central Los Angeles and other neighborhoods, resulting in 58 deaths, thousands of arrests, and approximately $1 billion in property damage.

In addition to periodic heavy flooding and brushfires, earthquakes have caused widespread damage in California. In Oct., 1989, a major earthquake killed about 60 people and injured thousands in Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay area. In Jan., 1994, an earthquake hit the Northridge area of N Los Angeles, killing some 60 people and causing at least $13 billion in damage.

In a backlash against illegal immigration, California voters in 1994 approved Proposition 187, an initiative barring the state from providing most services—including welfare, education, and nonemergency medical care—to illegal immigrants. Federal courts found much of Proposition 187 unconstitutional; the appeal of their rulings was dropped in 1999, at a time when the state's economy had rebounded and a Democratic administration was in Sacramento.

In late 2000, California began experiencing an electricity crisis as insufficient generating capacity and increasing short-term wholesale prices for power squeezed the state's two largest public utilities, who, under the "deregulation" plan they had agreed to in the early 1990s, were not allowed to pass along their increased costs. As the state worked to come up with both short-term and long-time solutions to the situation, consumers experienced sporadic blackouts and faced large rate hikes under the terms of a bailout plan. The crisis was severe enough that it was expected to slow the state's economic growth. Evidence subsequently emerged of both price gouging and market manipulation by a number of energy companies.

The economic downturn in the early 2000s resulted in enormous budget shortfalls for California's state government, and made Governor Gray Davis increasingly unpopular. A recall petition financed mainly by a Republican congressman who withdrew from the subsequent election led to a vote (Oct., 2003) that removed Davis from office. The actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, was elected to succeed him.

Bibliography

See L. Pitt, The Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish Speaking Californians, 1846–1890 (1967); R. Kirsch, West of the West: Witnesses to the California Experience, 1542–1906 (1968); R. J. Roske, Everyman's Eden: A History of California (1968); C. A. Hutchinson, Frontier Settlement in Mexican California (1969); W. Bean, California: An Interpretive History (2d. ed. 1973); M. W. Donley, Atlas of California (1979); D. W. Lantis, California: Land of Contrast (3d ed. 1981); C. Miller and R. S. Hyslop, California: The Geography of Diversity (1983); T. H. Watkins, California: An Illustrated History (1983); J. D. Hart, A Companion to California (1984); T. Muller, The Fourth Wave: California's Newest Immigrants (1985); A. F. Rolle, California: A History (4th ed. 1987); P. Schrag, Paradise Lost (1998).

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California

State (pop., 2000: 33,871,648), western U.S. Lying on the Pacific Ocean, it is bordered by Mexico and the U.S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. California is the largest state in population and the third largest in area (158,647 sq mi [410,895 sq km]), extending about 800 mi (1,300 km) north to south and 250 mi (400 km) east to west. Its capital is Sacramento. Within 85 mi (137 km) of each other lie Mount Whitney and Death Valley, the highest and lowest points in the 48 contiguous states. It was inhabited originally by American Indians. The first European coastal expansion took place in 1542–43 when Juan Cabrillo established a Spanish claim to the area. The first mission was established by Junipero Serra at San Diego in 1769. The region remained under Spanish and, after the 1820s, Mexican control until it was taken by U.S. forces in the Mexican War and ceded to the U.S. by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. Though settlement had begun by the U.S. in 1841, it was greatly accelerated by the 1848 gold rush. California was admitted to the Union in 1850 as a nonslavery state under the Compromise of 1850. Its already expanding population grew immensely in the 20th century. It has the largest economy of any U.S. state. It has suffered severe earthquakes, most destructively those of San Francisco in 1906 and 1989 and Los Angeles in 1994.

