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State of California
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California state flagpng
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Flag Of California
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California state sealpng
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Map of USA highlighting Californiapng
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The Golden State
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Sacramento
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English
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Los Angeles
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Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Barbara_Boxer" class="copylinks">Barbara Boxer (D)
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CA
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Calif
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3<sup>rd</sup>
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410,000
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158,302
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404,298
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156,100
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20,047
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7,740
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47
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35
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25
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1<sup>st</sup>
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36,842,934
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35,893,799
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35,484,453
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33,871,648
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36,132,147
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12<sup>th</sup>
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8385
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2172
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31<sup>st</sup>
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September 9 , 1850
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-8/ -7
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32°30'N to 42°N
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114°8'W to 124°24'W
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400
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250
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1,240
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770
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4421
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14,494
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884
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2,900
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-86
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-282
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US-CA
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is a
State spanning the southern half of the
West Coast of the contiguous
United States . With a population of 36 million and an area of 158,402
Square Miles (
410,000 Km2 ), California is the
Largest U.S. State In Population and the
Third Largest In Area .
The area was inhabited by
Native Americans before
Europe an explorers started to make sporadic visits during the 16th Century.
Spain Colonized the coastal areas of the territory starting in 1769 before it temporarily became part of
Mexico after the
Mexican War Of Independence (1810-21). Mexico essentially ignored California for the next 25 years. During the outset of the
Mexican-American War (1846-1848), about 2,000 American and other non- Mexican settlers assisted by many Californios revolted and almost without blood shed easily established the
California Republic . Following the war, the area was bought by the United States in the
Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo . The
California Gold Rush of 1848-49 brought about 90,000 additional American immigrants into the state, and California became the 31st state of the United States in 1850.
Although the state's sunny climate has given it a historic reputation for being laid back compared to the
East Coast Of The United States , California has the sixth largest economy in the world, $1.55
Trillion (as of 2004), and is responsible for 13% of the United States' 13 trillion dollar
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The state's major predominant industries include
Agriculture ,
Entertainment , light manufacturing, and
Tourism . California is also the home of several significant economic regions such as
Hollywood (entertainment), the
California Central Valley (agriculture),
Silicon Valley (
Computer s and
High Tech ), and the
Wine Country (
Wine ).
See Also: Origin of the name California
''California'' originally referred to the entire region composed of the Mexican peninsula now known as
Baja California and land in the current U.S. state of California. The states of
Nevada ,
Utah ,
Arizona , and
Wyoming , were claimed by Spain and Mexico but were almost totally undeveloped--about 100 settlers in Arizona.
The name is thought to have derived from the mythical paradise of Calafia portrayed in ''
Amadís De Gaula '', a
16th Century Spanish romance by
Garci Rodríguez De Montalvo , which in the book was a difficult to reach land with gold in plenty, free-loving
Amazons living in caves, and strange beasts.
Some suggest that the word California may come from the early Spanish explorers who entered California via the hot southern regions and referred to California as being "hot as an oven" (cali > hot, fornia > oven). It may be derived from caliente fornalia, Spanish for hot furnace, or it may come from calida fornax, Latin for hot climate.
See Also: Geography of California
California borders the
Pacific Ocean ,
Oregon ,
Nevada ,
Arizona , and the
Mexican state of
Baja California . The state has strikingly beautiful natural features, including an expansive central valley, tall mountains, hot deserts, and hundreds of miles of scenic coastline. With an area of 160,000 square miles (
411,000 Km&2 ) it is the third largest state in the U.S and is larger than Germany in size. Most major cities are at or near the Pacific coastline, notably
Los Angeles ,
San Francisco ,
San Jose ,
Long Beach ,
Oakland ,
Santa Ana /
Orange County ,
,California ,
Bernardino,California and
San Diego . However, the
Capital ,
Sacramento , is in the
Central Valley . The geographic center of the state is located in
North Fork, California .
