California

California

Capital	Sacramento
Nickname	The Golden State
Official Language	English
Governor	Arnold Schwarzenegger, R
Senator	Dianne Feinstein, D {{{s1phone}}} [{{{s1email}}}]
Senator	Barbara Boxer, D {{{s2phone}}} [{{{s2email }}}]
Population	35 million
Ratification of Constitution/or statehood	September 9, 1850 (31st)
Flag of California	Motto: Eureka (I have found it)

California, known as the Golden State, became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. It is located on the west coast of the United States, by the Pacific Ocean and bordered by Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. It is the largest state in population and the third largest state in area. Its governor is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

History

California's first European contact came in the 16th century AD. Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando Cortez explored Alta California (upper California) extensively during this time period. Several years after this, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored the area in his search for a passage to Asia. The Catholic church established a strong presence in the area over the next 200 years by establishing a number of missions in the area.

Miscellaneous facts

• The capital of California is Sacramento. However, the largest cities in population are, in descending order, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose.

• Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984.

• John C. Fremont, the first Republican Presidential Nominee, was from California. He was first to represent the state in the Senate between 1850 and 1851.

• The California Redwood was named the official state tree in 1937.

• California's state flower is the Golden poppy

• California's San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the United States.

• Since 2000, California has offered domestic partnerships, which are similiar to same sex marriage.

• There are three Presidents from California: Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

Politics

California's governor is the liberal Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is the same position that was once held by Ronald Reagan, who later became President of the United States. Today, however, California is thought of as one of the most liberal states in America. Due to heavy immigrant populations, a history of liberal legislation, and the influence of Hollywood, California is considered to be one of the "blue-est" states in the Union, consistently voting for Democratic legislature and Presidential candidates.

Richard Nixon is the only President to have been born in California.

Spectator Sports

California has more professional sports teams than any other state.

• NBA - Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings
• NHL - Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks
• NFL - Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and San Diego Chargers
• Baseball - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers

In college sports, UCLA and USC have recently had great success, in basketball and football respectively.

Education

The state of California has three tiers of public higher education: the California community colleges, the California State University (CSU) system, and the University of California (UC) system. Here are some notable univerisities from California.

• Stanford University
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Southern California

Places of Interest

• Golden Gate Bridge
• Disneyland
• Alcatraz Island
• Redwood Forest
• Yosemite

Major Cities

• Los Angeles
• Oakland
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose

Statewide officials

• Attorney General Jerry Brown
• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
• Senator Dianne Feinstein (D)
• Senator Barbara Boxer (D)

External Links

Official Website