California Summary

California is the third-largest state in the United States and has the most residents, 93 percent of whom live in urban areas. The largest cities, in order, are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, and Long Beach.

The state motto — “Eureka!” — refers, by some accounts, to gold, and by others to a popular sixteenth-century Spanish novel describing a fantasy island called California. Spaniards, Mexicans, English, Russians, and the first explorer, Portuguese Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, all helped to establish the state in the sixteenth century. Sir Francis Drake explored the north coast, and later Father Junipero Serra founded Catholic California, establishing the mission of San Diego in 1769 — the first in a wave of Spanish missionary settlements that soon dotted much of southern California. Today these Catholic missions mark some of the most beautiful sites on the coast. By planting vineyards to produce their sacramental wine, these missions gave birth to what is today one of the state’s most vital and lucrative enterprises — the wine industry. The population increased after gold was discovered in 1848.

Today, California has some of the best dining experiences in the world, most notably in the San Francisco Bay area. Information technology, aircraft and missiles, entertainment, and agriculture are the largest industries. The combination of counterculture, plastic culture, and old-world culture makes it difficult to stereotype Californians. “The Golden State” stretches from the Oregon border in the north to Tijuana, Mexico, in the south. It contains the highest and lowest points in the mainland United States: Mt Whitney and Death Valley. The state’s natural beauty, combined with a temperate climate, encourages year-round outdoor activities. Famous state landmarks include Disneyland and the California Adventure, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.