California: The Golden State

California: The Golden State — page 1 — INTRODUCTION California’s warm climate beautiful landscapes exciting attractions and economic opportunities have long drawn tourists and immigrants from around the world California has by far the most residents in the United States with more than 30 million people and it is the third largest state in area Beautiful beaches rocky cliffs snowy mountains barren deserts and lush forests are all within close distance from one another The state’s name is thought to have come from a Spanish novel written in the 1500s that described an enchanted place called California Venice Beach is a popular tourist destination in California 4 CALIFORNIA California has much to offer hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts QUICK FACTS California’s nickname the Golden State comes from the importance of the gold rush to its history California was the 31st state to join the Union It officially became a state on Sept 9 1850 California adopted the California quail as its official bird in 1931 The state flag was adopted in 1911 It has a red star and the state animal the California grizzly bear which is now extinct There is a red strip along the bottom with the words California Republic written above it This bear flag was originally hoisted in 1846 and was briefly the official flag of the independent republic of California

California: The Golden State — page 2 — INTRODUCTION 5 California is located on the Pacific coast in the western United States It is bordered by Nevada and Arizona to the east Oregon to the north Mexico to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west There are many different ways to reach California Major airports are located in Los Angeles San Diego San Jose San Francisco and Oakland These and the state’s many local airports carry passengers within the state and to destinations across the country and around the world Train travelers can arrive on various rail lines that end up in large cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco Passenger trains stop in about 40 California cities Automobile travel is very common in California and the many freeways and highways make nearly all parts of the state reachable by car California Location Map eeh ʼ K R A P L T A N D O O W D E R 5 Klamath E e l CC OO AA SS TT Upper Klamath Lake Klamath Falls Altamont OREGON Goose Lake LAVA BEDS NATʼL MON CC AA SS CC AA DD EE RR Sacramento AA LASSEN VOLCANIC NATʼL PARK NN GG EE 5 S a c r a m e n t o Clear Lake Yuba City Linda Citrus Heights 80 SS Lake Tahoe II 505 80 Fairfield Arden-Arcade Sacramento EE Santa Rosa Petaluma Napa Vallejo Richmond San Rafael Tamalpais Valley San Francisco Daly City San Mateo Redwood City 5 Stockton Modesto 680 Concord Berkeley Oakland Fremont Palo Alto 580 Santa Clara San Jose Capital Sacramento IDAHO CITY OF ROCKS NATʼL RESERVE NATʼL MON Snake eehywO Interstate highways tdlobmuH 450 724 900 Mi 1,448 Km Scale 80 nniuQ 80 H u m b 0 tdlo 0 e s e e R Pyramid Lake 80 Reno Carson Carson City eseeR RR RR YOSEMITE NATʼL PARK AA N E V A D A Population 33,871,648 Size 158,647 square miles U T A H GREAT BASIN NATʼL PARK Highest peak Mount Whitney 14,494 feet etihW hsaW y e l ZION NATʼL PARK Salinas RR PINNACLES NATʼL MON AA NN GG EE SS Pacific Ocean KINGS CANYON NATʼL PARK Fresno NN sgniK EE SEQUOIA NATʼL PARK VV AA DEATH VALLEY NATʼL MON Las Vegas Paradise Henderson 5 nreK DD AA Bakersfield l dowVa a e M 15 Virgin Lake Mead C o l o r a GRAND CANYON NATʼL PARK d o Lake Mohave Kingman 40 15 40 Santa Barbara SAN MIGUEL ISLAND Simi Valley Oxnard Burbank Pomona MOJ M O J AA V E D E S E D E S E RR TT VE Lake Havasu San Bernardino JOSHUA TREE NATʼL MON CHANNEL ISLANDS NATʼL PARK SANTA ROSA ISLAND SANTA CRUZ ISLAND Los Angeles Redondo Beach Long Beach Newport Beach Riverside Whittier Anaheim Santa Ana Mission Viejo Costa Mesa SAN NICOLAS ISLAND SANTA CATALINA ISLAND 5 Oceanside Vista Escondido Palm Springs 10 Salton Sea Imperial Reservoir Colorado I A R Z O N A 10 8 SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND 15 San Diego Chula Vista El Cajon La Mesa 8 MEXICO The majestic Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco with Marin County to the north QUICK FACTS The state motto is Eureka meaning I have found it The state seal was adopted in 1849 It contains an image of Minerva the Roman goddess of handicrafts the professions the arts and war At her feet are grapes and a grizzly bear representing California agriculture There is also a miner representing the state’s vast mineral resources and ships symbolize merchants The state adopted the California redwood as its official tree in 1937 The redwood was once found throughout North America but is now confined to the Pacific coast Only two states Alaska and Texas are larger than California in area

California: The Golden State — page 3 — Since the gold rush brought many people to the state in the mid-1800s California’s population has grown dramatically Its large population is made up of diverse cultural and ethnic groups Latino culture has made a significant impact throughout the state Many of the state’s cities and physical features bear Spanish or Mexican names In the 20th and 21st centuries Latin American immigrants and migrants particularly from Mexico but also from Central America have had a great influence Immigrants from other parts of the world particularly Asia have also left their imprint on California Victorian architecture accents San Francisco’s steep streets 6 CALIFORNIA Latino culture is found throughout California QUICK FACTS The golden poppy was designated California’s state flower in 1903 Residents celebrate April 6 as California Poppy Day The geographic center of California is in the San Joaquin Valley about 35 miles northeast of the city of Madera California has nearly 20 national forests and about 275 state parks and beaches

California: The Golden State — page 4 — INTRODUCTION 7 California is well known for its entertainment industry Many of the world’s motion pictures and television programs are created and filmed in the state especially in Hollywood a district within Los Angeles Movie stars can be seen walking down the street in some California cities People from all over North America and the world move to California with dreams of becoming successful in show business People also come to California for many other reasons Many come as visitors to see California’s tourist destinations such as Disneyland located in Anaheim Some move to the state simply because they love the warm climate and the way of life California is known for its healthy lifestyles and abundance of locally available fresh food Disneyland is often called the Happiest Place on Earth QUICK FACTS Residents of California are called Californians California has more than 1,250 miles of coastline Blue and gold are the state’s official colors The state song I Love You California was adopted in 1913 F B Silverwood wrote the lyrics and Alfred Frankenstein composed the music California’s tidal pools are home to many crab and fish species

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