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California

California ( ) is one of the fifty United States, located on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is the most populous American State. Its four largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. It is known for its varied climate and geography as well as its diverse population. The area known as Alta California was colonized by the Spanish Empire beginning in the late 18 th century. It and the rest of Mexico became an independent republic in 1821. In 1846 California broke away from Mexico, and after the Mexican-American War, Mexico ceded California to the United States. It was admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850. It is the third-largest American State by land area. Its geography ranges from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, to Mojave desert areas in the southeast and the Redwood-Douglas fir forests of the northwest. The center of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. The California Gold Rush began in 1848, dramatically changing California with a large influx of people and an economic boom. The early 20th century was marked by Los Angeles becoming the center of the entertainment industry, in addition to the growth of a large tourism sector in the state. Along with California's prosperous agricultural industry, other industries include aerospace, petroleum, and computer and information technology. California ranks amongst the ten largest economies in the world, and were it a separate country, it would be 35th among the most populous countries, just behind Kenya. (more)

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  • Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles ( , in Spanish) is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, it is rated an alpha world city, having an estimated population of 3.8
  • San Jose, California: San Jose ( ) (meaning St. Joseph in Spanish) or San José is the third-largest city in California, and the tenth-largest in the United States. It is the county seat of Santa Clara County. San Jose is located in the Santa Clara Valley, which has been d
  • Sierra Nevada (U.S.): The Sierra Nevada (Spanish for "Snowy Range") is a mountain range located in the U.S. state of California. In a few places, it overlaps into neighboring Nevada. The range is also known informally as the Sierra, the High Sierra, and the Sierras.
  • Mojave Desert: For the indigenous American tribe, see Mohave. The Mojave Desert ( or /məˈhɑːvi/), (Hayikwiir Mat'aar in Mojave), locally referred to as the High Desert, occupies a significant portion of southern California and smaller parts of central California, s
  • Central Valley (California): The Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U.S. state of California, United States. It is home to many of California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches nearly 400 miles (600 km) from
  • San Diego, California: San Diego (pronounced /ˌsændiˈeɪgoʊ/) is a coastal Southern California city located in the southwestern corner of the continental United States. In 2006, the city's population was estimated to be 1,256,951. It is the second largest city in California
  • California Gold Rush: The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. "[E]vents from January 1848 through December 1855 [are] generally acknowledged as the 'Gold Rush' ....
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  • Buttonwillow, California: Buttonwillow is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 1,266 at the 2000 census. The center of population of California is located in Buttonwillow http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenter
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  • California High-Speed Rail: The California High-Speed Rail project is a proposed high-speed rail system in the state of California. The system is being planned by the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which will design, build, and operate the system. It is currently in the
  • California Proposition 22 (2000): For eight years, California’s 2000 ballot initiative Proposition 22 (or Prop 22) prevented California from recognizing same-sex marriages. Voters adopted the measure on March 7, 2000 with 61.4% in favor. On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court
  • William B. Ide: William Brown Ide (March 28 1796 - December 19 or 20 1852) was a California pioneer and president of the short-lived California Republic.
  • Capital punishment in California: Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in the U.S. state of California. The first recorded execution in the area that is now California was on April 11, 1778 when four Native Americans were shot in San Diego County for conspiracy to commit
  • Paso Robles AVA: The Paso Robles AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the San Luis Obispo County, California. It has approximately planted with wine grapes, and may be best known as the home of the Rhône Rangers, a group of winemakers who are responsible f
  • Oregon: ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It joined the Union on February 14 1859 as the 33rd state. Previously, the region was part of the Oregon Territory that was created in 1848 after American settlement began in earnes
  • Arizona: The State of Arizona ( ) is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The five next largest cities are Tucson, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, and Scottsdale. Arizona was the 48th and last of
  • Highway: Highway is a term commonly used to designate major roads intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as cities. The term highway can also be varied country-to-country, and can be referred to as a road, freeway, superhighway
  • California Institute of Technology: The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech) The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; other spellings such as "Cal Tech" and "CalTech" are incorrect. The Institute is also occasionally referred to as
  • Baja California: Baja California (pron. baKHa kali-forr-nia) is the northernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises the