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California

1. a state on the W coast of the US: the third largest state in area and the largest in population; consists of a narrow, warm coastal plain rising to the Coast Range, deserts in the south, the fertile central valleys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, and the mountains of the Sierra Nevada in the east; major industries include the growing of citrus fruits and grapes, fishing, oil production, electronics, information technology, and films. Capital: Sacramento. Pop.: 35 484 453 (2003 est.). Area: 411 015 sq. km (158 693 sq. miles)

2. Gulf of. an arm of the Pacific Ocean, between Sonora and Lower California

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California State Information

Phone: (916) 657-9900
www.ca.gov


Area (sq mi): 163695.57 (land 155959.34; water 7736.23). Pop per sq mi: 231.70.
Pop 2005: 36,132,147. State rank: 0. Pop change: 2000-20005 6.70%; 1990-2000 13.80%. Pop 2000: 33,871,648 (White 46.70%; Black or African American 6.70%; Hispanic or Latino 32.40%; Asian 10.90%; Other 22.80%). Foreign born: 26.20%. Median age: 33.30.
Income 2000: per capita $22,711; median household $47,493; Pop below poverty level: 14.20%. *Personal per capita income 2000-2003: $32,464-$33,415.
Unemployment 2004: 6.20%. Change from 2000: 1.30%. Median travel time to work: 27.70 minutes. Working outside county of residence: 17.10%.

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List of California counties:

Alameda County Alpine County Amador County Butte County Calaveras County Colusa County Contra Costa County Del Norte County El Dorado County Fresno County Glenn County Humboldt County Imperial County Inyo County Kern County Kings County Lake County Lassen County Los Angeles County Madera County

Marin County Mariposa County Mendocino County Merced County Modoc County Mono County Monterey County Napa County Nevada County Orange County Placer County Plumas County Riverside County Sacramento County San Benito County San Bernardino County San Diego County San Francisco City & County San Joaquin County San Luis Obispo County

San Mateo County Santa Barbara County Santa Clara County Santa Cruz County Shasta County Sierra County Siskiyou County Solano County Sonoma County Stanislaus County Sutter County Tehama County Trinity County Tulare County Tuolumne County Ventura County Yolo County Yuba County

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California Parks

• US National Parks

  Cabrillo National Monument Channel Islands National Park Death Valley National Park Devils Postpile National Monument Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site Fort Point National Historic Site Golden Gate National Recreation Area John Muir National Historic Site

  Joshua Tree National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park Lava Beds National Monument Manzanar National Historic Site Mojave National Preserve Muir Woods National Monument Pinnacles National Monument Point Reyes National Seashore

  Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Redwood National and State Parks Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area Yosemite National Park

• Urban Parks

  Alum Rock Park Anderson Lake County Park Balboa Park Black Mountain Open Space Park Del Paso Park El Dorado East Regional Park El Dorado Park West Elysian Park Golden Gate Park

  Griffith Park Joaquin Miller Park John McLaren Park Kelley Park Lake Cunningham Regional Park Lake Merced Lakeside Park Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve Mission Bay Park

  Mission Trails Regional Park O'Melveny Park Recreation Park Regional Sports Park Roeding Regional Park Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area Tilden Park William Land Park Woodward Regional Park

• State Parks

  Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park Anderson Marsh State Historic Park Andrew Molera State Park Angel Island State Park Annadel State Park Año Nuevo State Reserve Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds Auburn State Recreation Area Austin Creek State Recreation Area Azalea State Reserve Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park Bean Hollow State Beach Benbow Lake State Recreation Area Benicia Capitol State Historic Park Benicia State Recreation Area Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park Big Basin Redwoods State Park Bodie State Historic Park Bolsa Chica State Beach Border Field State Park Bothe-Napa Valley State Park Brannan Island State Recreation Area Burleigh H. Murray Ranch Burton Creek State Park Butano State Park Calaveras Big Trees State Park California Citrus State Historic Park California State Capitol Museum California State Indian Museum California State Mining & Mineral Museum California State Railroad Museum Candlestick Point State Recreation Area Cardiff State Beach Carlsbad State Beach Carmel River State Beach Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area Carpinteria State Beach Caspar Headlands State Beach & State Reserve Castaic Lake State Recreation Area Castle Crags State Park Castle Rock State Park Caswell Memorial State Park Cayucos State Beach China Camp State Park Chino Hills State Park Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area Clear Lake State Park Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park Columbia State Historic Park Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area Corona del Mar State Beach Crystal Cove State Park Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park Delta Meadows DL Bliss State Park Dockweiler State Beach Doheny State Beach Donner Memorial State Park Eastshore State Park Edward Z'Berg Sugar Pine Point State Park El Capitan State Beach El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park Emerald Bay State Park Emma Wood State Beach Empire Mine State Historic Park Estero Bay State Beach Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park Forest of Nisene Marks State Park Fort Humboldt State Historic Park Fort Ord Dunes State Park Fort Ross State Historic Park Fort Tejon State Historic Park Franks Tract State Recreation Area Fremont Peak State Park Garrapata State Park Gaviota State Park George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area

