Difference between revisions of "California"

**California**
Capital	Sacramento;
Nickname	The Golden State;
Official Language	English
Governor	Arnold Schwarzenegger, R
Senator	Barbara Boxer, D ; (202) 224-3553 ; Contact
Senator	Dianne Feinstein, D ; (202) 224-3841 ; Contact;
Population	35 million;
Ratification of Constitution/or statehood	September 9, 1850 (31st)
Flag of California	Motto: Eureka (I have found it)

Revision as of 10:15, April 23, 2009

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. ^[1] The Catholic church established a strong presence in the area over the next 200 years by establishing a number of missions in the area. ^[2]

Spanish explorers sailed along the coast of California from the early 1500s to the mid-1700s, but no settlements were established.

During the last quarter of the 18th century, the first European settlements were established in California. Reacting to interest by Russia and Britain in the fur-bearing animals of the Pacific coast, Spain created a series of Catholic missions, accompanied by troops and ranches, along the southern and central coast of California. These missions were intended to demonstrate the claim of the Spanish Crown to modern-day California.

The first quarter of the 19th century continued the slow colonization of the southern and central California coast by Spanish missionaries, ranchers, and troops. By 1820, Spanish influence was marked by the chain of missions reaching from San Diego to just north of today's San Francisco Bay area, and extended inland approximately 25 to 50 miles from the missions. Outside of this zone, perhaps 200,000 to 250,000 Native Americans were continuing to lead traditional lives. The Adams-Onís Treaty, signed in 1819 set the northern boundary of the Spanish claims at the 42nd parallel, effectively creating today's northern boundary of California.

Father Junípero Serra, a Franciscan missionary, founded the mission chain, starting with San Diego de Alcalá in 1769. The California Missions comprised a series of outposts established to spread the Christianity among the local Native Americans, with the added benefit of confirming historic Spanish claims to the area. The missions introduced European technology, livestock and crops. The highway and missions have become for many a romantic symbol of an idyllic and peaceful past. The "Mission Revival Style" was an architectural movement that drew its inspiration from this idealized view of California's past. The Spanish encouraged settlement of California with large land grants which were turned into ranchos, where cattle and sheep were raised. The Hispanic population reached about 10,000 in the 1840s, located primarily in ranches along the coast of southern California.

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. ^[3]

California's state flower is the Golden poppy

California's San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the United States. ^[4]

Since 2000, California has offered domestic partnerships, which are similiar to same sex marriage.^[5]

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.

Elected officials

Federal

Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA]
Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D, CA]
Rep. C. Thompson [D, CA-1]
Rep. Walter Herger [R, CA-2]
Rep. Daniel Lungren [R, CA-3]
Rep. Tom McClintock [R, CA-4]
Rep. Doris Matsui [D, CA-5]
Rep. Lynn Woolsey [D, CA-6]
Rep. George Miller [D, CA-7]
Rep. Nancy Pelosi [D, CA-8]
Rep. Barbara Lee [D, CA-9]
Rep. Ellen Tauscher [D, CA-10]
Rep. Jerry McNerney [D, CA-11]
Rep. Jackie Speier [D, CA-12]
Rep. Fortney Stark [D, CA-13]
Rep. Anna Eshoo [D, CA-14]
Rep. Michael Honda [D, CA-15]
Rep. Zoe Lofgren [D, CA-16]
Rep. Sam Farr [D, CA-17]
Rep. Dennis Cardoza [D, CA-18]
Rep. George Radanovich [R, CA-19]
Rep. Jim Costa [D, CA-20]
Rep. Devin Nunes [R, CA-21]
Rep. Kevin McCarthy [R, CA-22]
Rep. Lois Capps [D, CA-23]
Rep. Elton Gallegly [R, CA-24]
Rep. Howard McKeon [R, CA-25]
Rep. David Dreier [R, CA-26]
Rep. Brad Sherman [D, CA-27]
Rep. Howard Berman [D, CA-28]
Rep. Adam Schiff [D, CA-29]
Rep. Henry Waxman [D, CA-30]
Rep. Xavier Becerra [D, CA-31]
Rep. Hilda Solis [D, CA-32]
Rep. Diane Watson [D, CA-33]
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard [D, CA-34]
Rep. Maxine Waters [D, CA-35]
Rep. Jane Harman [D, CA-36]
Rep. Laura Richardson [D, CA-37]
Rep. Grace Napolitano [D, CA-38]
Rep. Linda Sánchez [D, CA-39]
Rep. Edward Royce [R, CA-40]
Rep. Jerry Lewis [R, CA-41]
Rep. Gary Miller [R, CA-42]
Rep. Joe Baca [D, CA-43]
Rep. Ken Calvert [R, CA-44]
Rep. Mary Bono Mack [R, CA-45]
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher [R, CA-46]
Rep. Loretta Sanchez [D, CA-47]
Rep. John Campbell [R, CA-48]
Rep. Darrell Issa [R, CA-49]
Rep. Brian Bilbray [R, CA-50]
Rep. Bob Filner [D, CA-51]
Rep. Duncan Hunter [R, CA-52]
Rep. Susan Davis [D, CA-53]

State

Attorney General Jerry Brown
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

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.

California Institute of Technology
Stanford University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Francisco, primarily a medical school
University of Southern California

Places of Interest

Major Cities

External Links

Official Website

References

[1] ttp://www.kindredtrails.com/California-History-1.html

[2] ttp://www.californiamissions.com/cahistory/background.html

[3] ttp://www.learncalifornia.org/doc.asp?id=678

[4] ttp://www.50states.com/facts/calif.htm

[5] Answers.com

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@@ Line 136: / Line 136: @@
 *[[University of California, Berkeley]]
 *[[University of California, Los Angeles]]
+*[[University of California, San Francisco]], primarily a medical school
 *[[University of Southern California]]