California's geography is rich, complex, and varied. In the middle of the state lies the
California Central Valley , a huge, fertile
Valley bounded by the
Coastal Mountain Ranges in the
West , the granite
Sierra Nevada to the
East , the volcanic
Cascade Range in the
North and the
Tehachapi Mountains in the
South . Mountain-fed
River s, dams, and canals provide water to irrigate the Central Valley. The water supply for much of the state is provided by the
State Water Project . The
Central Valley Project supports some municipal water supplies, though it primarily provides water to irrigated agriculture. With dredging, several rivers have become sufficiently large and deep that several inland cities (notably
Stockton ) are
Seaport s. The hot, fertile Central Valley is California's agricultural heartland and grows a large portion of America's food, yet near freezing temperatures are not uncommon during winter which sometimes wipe out portions of crops. The southern part of the valley, which is part desert, is known as the San Joaquin Valley (drained by the
San Joaquin River ), while the northern half is known as the Sacramento Valley (drained by the
Sacramento River ). The
Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta is a major estuary that supports a brackish ecosystem while serving as the water supply hub for much of the state's population. The
Channel Islands are located in the
Southern part of the state, stretching from Santa Barbara to Orange County. These islands have few inhabitants, but the northermost islands are a national park. They and the largest island,
Santa Catalina Island are attractive to visitors.
In the center and east of the state are the Sierra Nevada (meaning Snowy Range in Spanish), which include the highest peak in the contiguous 48 states,
Mount Whitney , at 14,505 feet (4421 m). Also located in the Sierra are the world-famous
Yosemite National Park and a deep freshwater lake,
Lake Tahoe , the largest lake in the state by volume. To the east of the Sierra are
Owens Valley and
Mono Lake , an essential
Seabird habitat. To the west is
Clear Lake , California's largest freshwater lake by area. The Sierra Nevada reaches arctic temperatures in the winter and has several dozen small glaciers, including the most southern glacier in the United States (Palisade Glacier).
About 35% of the state's total surface area is covered by forests. California's diversity of pine species is unmatched by any other state. Though other states have a higher percentage of their land area covered by forests, in terms of total area, California contains more forestland than any other state except Alaska. Most of the forest is found in 2 areas: the northwestern part of the state and along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Smaller forests, mainly consisting of oaks, can be found along the coast ranges of California closer to the coast, and also in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Smaller areas of pine forests can be found in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains of Southern California and also in the mountain areas of central San Diego County.
Deserts in California make up about 25% of the total surface area. In the south lay the
Transverse Ranges and a large salt lake, the
Salton Sea . The south-central desert is called the
Mojave . To the northeast of the Mojave lies
Death Valley , which contains the lowest, hottest point in
North America ,
Badwater Flat . The lowest point of Death Valley and the peak of Mount Whitney are less than 200 miles apart. The hiking trek between the two points has been attempted, several times, most notably by
Lee Bergthold . Indeed, almost all of southeastern California is arid, hot desert, with the
Coachella Valley and
Imperial Valley routinely experiencing extreme high temperatures during the summer. These large deserts kept travel between California and Mexico to a bare minimum during the colonial period.
Along the densely populated and long California coast are several major metropolitan areas, including
San Jose -
San Francisco -
Oakland ,
Los Angeles -
Long Beach , Santa Ana-Irvine-Anaheim,Riverside-San Bernardino , California and
San Diego . Climates near the
Pacific Ocean are remarkably moderate compared with inland climates. Winter temperatures seldom reach freezing and summer temperatures rarely reach above the high 80's Fahrenheit (low 30's Celsius).
California is famous for
Earthquake s due to the presence of a number of faults, in particular the
San Andreas Fault . While powerful earthquakes in the United States have occurred in other states such as
Alaska ,
Washington ,
Oregon , and
Missouri (along the
New Madrid Fault ), people are more aware of California's earthquakes due to their frequency and tendency to strike in highly populated areas.
California is also home to several
Volcano es, some active such as
Mammoth Mountain . Other volcanoes include
Lassen Peak , which erupted from 1914 and 1921, and
Mount Shasta .
Different regions of California have very different climates, depending on their latitude, elevation, and proximity to the coast. Most of the state has a
Mediterranean Climate , with rainy
Winter s and dry
Summer s. The influence of the
Ocean generally moderates temperature extremes, creating warmer winters and substantially cooler summers, and the cold oceanic
California Current offshore often creates summer
Fog near the coast. Further inland, the climate becomes more
Continental with colder winters and markedly hotter summers. The temperature gradient between immediate coast and low-lying inland valleys in the north is about 7°F (4°C) in winter (the coast being warmer) and in summer roughly 25°F (14°C) (the interior being warmer). In the south, the figures are approximately 4°F and 23°F (2°C and 13°C), respectively; however 4°F and 35°F (2°C and 20°C) between
Santa Barbara and
Death Valley .
