California Facts: Here's What You Need To Know!

California is known as 'The Golden State' because of the discovery of gold near Sutter's mill in the state around 1848.

The discovery caused a rapid influx of fortune seeks known as the Gold Rush. Every spring, the entire state of California fields are covered by the Golden Yellow Poppy, which is the official state of the flower.

One of the famous landmarks and tourist destinations is the Golden Gate Bridge, built around 1930. This orange-colored bridge connects the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, and the bridge's towers glow like gold. Sunsets over the San Diego Pacific coast and the beaches attract tourists to enjoy and see the breath-taking golden yellow sun setting. Therefore, California is nothing but 'golden' and deserves the official nickname. California's beautiful, diverse geography ranges across 800 mi (1275 km) of terrain and runs from the northwest to the Mexican border. Clear Lake is California's largest natural lake wholly within the state. California's unique stunning landscape includes mountains, deserts, beaches, valleys, and waterfalls at Yosemite National Park are a treat to visit. Highlights include the majestic peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the three national parks, the blue turquoise waters, and the Death Valley. It is situated in eastern California on the northern Mojave Desert the lowest sea-level point; bordering the Great Basin Desert, wherein natural resources like gold and uranium are found. It also occupies one-sixth of the land area of the state and is North America's hottest desert. It is believed that during 1849-1950, a group of explorers got lost in this valley, now known as the Death Valley. Many giant redwood trees are found in Sequoia National Park. A lot of these trees found in Sequoia National Park are aged above 2,000 years. They are the oldest living organism on earth and are also known as giant sequoia. California Grizzly Bear is known as the official state animal.

Mount Whitney is located in Southern California, and the locals and tourists love to hike this tallest mountain in California and the highest peak in the Lower 48. California is the only state which has to maintain a nurse-to-patient ratio by law. McDonald's restaurant, the famous fast-food chain of restaurants, was founded by two entrepreneurs Richard James and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California. Castroville, California, is the world's largest Artichoke Capital and stands 20 ft (6 m) tall and 12 ft (4 m) across. Norma Jean was the first crowned Artichoke Queen later became an actress. Silicon Valley is located in northern California state and is home to some of the largest tech corporations in the world. They are found from the city of Belmont to San Jose along the south end of San Francisco Bay. The huge campuses include the Fortune 500 companies like Google, Apple, Netflix, and Facebook, including Stanford University, making it the largest economy in California. The Central Coast is the grape region where the wineries are located so it is also known as 'The Grape State'. The wines of California state are better known for their lush, rich wines, which are highly concentrated. Selma, a city in Fresno County, California, has been known as the 'Raisin Capital of the World' since 1963. The produced seedless grapes are called Thompson. 

Read on to learn some more interesting facts about the Golden State. To learn more interesting facts, check out native American facts and native American food facts.

California State History

The name 'California' is derived from the fifth book in a series of Spanish romance novels by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo. The story is about a mythical island called 'California' ruled by the warrior queen Califia. During the pre-Columbian era, California was one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse areas.

The history divides the state into five periods; Native American period until 1542, European exploration between 1542 and 1769, Spanish colonial period (1769 – 1821), Mexican rule (1821 -1848), and the entry to the Union of United States (September 9, 1850 – Present). The first person from Europe to enter through San Diego Bay was Juan Cabrillo. After the European exploration in 1769 to 1770, Spanish missionaries near the coast of Upper California started setting up their first California mission near San Diego, California. Spanish military forces set up several forts and three towns that developed into the populous cities of San Jose and Los Angles. After the independence of Mexico, California's jurisdiction fell under the Mexican government. Mexico relinquished its claim in California after the Mexican American War of 1846 – 1848.

After a debate in the U.S. Congress on slavery issue, sought the statehood of California. California became the 31st state of the United States of America. It entered the Union as a free and non-slavery state on September 9, 1850.

Thousands of young people worldwide were attracted by The California Gold Rush from 1845-1855. Many were disappointed, and few stuck it rich. Other agriculture opportunities, especially in north-central California, brought back families to join them. In 1850 California played a minor role in the American Civil War and became the 31st U.S. State. General Sherman served as a general during the Civil War. He was known for creating a military strategy and policies against the Confederate States. The nativists attacked Chinese immigrants forcing them out, as the mines pulled out gold. California became a highly productive society. The government developed the infrastructure by providing railroads in 1869 that connected with the rest of the nation. The roads of San Bernardino County, the largest county, are some of the most iconic roads in the world. This boom attracted a stream of migrants. In the 19th century, Southern California started to increase business to become one of the largest economies. In the year 1960, the largest water transfer system was laid in California.

California Geographical Location

California has a diverse geographic landscape that is unique, including Rocky coastal ranges, Klamath Mountains, Central Valley, Great Basin, Sierra Nevada, the Transverse Ranges, and the Cascades.

Based on the population California is the largest state in the Union and the third-largest state by land size. It is in the western United States, in particular the Pacific Region. It is bordered to the north by Oregon, East by Nevada, Southeast by Arizona, Mexico to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. California follows the Pacific Standard Time, along with Idaho, Washington State, Oregon, and Nevada. Depending on the mineral deposits, California has four major geologic regions; desert, mountains, coastal, and valley. The Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park are found in the California deserts. The only valley glacier and the longest glaciers are found on Mount Whitney.

The coastal state of California is marked by several beaches. The Searles Lake, Lake Tahoe, the Sacramento River, and the Colorado River are significant rivers and lakes of California. The typical geographic location makes California the best choice for surfing. Huntington Beach Surf City is also known as the surf capital of California. Surfing is a prevalent sport and way of life in California. Due to the heavy congestion at the surfing sports, many surfers enjoy riding the night waves. It may seem crazy, but it's a way of escaping the crowds. Since underwater creatures are active at night, there is a greater risk surfing at night-time as sharks have been spotted on most California beaches.

How Many Electoral Votes Does California Have

Citizens cast their popular vote and elect a slate of electors, and the electors decide the President of the United States.

California is the state with the most populated state in the U.S. and has 53 representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives and two senators, totaling 55 electoral votes. Two hundred seventy electoral votes with a simple majority is enough to win and become the President of the United States. The popular vote doesn't matter in deciding the President. California has become a reliable state for Democratic presidential candidates since 1992.

The First Governor Of California

Historically governors were appointed by the President of the United States.

However, all governors are now elected directly and are the head of government of the state. From December 20, 1849, to January 9, 1851, American politician Peter Hardeman Burnett served as the first elected Governor of California. He was elected almost a year before California's admission to the Union in 1850. During the California Gold Rush, Burnett moved to California in 1848. He became the Supreme Judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon during these initial days at Oregon county. 

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