California
The Golden State
•31st State
•Admitted to Statehood in
1850
•Population 33,871,648
Capital City
Sacramento
• Founded in 1849
• Pony Express, Continental Railroad, and Gold
Rush all began here
• Colleges: UC Davis and Cal State Sacramento
• Places to Visit: Old Sacramento and Sutter’s Fort
Three Major Cities
• Los Angeles: Farming town owned by
Spain, UCLA, Olvera Street, a Mexican
Market Place
• San Diego: 1st mission founded in 1769,
UCSD, Sea World, San Diego Zoo
• San Jose: 1st Civilian Settlement 1777, San
Jose State, Winchester Mystery House
Mountains, Rivers & Lakes
• Mountains: Sierra Nevadas, Higest Point is
Mt. Whitney 14,494 feet
• Rivers: Sacramento and Colorado
• Lakes: Lake Shasta and Mono Lake
State Symbols
• Bird: California Valley Quail
• Flower: California Poppy
• State Seal:
• State Flag:
Famous People
• Richard Nixon: 37th President of the
United States
• Jeff Gordon: Race Car Driver
• Jack London: Author, White Fang
Tourist Attractions
• Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
• Yosemite National Park
• Disneyland, Anaheim
Manufacturing, Agriculture
& Climate
• Manufacturing: Computers and computer
software, film production, aerospace,
tourism
• Agriculture: Vegetables, fruit, nuts, dairy,
cattle, nursery stock, grapes
• Climate: Varied temperatures. Summers
are dry with occasional showers. Rain
occurs most heavily October - April in the
north and November - March in the south
Important Dates
1849 - Gold Rush
1850 - California becomes a state
1869 - Completion of the
Transcontinental Railroad
Fun Facts
Did you know that…
•California is bordered by Arizona, Nevada
& Oregon
•More turkeys are raised in California than
in any other state
•Death Valley is the hottest, driest place in
the United States
•Sequoia National Park has the largest tree
which is 102 feet in circumference