  Governor's Mansion State Historic Park Gray Whale Cove State Beach Great Valley Grasslands State Park Greenwood State Beach Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park Grover Hot Springs State Park Half Moon Bay State Beach Harry A. Merlo State Recreation Area Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument Heber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area Hendy Woods State Park Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Henry W. Coe State Park Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area Humboldt Lagoons State Park Humboldt Redwoods State Park Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area Huntington State Beach Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park Indio Hills Palms Jack London State Historic Park Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park John Little State Reserve John Marsh Home Jug Handle State Reserve Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area Kings Beach State Recreation Area Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve La Purisima Mission State Historic Park Lake Del Valle State Recreation Area Lake Oroville State Recreation Area Lake Perris State Recreation Area Lake Valley State Recreation Area Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park Leo Carillo State Park Leucadia State Beach Lighthouse Field State Beach Limekiln State Park Little River State Beach Los Angeles State Historic Park Los Encinos State Historic Park Los Osos Oaks State Reserve MacKerricher State Park Maillard Redwoods State Reserve Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Lagoon State Beach Manchester State Park Mandalay State Beach Manresa State Beach Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park Marina State Beach Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park McConnell State Recreation Area McGrath State Beach Mendocino Headlands State Park Mendocino Woodlands State Park Millerton Lake State Recreation Area Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve Montaña de Oro State Park Montara State Beach Monterey State Beach Monterey State Historic Park Montgomery Woods State Reserve Moonlight State Beach Morro Bay State Park Morro Strand State Beach Moss Landing State Beach Mount Diablo State Park Mount San Jacinto State Park Mount Tamalpais State Park Natural Bridges State Beach Navarro River Redwoods State Park New Brighton State Beach Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area Old Sacramento State Historic Park Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Olompali State Historic Park Pacheco State Park Pacifica State Beach Palomar Mountain State Park Patrick's Point State Park Pelican State Beach Pescadero State Beach Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park

  Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Picacho State Recreation Area Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park Pio Pico State Historic Park Pismo State Beach Placerita Canyon State Park Plumas-Eureka State Park Point Dume State Beach Point Lobos Ranch Point Lobos State Reserve Point Montara Light Station Point Mugu State Park Point Sal State Beach Point Sur State Historic Park Pomponio State Beach Portola Redwoods State Park Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Providence Mountains State Recreation Area Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Red Rock Canyon State Park Refugio State Beach Richardson Grove State Park Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach Robert Louis Stevenson State Park Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach Russian Gulch State Park Saddleback Butte State Park Salinas River State Beach Salt Point State Park Salton Sea State Recreation Area Samuel P. Taylor State Park San Bruno Mountain State Park San Buenaventura State Beach San Clemente State Beach San Elijo State Beach San Gregorio State Beach San Juan Bautista State Historic Park San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area San Onofre State Beach San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park San Simeon State Park Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park Santa Monica State Beach Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Schooner Gulch State Beach Seacliff State Beach Shasta State Historic Park Silver Strand State Beach Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area Sinkyone Wilderness State Park Smithe Redwoods State Reserve Sonoma Coast State Beach Sonoma State Historic Park South Carlsbad State Beach South Yuba River State Park Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Sunset State Beach Sutter Buttes State Park Sutter's Fort State Historic Park Tahoe State Recreation Area Tolowa Dunes State Park Tomales Bay State Park Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park Topanga State Park Torrey Pines State Beach Torrey Pines State Reserve Trinidad State Beach Tule Elk State Reserve Turlock Lake State Recreation Area Twin Lakes State Beach Van Damme State Park Verdugo Mountains Ward Creek Washoe Meadows State Park Wassama Round House State Historic Park Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park Westport-Union Landing State Beach Wilder Ranch State Park Will Rogers State Beach Will Rogers State Historic Park William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach Woodland Opera House State Historic Park Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area Zmudowski State Beach