Westerly winds from the ocean also bring moisture, and the northern parts of the state generally receive higher annual rainfall amounts than the south. California's mountain ranges influence the climate as well: moisture-laden air from the west cools as it ascends the mountains, dropping moisture; some of the rainiest parts of the state are west-facing mountain slopes. Northwestern California has a , have a
Mountain Climate with
Snow in winter and mild to moderate heat in summer.
On the east side of the mountains is a drier "
Rain Shadow ." California's
Desert Climate regions lie east of the high Sierra Nevada and southern California's
Transverse Ranges and
Peninsular Ranges . The low deserts east of the southern California mountains, including the Imperial and Coachella valleys and the lower
Colorado River , are part of the
Sonoran Desert , with hot summers and mild winters; the higher elevation deserts of
Eastern California , including the
Mojave Desert ,
Owens Valley , and the
Modoc Plateau , are part of the
Great Basin region, with hot summers and cold winters.
In the northern portion of the
Mojave Desert on the east side of the state is
Death Valley , which is the hottest spot on the
Western Hemisphere . It is common in the summer for temperatures in the valley to reach 120°F (49°C). The highest temperature in the Western Hemisphere, 134°F (56.6°C), was recorded in Death Valley on
July 10 ,
1913 . Temperatures of 130°F (54°C) or higher have been recorded as recently as 2005. The 24-hour average July temperature in Death Valley is 101°F (38°C) (1961—1990 standard).
See Also: Ecology of California
Ecologically, California is one of the richest and most diverse parts of the world and includes some of the most endangered ecological communities. California's diverse geography, geology, soils and climate have generated a tremendous diversity of plant and animal life. The State of California is part of the
Nearctic Ecozone , and spans a number of
Terrestrial Ecoregions , and is perhaps the most ecologically diverse state in the United States.
California has a rather high percentage of
Endemic species. California endemics include relict species that have died out elsewhere, including the
Redwood s and the Catalina Ironwood (''Lyonothamnus floribundus''). Many other endemics originated through differentiation or
Adaptive Radiation , whereby multiple species develop from a common ancestor to take advantage of diverse ecological conditions. California's great abundance of species of California lilac (''
Ceanothus '') is an example of adaptive radiation. Many California endemics have become endangered, as urbanization, logging, overgrazing, and the introduction of exotic species have encroached on their habitat. Furthermore, California is home to the largest trees in the world, the
Giant Sequoias .
California's native grasses were of European annual grasses; and, in modern times, California's hills turn a characteristic golden brown in summer and fall. California's nickname ''The Golden State'' is in reference to the
California Gold Rush , and not to the golden brown summer hillsides as is sometimes stated.
The
National Park System maintains control over many different places of California:
The area was inhabited by
Native Americans before European explorers started to make sporadic visits during the 16th Century. Spain
Colonized the territory during the late 1700s before it became part of Mexico after the Mexican War of Independence (1810-21). During the outset of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), American settlers revolted and established the California Republic. Following the war, the area was given to the United States. The
California Gold Rush Of 1849 brought a huge population of immigrants into the area, and California became the 31st state of the United States in 1850.
The entire region originally known as California was composed of the Mexican peninsula now known as .)
Pre-European California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in Native North America. Large, settled populations lived on the West Coast and hunted sea mammals, fished for salmon, and gathered shellfish, while more mobile hunters and gathering groups in the California interior hunted terrestrial game and gathered nuts, acorns, and berries. California groups also were diverse in their political organization with bands, tribes, tribelets, and on the resource-rich coasts large chiefdoms, such as the Chumash,
Pomo and Salinan. Trade, intermarriage, and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups. Except for the Mojave Indians living along the Colorado River no California Indians grew any domesticated crops.