  • San Mateo County, California: San Mateo County ( "san muh-TAY-o") (Spanish for: St. Matthew County) is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Cla
  • Fog: Fog is a cloud in contact with the ground. Stratus clouds are usually the only clouds that touch the ground. Fog differs from other clouds only in that fog touches the surface of the Earth. The same cloud that is not fog on lower ground may be fog wh
  • San Jose Earthquakes: The San Jose Earthquakes is a professional soccer team located in San Jose, California that participates in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States. The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed oper
  • Golden Gate Bridge: The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean. As part of both US Highway 101 and California Route 1, it connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of t
  • Lincoln Highway: The Lincoln Highway was the first road across America. This famed transcontinental highway, the first practical automobile road to link the East and West coasts of the United States, was actively promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher. By early Sept
  • Hispanic and Latino Americans: Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, which comprises people with ancestry or origins in Hispanic America, or in Spain in many cases. Hispanics and Latinos constitute 15.1% of the total United States population,
  • Pacific Coast Ranges: The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico. They are also known as the Pacific Cordillera, especially in Canada, where this term also includ
  • Mount Whitney: Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of . It is located at the boundary between California's Inyo and Tulare counties. The western slope of the mountain lies within Sequoia National Park and the summit
  • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo in Spanish) is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico, that ended the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). The treat
  • El Camino Real (California): El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road, also known as The King's Highway) usually refers to the 600-mile (966-kilometer) California Mission Trail, connecting the former Alta California's 21 missions (along with a number of support sites), 4 presi
  • San Diego Trolley: The San Diego Trolley is a trolley-style light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego, California. The operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI) is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The Trolley began
  • Ceanothus: Ceanothus L. is a genus of about 50–60 species of shrubs or small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. The genus is confined to North America, the center of its distribution in California, with some species (e.g. C. americanus) in the eastern Un
  • California Republic: The California Republic (República de California in Spanish), also called the Bear Flag Republic, was the result of a revolt by Americans on June 14 1846, in the town of Sonoma against the authorities of the Mexican province of California; the Republ
  • Bristlecone pine: The bristlecone pines are a small group of pine trees (Family Pinaceae, genus Pinus, subsection Balfourianae) that are thought to reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, up to nearly 5,000 years. There are three
  • Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo: Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (ca. 1499 - January 3, 1543) was a Portuguese or Spanish conquistador and explorer, known as João Rodrigues Cabrilho in Portuguese, noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America while sailing for Spain. Cabrillo
  • Donner Pass: Donner Pass (el. 7,085 ft. / 2,160 m.) is a high mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, located above Donner Lake about nine miles west of Truckee, California. It is a narrow pass with a very steep approach from the east, and a gradual approach
  • Community property: Community property is a marital property regime that originated in civil law jurisdictions, and is now also found in some common law jurisdictions. The portions of the United States that recognize community property, which are primarily the western S
  • Great Basin Bristlecone Pine: The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) is one of the bristlecone pines, a group of three species of pine found in the higher mountains of the southwest United States. Great Basin Bristlecone Pine occurs in Utah, Nevada and eastern Californ
  • Califia: Califia (aka Calafia) is the name of a legendary Black Amazon warrior queen, associated with the mythical Island of California. The U.S. state of California is thought by some to be named after Queen Califia (see Origin of the name California). The l
  • Closed primary: A closed primary is a type of direct primary limited to registered party members who have declared their party affiliation, in order to vote in the election. The closed primary serves to encourage party unity and prevent members of other parties from
  • City of Ten Thousand Buddhas: The City Of Ten Thousand Buddhas (萬佛聖城, Wànfó Shèngchéng) is an international Buddhist community and monastery founded by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, an important figure in Western Buddhism. It is one of the first Chinese Zen Buddhist temples in
  • Charter city: A charter city is a city in which the governing system is defined by the city's own charter document rather than by state, provincial, regional or national laws. In locations where city charters are allowed by law, a city can adopt or modify its orga
  • Minority-majority state: Minority-majority state is a term used to describe a U.S. state in which a majority of the state's population differs from the national majority population of non-Hispanic whites. These data are usually derived from self-identification questions on U
  • Eastern California: Eastern California is not a well-defined term. It generally refers to the strip of California, United States to the east of the crest of the Sierra Nevada, or to the easternmost counties of California: * Modoc County * Lassen County * Plumas County *



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