• Parks and Conservation-Related Organizations - US

  American Trails California Park & Recreation Society (CPRS) California State Parks Foundation Camping Women Earth Island Institute Earthjustice Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC)

  Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC) Friends of the River League to Save Lake Tahoe Mountain Lion Foundation National Forest Recreation Association (NFRA) National Pony Express Association Ocean Futures Society

  Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) Rainforest Action Network (RAN) Save-the-Redwoods League Sierra Club Trust for Public Land (TPL) Yosemite Association (YA)

• National Wildlife Refuges

  Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuge Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge Colusa National Wildlife Refuge Delevan National Wildlife Refuge Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Ellicott Slough National Wildlife Refuge Farallon National Wildlife Refuge

  Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge Havasu National Wildlife Refuge Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Kern National Wildlife Refuge Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge Merced National Wildlife Refuge Modoc National Wildlife Refuge Pixley National Wildlife Refuge Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge

  San Diego National Wildlife Refuge San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge San Luis National Wildlife Refuge San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Sutter National Wildlife Refuge Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge

• National Trails

  Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

  Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

• National Scenic Byways

  Arroyo Seco Historic Parkway - Route 110 Big Sur Coast Highway - Route 1 Death Valley Scenic Byway

  Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway - Route 1 Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road

  Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway - California Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway - Oregon

• National Grasslands

  Butte Valley National Grassland

• National Forests

  Angeles National Forest Cleveland National Forest Eldorado National Forest Inyo National Forest Klamath National Forest Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

  Lassen National Forest Los Padres National Forest Mendocino National Forest Modoc National Forest Plumas National Forest San Bernardino National Forest

  Sequoia National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest Sierra National Forest Six Rivers National Forest Stanislaus National Forest Tahoe National Forest

• Marine Sanctuaries

  Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary

  Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

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California

Thirty-first state; admitted on September 9, 1850

City and state offices, banks, and public schools close in Cal­ifornia to mark this legal holiday on the first Monday in Sep­tember. Two organizations—the Native Sons of the Golden West and the Native Daughters of the Golden West—have sponsored annual programs in different locations through­out the state each year. In addition, many communities hold festivities of their own, including parades, music, food, and dancing.

State capital: Sacramento

Nickname: The Golden State

State motto: Eureka (Greek “I Have Found It”)

State animal: California grizzly bear (Ursus (arctos) horri­bilis)

State bird: California valley quail (Callipepla californica)

State colors: Yale blue and golden yellow

State dance: West Coast swing dance

State fife and drum band: The California Consolidated Drum Band

State fish: South Fork golden trout (Salmo aguabonita)

State folk dance: Square dance

State fossil: California saber-toothed cat (Smilodon californi­cus)

State flower: California poppy (Eschscholtzia californica)

State gemstone: Benitoite

State gold rush ghost town: Bodie

State grass: Purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra)

State insect: California dog-face butterfly (flying pansy)

State marine fish: Garibaldi

State marine mammal: California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)

State military museum: The California State Military Museum and Resource Center

State mineral: Native gold

State prehistoric artifact: Chipped stone bear

State reptile: California desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

State rock: Serpentine

State silver rush ghost town: Calico

State soil: San Joaquin soil

State song: “I Love You, California”

State tall ship: Californian

State tartan: California State Tartan

State theater: Pasadena Playhouse

State trees: Two species of California redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens and Sequoia gigantea)

More about the state at:

www.learncalifornia.org/doc.asp?ID=678

SOURCES:

AmerBkDays-2000, p. 636 AnnivHol-2000, p. 152

CONTACT:

Native Daughters of the Golden West 543 Baker St. San Francisco, CA 94117-1405 800-994-6349 415-563-9091 fax: 415-563-5230 www.ndgw.org ndgwgpo@mindspring.com

Native Sons of the Golden West 414 Mason St. San Francisco, CA 94102 415-392-1223 fax: 415-392-1224 www.nsgw.org/sesqui.html nsgwgp@pacbell.net

STATE OFFICES:

State web site: www.ca.gov

Office of the Governor State Capitol 1st Fl Sacramento, CA 95814 916-445-2841 fax: 916-445-4633 www.governor.ca.gov