The first European to explore parts of the coast was the
Portuguese João Rodrigues Cabrilho in
1542 working for the Spanish Hernan Cortes. The first to explore the entire coast and claim possession of it was the English man
Francis Drake in
1579 . Beginning in 1769, Spanish missionaries set up
California Missions along the California coast. In addition four small towns or presidos were set up. Upon Mexican independence from Spain, the
Chain Of Missions became the property of the Mexican government, and were quickly dissolved and abandoned in 1832. Friends of the Mexican government officials got most of the lifestock and proerty. The total Spanish speaking population in California in 1846, when the Americans took over, was about 4000. Many of California's major cities were settled by non-Spanish immigrants around these missions and presidios. They preserved only their religious names (
Los Angeles for the Virgin Mary.
San Francisco for St. Francis of Assisi,
San Jose for St. Joseph of Nazareth and
San Diego for St. Didacus). For a quarter century after the achievement of Mexican independence in 1821, California was a remote northern province of the nation of Mexico. Cattle and horses introduced into California in the 1770's and doubled in population with minimal care about every five years. cattle ranches, or ranchos, emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican California. Traders and settlers from the United States began to arrive, harbingers of the great changes that would sweep California.
In this period, some nobles of Imperial Russia made brief attempts to explore and claim parts of California, but these were limited by a lack of Imperial interest.
California was poorly settled until modern public health eliminated the endemic outbreaks of
Yellow Fever ,
Malaria and
Plague , caused from the area’s lack of frosts, which kills mosquitoes and fleas.
In 1846, at the outset of the
Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the California Republic was founded and the
Bear Flag was flown, which featured a
Golden Bear and a star. The Republic came to a sudden end, however, when Commodore John D. Sloat of the United States Navy sailed into San Francisco Bay and claimed California for the United States. Following the war, the region was divided between Mexico and the United States. The Mexican portion, Baja (lower) California was later divided into the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur. The western part of the U.S. portion,
Alta (upper) California , was to become the U.S. state of California.
In 1848, the Spanish-speaking population of distant upper California numbered around 4,000. But after gold was discovered, the population burgeoned with Americans, Europeans, and other immigrants in the great California gold rush. In 1850, the state was admitted to the union
USA as a free state (one in which slavery was prohibited).
At first, travel between the far Pacific West to the eastern population centers was time consuming and dangerous, requiring either long ocean voyages or difficult transcontinental passages by stagecoach and on foot. A more direct connection came in 1869 with the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. After this rail link was established, hundreds of thousands of Americans came west, where new Californians were discovering that land in the state, if irrigated during the dry summer months, was extremely well suited to fruit cultivation and agriculture in general. Citrus was widely grown (especially in the form of oranges), and the foundation was laid for the state's prodigious agricultural production of today.
During the early 20th century, migration to California accelerated with the completion of major transcontinental highways like the Lincoln Highway and
Route 66 . In the period from 1900 to 1965 the population grew from fewer than one million to become the most populous state in the Union. From 1965 to the present, the population demographic changed radically and became one of the most diverse in the world. The state is generally liberal-leaning, technologically and culturally savvy, and a world center of engineering businesses, the film and television industry, music industry, and as mentioned above, American agricultural production.
Interpreting U.S. Census Bureau data can be difficult for two reasons. First, it is difficult due to the Bureau's policy of considering
Race and Hispanic origin to be two separate categories. Hispanics must not only select "Hispanic"; they must also select a race such as White or Asian, or, simply "some other race." Second, a significant portion
{Link without Title} of Hispanics have
Illegal Immigrant status.
Thus, for the sake of simplicity, the data below does consider Hispanic origin to be its own category. It shows only non-Hispanic members of each group: non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Eskimos, non-Hispanic people of two or more races, etc. For more information on race and the Census, see
Race (U.S. Census) .
California lacks a majority
Ethnic group. It is the third minority-majority state, after
Hawaii and
New Mexico . Non-Hispanic
Whites are still the largest group, but are no longer a majority of the population due to high levels of immigration in recent years.
Hispanics make up over one-third of the population; in order, other groups are
Asians ,
Blacks , and
Native Americans .
Because of high levels of immigration from Latin America, especially Mexico, and higher birth rates among the Hispanic population, Hispanics are predicted to become a majority in the state around 2040. California has the second-largest Asian population (percentage-wise) of any state, Hawaii having the largest.
The largest named ancestries in California are
Mexican (25%),
Filipino , German, Irish, and Asian. Mexicans and
Chicano s predominate in Southern California, the Central Valley, Salinas, and parts of the San Francisco Bay area. Irish and German ancestries are dominant in the eastern Sierra Nevada, the far north, and the North Coast. San Francisco has the greatest concentration of Asians in the continental United States, with Chinese numerous in San Francisco, Alameda, and Santa Clara counties. The San Francisco Bay Area has a greater concentration of Cantonese-speaking Chinese. Southern California has perhaps the largest
Taiwanese-American community in the United States particularly in
San Gabriel Valley , and communities such as
Cerritos ,
Irvine (in Orange County), and some in the
South Bay, Los Angeles Area. Filipinos particularly numerous in San Mateo county and in communities such as Baldwin Park, Covina, West Covina, and the community of Eagle Rock in Los Angeles. There are large
Korean Communities in
Koreatown of Los Angeles as well as East
San Gabriel Valley , Cerritos,
South Bay, Los Angeles , and in North Orange County.
South Bay, Los Angeles also has a large
Japanese community too. The City of
Long Beach has one of the largest
Cambodian-American communities in the United States.
Westminster has one of the largest
Vietnamese communities and is often dubbed "
Little Saigon ". The community of
Artesia and nearby
Cerritos have a large Asian
Indian /
South Asian community. In 2000, California also had the largest number of people with
Bulgarian heritage than any other state in the US according to the US census. California also has one of the largest numbers of people of
Armenian heritage and
Persian heritage.
As of 2000, 60.5% of California residents age 5 and older speak
English at home and 25.8% speak
Spanish .
Chinese is the third most spoken language at 2.6%, followed by
Tagalog at 2.0% and
Vietnamese at 1.3%.
The number more than one hundred and show great diversity making California one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the world. However, all indigenous languages are
Endangered although there are now efforts toward
Language Revitalization .
Since 1986, the
California Constitution has specified that English is the common and official language of the state. The politics of language is a major political issue in the state, especially in regard to
Language Policy controlling the teaching and official use of immigrant languages.
The religious affiliations of the people of California:
As with many other western states, the percentage of California's population identifying themselves as "non-religious" is comparatively high in relation to the rest of the U.S.
See Also: Economy of California
is the most well-known symbol of California's huge entertainment industry.]]
is the center of California's computer industry.]]
As of 2005, California has the sixth largest economy in the world. Although the state historically has a reputation as being more sunny and laid back compared to the
East Coast Of The United States , it is responsible for 13% of the United States'
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The
Gross State Product (GSP) is about $1.55
Trillion ($1,550,000,000,000, as of 2004), making it greater than that of every other
U.S. State , and most
Countries In The World (by
Purchasing Power Parity ).
California is also the home of several significant economic regions such as
Hollywood (entertainment), the
California Central Valley (agriculture),
Silicon Valley (
Computer s and
High Tech ), and wine producing regions such as Santa Barbara and Northern California's
Wine Country (
Wine ).
The predominant industry, more than twice as large as the next, is
Agriculture , (including
Fruit ,
Vegetable s,
Dairy , and
Wine ). This is followed by
Aerospace ;
Entertainment , primarily
Television by dollar volume, although many
Movies are still made in California; light manufacturing, including
Computer Hardware and
Software ; and the
Mining of
Borax .
Per capita personal income was $33,403 as of 2003, ranking 12
th in the nation. Per capita income varies widely by geographic region and profession. The Central Valley has the most extreme contrasts of income, with .
While some coastal cities include some of the wealthiest per-capita areas in the U.S., notably
San Francisco and
Marin County , the non-agricultural central counties have some of the highest poverty rates in the U.S. The high-technology sectors in Northern California, specifically
Silicon Valley , in
Santa Clara and
San Mateo Counties , are currently emerging from economic downturn caused by the
Dot.com Bust , which caused the loss of over 250,000 jobs in Northern California alone. Recent (Spring 2005)
economic data indicate that economic growth has resumed in California, although still slightly below the national annualized forecast of 3.9%. The international boom in housing prices has been most pronounced in California, with the median property price in the state rising to about the half-million dollar mark in April 2005.