Secretary of State 1500 11th St Sacramento, CA 95814 916-653-6814 fax: 916-653-4620 www.ss.ca.gov

California State Library 914 Capitol Mall Sacramento, CA 95814 916-654-0261 fax: 916-654-0241 www.library.ca.gov

Legal Holidays:

Cesar Chavez Day	Mar 31
Day after Thanksgiving	Nov 25, 2011; Nov 23, 2012; Nov 29, 2013; Nov 28, 2014; Nov 27, 2015
Lincoln's Birthday	Feb 12
Washington's Birthday	Feb 21, 2011; Feb 20, 2012; Feb 18, 2013; Feb 17, 2014; Feb 16, 2015

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California 

a state on the Pacific coast of the USA, on the border with Mexico. Area, 411,000 sq km; population, 19.95 million (1970). The capital of the state is Sacramento; Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego are the largest cities. In 1970, 90.9 percent of the population was urban.

The state is mountainous: the Coast Ranges extend longitudinally in the west, with elevations above 2, 500 m (Mt. Pinos), and the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, including Mt. Whitney (4, 418 m), are in the east. In the north and south these mountain ranges are connected by rather low mountains that enclose the Central Valley, which is watered by the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The Mojave, a sand desert, and deep tectonic depressions, such as Death Valley and the Salton Sea, are located in the extreme east and southeast. California is subject to earthquakes. The climate on the coast is Mediterranean, with a warm summer and a damp winter. The vegetation consists of mountain pine forests and sclerophyllous evergreen shrubbery. The climate on the interior slopes of the mountains and in the Central Valley is hot and dry. Most of the valley is under cultivation, and the southern districts and the foothills are covered with annual grasses and bushes. Located in California are the Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.

California is the most rapidly developing state of the USA, the first in number of incoming settlers, and one of the most important economically. The settlement of the state in the middle of the 19th century was linked with the “gold rush.” California’s population grew from 1.5 million in 1900 to 10.6 million in 1950 and to 19.7 million in 1967, when it became the most populous state in the USA. The population grew by 48 percent from 1950 to 1960 and by 27 percent from 1960 to 1970. More than 90 percent of the population is concentrated in the coastal plains of southern and central California and in the Central Valley. California is first among the states of the USA in commercial agriculture and in the number of automobiles and is second in employment in manufacturing (1.6 million in 1970).

Approximately 50 million tons of oil and much natural gas are extracted annually, mainly in the Los Angeles area. Gold, mercury, potassium salts, and iron ore are also mined. The output of electric power plants in 1969 was 22 million kilowatts. California is a highly important center of military production. A leading position is occupied by the aviation, space and rocket, and radio-electronic industries, which fill mainly defense orders and which are located in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. The oil-refining and chemical industries, shipbuilding, automobile assembly production, and other branches of machine building are also well developed. Ferrous metallurgy is located in Fontana, which is near Los Angeles, and in areas near San Francisco. California is first among the states in food processing, especially canning; this industry is based on local agricultural produce. The film industry is centered in southern California, in Hollywood and other suburbs of Los Angeles.

The agricultural economy is characterized by a combination of intensive agriculture, mainly on irrigated lands, and extensive cattle-raising. Approximately two-thirds of the commodity output is composed of agricultural products: various fruits and vegetables (mainly in the Central Valley), citrus fruits (in the Los Angeles area), and long-fiber cotton (in the Colorado River basin). There were approximately 4 million head of cattle and 1.5 million sheep in 1969. Fishing is also an important branch of the economy. In the north, logging (timber cutting) and the wood-products industry are of considerable importance. Tourism has great economic significance. There are approximately 13, 000 km of railway lines (1968) and 10 million automobiles (1969). Sea transport plays an important role. The principal ports are San Francisco and Los Angeles. US military bases are located within California.

Europeans first visited the territory of California in the 16th century. The colonization of California by the Spaniards began in the 18th century and was accompanied by the extermination of the local Indian population. Russian settlers played an important role in the exploration and economic development of California. After the proclamation of the independence of Mexico in 1821, the territory of California became part of that newly independent country. As a result of the war of aggression of the USA against Mexico in 1846-48, California was seized from Mexico and annexed to the USA. The territory became a state in 1850.