California levies a 9.3% maximum variable rate
Income Tax , with 6
Tax Bracket s. It collects about 40 Billion dollars in Income tax. California's minimum combined state, county and local sales and
Use Tax is 7.25%. It collects about 28 Billion in sales tax. The rate is higher in cities and counties with special taxing districts. All
Real Property is taxable and shall be assessed at fair market value. California collects a total of 33 Billion dollars in property tax. Any
Homestead exemptions are handled at the county level and residents must contact the local County Tax Assessors office to inquire. The property tax postponement program allows eligible homeowners (
Senior Citizen s and blind or disabled residents) to postpone payment of property taxes on their principal place of residence. To secure the postponed amount, a lien is recorded against the property. Interest is charged on the postponed taxes. The state offers a homeowner and renter assistance program under which a once-a-year payment is allowed to qualified individuals based on part of the
Property Tax es assessed and paid on their homes or paid indirectly as part of their rent.
See Also: California unemployment statistics
s whose soaring ramps offer stunning views.]]California's vast terrain is connected by an extensive system of
Freeway s,
Expressway s, and
Highway s, all maintained by
Caltrans and patrolled by the
California Highway Patrol , except for the numbered expressways in
Santa Clara County which were built and maintained by the county itself. The main north-south arteries are
U.S. Route 101 , which runs close to the coast from the state's border with
Oregon to downtown
Los Angeles , and
Interstate 5 , which runs inland from the Oregon to
Mexico borders, bisecting the entire state. California is known for its
Car Culture , and its residents typically take to the roads for their commutes, errands, and vacations, giving California's cities a reputation for severe
Traffic Congestion . Almost all California highways are non-toll roads. Notable exceptions are any major bridges.
As for air travel,
Los Angeles International Airport and
San Francisco International Airport are major hubs for trans-Pacific and transcontinental traffic. There are about a dozen important commercial
Airport s and many more
General Aviation airports throughout the state's 58 counties.
California also has several important
Seaport s. The giant seaport complex formed by the
Port Of Los Angeles and the
Port Of Long Beach in Southern California is the largest in the country and responsible for handling about a fourth of all container cargo traffic in the United States. The
Port Of Oakland handles most of the ocean containers passing through Northern California.
in
Los Angeles ]]
Intercity rail travel is provided by
Amtrak . Los Angeles and San Francisco both have
Subway networks, in addition to
Light Rail . San Jose and Sacramento have only light rail, though portions of San Jose light rail serve as
EL Trains .
Metrolink Commuter Rail serves much of Southern California, and
Caltrain commuter rail connects San Jose and
Gilroy (commute hour only) to San Francisco.
Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) connects
Tracy ,
Livermore and other edge cities with San Jose.
BART , an express rail service, connects San Francisco and Oakland to Millbrae in the southwest, Fremont in the southeast, Dublin and Pleasanton in the east, Richmond in the north, and Pittsburg in the northeast. Despite its name, it does not encompass the entire Bay Area; the
North Bay and
South Bay regions are not currently included in the system.
San Diego has
Trolley light rail and
Coaster commuter rail services. Nearly all counties operate
Bus lines, and many cities operate their own bus lines as well.
Both
Greyhound and Amtrak provide intercity bus service.
The rapidly growing population of the state is straining all of its transportation networks. A regularly recurring issue in California politics is whether the state should continue to aggressively expand its freeway network or concentrate on improving mass transit networks in urban areas.
The
California High Speed Rail Authority was created some years back by the state to implement an extensive 700 mile (1127 km) rail system. Construction is pending approval of the voters during next November's general election, in which a $9 billion state bond would have to be approved. If built, the system would provide a
TGV -style high-speed link between the state's four major cities, and would allow travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco's
Transbay Terminal in two and one half hours.
See Also: California government and politics
California is governed as a consisting of the
Governor Of California and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the
Legislative Branch consisting of the
Assembly and
Senate ; and the
Judicial Branch consisting of the
Supreme Court Of California and lower courts. The state also allows direct participation of the electorate by
Initiative ,
Referendum ,
Recall , and
Ratification .
The
Governor Of California and the other state constitutional officers serve four-year terms and may be re-elected only once. The
California State Legislature consists of a 40 member
Senate and 80 member
Assembly . Senators serve four year terms and Assembly members two. The terms of the Senators are staggered so that half the membership is elected every two years. The Senators representing the odd-numbered districts are elected in years evenly divisible by four, which corresponds to presidential election years. The Senators from the even-numbered districts are elected in the intervening even-numbered years, in the gubernatorial election cycle. California's legislature is organized in such that the party caucus leaders wield great power and can usually speak on behalf of their caucuses. Many important legislative decisions are thus not made on the floor of the legislature but in back-room deals by the "
Big Five ," which comprises the governor and the Democratic and Republican leaders of each chamber. Members of the Assembly are subject to
Term Limits of 3 terms, and members of the Senate are subject to term limits of 2 terms.
For the 2005–2006 session, there are 48
Democrats and 32
Republicans in the Assembly. In the Senate, there are 25 Democrats and 15 Republicans. The current governor is action film star
Arnold Schwarzenegger , Republican, whose current term lasts through January 2007. Most government elected offices are not considered compeetive due to extensive gerrymandering. Schwarzenegger was only the second governor in the history of the United States to be put into office by a
Recall of a sitting governor (the first was the 1921 recall of
North Dakota Governor
Lynn J. Frazier ). Schwarzenegger replaced Governor
Gray Davis (1999–2003), who was removed from office by the October
2003 California Recall election.
The state's capital is
Sacramento . During California's early history under European control, the capital was successively located in
Monterey (1775–1849),
San Jose (1849–1851),
Vallejo (1852–1853),
Benicia (1853–1854), and
San Francisco (1862). The capital moved to Sacramento temporarily in 1852 when construction on a State House could not be completed in time in Vallejo. The capital's final move to Sacramento was on
February 25 ,
1854 where it has been located since, except for a four-month temporary move in 1862 to San Francisco, which was due to severe flooding in Sacramento.
California's
Judiciary is the largest in the United States (with a total of 1,600 judges, while the state's federal system has only about 840). It is supervised by the seven Justices of the
Supreme Court Of California . Justices of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal are appointed by the Governor, but are subject to retention by the electorate every 12 years. Judges of the trial courts, the Superior Courts in each county, may be appointed by the Governor or elected directly by the voters, depending on when the vacancy occurs. Superior Court judges serve six-year terms, after which they may run for re-election. Unlike the retention elections for Supreme Court and Court of Appeal justices, Superior Court judges run for re-election in open races, in which other qualified candidates may run as challengers.
California's legal system, like all other states, is explicitly based on English
Common Law but carries a few features from Spanish
Civil Law .
Capital Punishment is a legal form of punishment and the state has the largest "
Death Row " population in the country (though
Texas is far more active in carrying out executions).
At the national level, California is represented by two senators and 53 representatives, as of 2005. It has 55 electoral votes in the
U.S. Electoral College . (Since California is the most populous state in the Union, its counts of Congressmen and Presidential Electors are also the largest.) The two
U.S. Senators from California are Democrats
Dianne Feinstein and
Barbara Boxer . 33 Democrats and 20 Republicans represent the state in the
U.S. House Of Representatives .
California is considered a reliably
Democratic state. Once very conservative, having elected conservatives such as
Ronald Reagan as governor and
William Knowland as senator, California has flipped sides in recent decades and became a Democrat voting state, having elected statewide liberals such as
Dianne Feinstein and
Barbara Boxer to the Senate. The latter is known for being one of the most liberal members of the US Senate. Even some recent
Republican politicians elected statewide, such as Governors
Pete Wilson and
Arnold Schwarzeneggar are considered members of the more moderate to liberal wing of the national
Republican Party . In general however, Californians tend to be middle of the road politically. Having been the second state to legalize abortion in the 1960's and one of the first states to legalize domestic partnerships for gay couples, California also was the first state where voters said that only marriage between a man and a woman would be recognized. Other recent initiatives passed by voters eliminated racial preferences. The state also voted as well as denial of social sevices to illegal immigrants living in the state (although this initiative was essentially blocked by the vote of one judge). California's Republican dominance in the mid-20th century had to do with strong GOP support outside
San Francisco ,
San Jose and
Los Angeles , however these counties, especially in the Bay Area now lean strongly Democratic. This is due to a number of factors from more "left leaning" Americans moving to the California coast from the Northeast to immigrants who now have become citizens and vote mostly democratic. California is among the most Democratic states in the nation because of the relatively larger population of urban (more democratic) voters than rural voters; but geographically, like the rest of the nation, most of California is politically conservative inland of the coastal counties, notably the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, Orange and San Diego counties, and most inland, eastern, and rural areas. Democratic bastions are mostly located on the coast, including the entire San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Salinas, Santa Barbara, and Imperial County. The state has supported Democrats in the last four presidential elections. In 2004, Republican President George W. Bush received a majority of votes in more than half the state's 58 counties, but still lost California's 55 electoral votes to John Kerry, who won 54.3% of the popular vote, by a margin of 10 percentage points.
See Also: List of California Governors
U.S. Congressional Delegations from California
List of California ballot propositions
For a list of important suburbs within the above areas, see List Of Urbanized Areas In California (by Population) .
See Also: List of cities in California
List of cities in California (by population)
Thanks to the state's powerful economy, certain California cities are among the wealthiest on the planet. Please note that this statistical measure can be misleading. The following list is ranked by Per Capita Income :
# Belvedere, California – Marin County – $113,595
# Rancho Santa Fe, California – San Diego County – $113,132
# Atherton, California – San Mateo County – $112,408
# Rolling Hills, California – Los Angeles County – $111,031
# Woodside, California – San Mateo County – $104,667
# Portola Valley, California – San Mateo County – $99,621
# Newport Coast, California – Orange County – $98,770
# Hillsborough, California – San Mateo County – $98,643
# Diablo, California – Contra Costa County – $95,419
# Fairbanks Ranch, California – San Diego County – $94,150
# Hidden Hills, California – Los Angeles County – $94,096
# Los Altos Hills, California – Santa Clara County – $92,840
# Tiburon, California – Marin County – $85,966
# Sausalito, California – Marin County – $81,040
# Monte Sereno, California – Santa Clara County – $76,577
# Indian Wells, California – Riverside County $76,187
# Malibu, California – Los Angeles County – $74,336
# Del Monte Forest, California – Monterey County – $70,609
# Piedmont, California – Alameda County – $70,539
# Montecito, California – Santa Barbara County – $70,077
# Palos Verdes Estates, California – Los Angeles County – $69,040
# Emerald Lake Hills, California – San Mateo County – $68,966
# Loyola, California – Santa Clara County – $68,730
# Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara, California – Contra Costa County – $66,972
# Los Altos, California – Santa Clara County – $66,776
Note: Marin County ranks as the Wealthiest County in the United States based on per capita personal income.
Many California communities rank among the poorest in the western world according to the measure of per capita income. Please note that this statistical measure can be misleading. The following list is ranked by increasing Per Capita Income , first number is state ranking:
1076 Tobin, California - Plumas County - $2,584
1075 Belden, California - Plumas County - $3,141
1074 East Orosi, California - Tulare County - $4,984
1073 London, California - Tulare County - $5,632
1072 Cantua Creek, California - Fresno County - $5,693
1071 Indian Falls, California - Plumas County - $5,936
1070 Westley, California - Stanislaus County - $6,137
1069 Cutler, California - Tulare County - $6,254
1068 Mecca, California - Riverside County - $6,389
1067 Richgrove, California - Tulare County - $6,415
1066 San Joaquin, California - Fresno County - $6,607
1065 Woodville, California - Tulare County - $6,824
1064 Kennedy, California - San Joaquin County $6,876
1063 Mettler, California - Kern County - $6,919
1062 Mendota, California - Fresno County - $6,967
1061 Terra Bella, California - Tulare County - $7,034
1060 Parlier, California - Fresno County -$7,078
1059 Orange Cove, California - Fresno County - $7,126
1058 Parksdale, California - Madera County - $7,129
1057 Earlimart, California - Tulare County - $7,169
1056 South Dos Palos, California - Merced County - $7,170
1055 Winterhaven, California - Imperial County - $7,220
1054 Shackelford, California - Stanislaus County - $7,250
1053 Palo Verde, California - Imperial County - $7,275
1052 Biola, California - Fresno County - $7,375
1051 Kettleman City, California - Kings County - $7,389
1050 Arvin, California - Kern County - $7,408
1049 Coachella, California - Riverside County - $7,416
1048 Bret Harte, California - Stanislaus County - $7,481
1047 Traver, California - Tulare County - $7,642
See Also: List of colleges and universities in California
