Welcome to the Portal:California. Such a lovely place.
California
State of California
Map of the United States with California highlighted
California is a state in the Western United States , lying on the American Pacific Coast . It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and the Mexico to the south. With 39 million residents across an area of 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2 ), it is the most populous U.S. state, the third-largest by area, and most populated subnational entity in North America . The Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions , with 19 million and 10 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is the state's most populous city and the nation's second-most , after New York . California's capital , Sacramento , is located in the Central Valley .
Prior to European colonization , California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America . European exploration in the 16th and 17th centuries led to the colonization by the Spanish Empire . The area became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its successful war for independence , but was ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War . The California Gold Rush started in 1848 and led to social and demographic changes, including depopulation of indigenous peoples in the California genocide . The western portion of Alta California was then organized and admitted as the 31st state in 1850 , as a free state , following the Compromise of 1850 .
California's economy is the largest of any US state, with a $3.6 trillion gross state product . It is the largest sub-national economy in the world. California's agricultural industry has the highest output of any U.S. state, and is led by its dairy , almonds , and grapes . With the busiest port in the country (Los Angeles ), California plays a pivotal role in the global supply chain, hauling in about 40% of goods imported to the US. 84% of residents 25 or older hold a high school degree , the lowest high school education rate of all 50 states . Despite a continuing exodus of businesses from Downtown San Francisco and Downtown Los Angeles , California retains one of the largest number of Fortune 500 companies. (Full article... )
Aerial view: Eureka on Humboldt Bay
Eureka (Wiyot : Jaroujiji , Hupa : dahwilahł-ding , Karuk : uuth ) is a city and the county seat of Humboldt County , located on the North Coast of California . The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt Bay , 270 miles (435 km) north of San Francisco and 100 miles (161 km) south of the Oregon border. At the 2020 census , the population of the city was 26,512. As of the 2010 census , the population of Greater Eureka was 45,034.
Eureka is the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon , and the westernmost city of more than 25,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states. The proximity to the sea causes the city to have an extremely maritime climate with very small annual temperature differences and seasons mainly being defined by the rainy winters and dry summers , whereas nearby inland areas are much hotter in summer. It is the regional center for government, health care, trade, and the arts on the North Coast north of the San Francisco Bay Area . Greater Eureka, one of California's major commercial fishing ports, is the location of the largest deep-water port between San Francisco and Coos Bay , a stretch of about 500 miles (805 km). (Full article... )
The following are images from various California-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 The
University of California, Berkeley is the flagship school of the University of California system. (from
Culture of California )
Image 2 Mission San Francisco Solano , founded in 1823 by order of Governor
Luis Antonio Argüello , was the last Californian mission established. (from
History of California )
Image 3 The 1835
Manifiesto a la República Mejicana , by
José Figueroa , was the first book published in California (from
Culture of California )
Image 5 California was often depicted as an island , due to the
Baja California peninsula , from the 16th to the 18th centuries, such as in this 1650 map by cartographer
Johannes Vingboons . (from
History of California )
Image 7 Depiction of the
Donner Party heading west on the
California Trail . (from
History of California )
Image 9 A Southern Pacific Train at
Arcade Depot , Los Angeles, 1891 (from
History of California )
Image 10 Joaquín Murrieta , called the "
Robin Hood of California", was a notorious
outlaw during the
California Gold Rush . He served as inspiration for
Zorro , the famed Californian bandit-hero. (from
History of California )
Image 11 Depiction of the revolt of the
Mission Indians against padre
Luis Jayme at
Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1775. (from
History of California )
Image 12 Junípero Serra conducting the first
mass in
Monterey Bay in 1770. (from
History of California )
Image 15 The 1562 map of the Americas, created by Spanish cartographer
Diego Gutiérrez , which applied
the name California for the first time. (from
History of California )
Image 16 San Francisco harbor,
c. 1850 –51. (from
History of California )
Image 17 Portrait of an "
assimilated "
Maidu man in
Sacramento , 1867. (from
History of California )
Image 21 The American capture of
San Diego by the
USS Cyane in 1846 (from
History of California )
Image 22 Mission Santa Barbara , founded in 1786, was the first mission to be established by
Fermín de Lasuén . (from
History of California )
Image 27 Map of the route taken by the
Anza Expedition of 1775–76, from the
Presidio of Tubac to
San Francisco Bay . (from
History of California )
Image 28 Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo , established in 1770, was the headquarters of the
Californian mission system from 1797 until 1833. (from
History of California )
Image 31 California's first State Capitol building in
San Jose , which served as the capital of California 1850–51. (from
History of California )
Image 33 Portrait of a
Californio in traditional
vaquero clothing. Californios benefitted immensely by the establishment of the
ranchos of California , following the
Mexican secularization act of 1833 . (from
History of California )
Image 34 "Independent Gold Hunter on His Way to California", c. 1850 (from
History of California )
Image 38 In-N-Out burgers (from
Culture of California )
Image 40 Angustias de la Guerra played a crucial role in defending
women's property rights during the drafting of the Constitution of California. (from
History of California )
Image 41 Advertisement for sailing to California, c. 1850. (from
History of California )
Image 42 Founded by
Vicente Francisco de Sarría in 1817,
Mission San Rafael Arcángel , was the last mission founded during the Spanish period. (from
History of California )
Image 43 The Spanish founded
Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1776, the third to be established of the
Californian missions . (from
History of California )
Image 44 Bilingual English-Spanish sign in the
Colorado Desert of
Southern California . (from
Culture of California )
Image 45 Map of the
Butterfield Overland Mail routes through California, c. 1858. (from
History of California )
Image 48 Forces raising the U.S. flag over the
Monterey Customhouse following their victory at the
Battle of Monterey (from
History of California )
Image 49 General
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo reviewing his troops in
Sonoma in 1846. (from
History of California )
Image 51 Map of Spain's
Manila galleon trade routes, showing routes between the
Spanish East Indies and
Acapulco passing along the
coast of California . (from
History of California )
Image 52 The
Treaty of Cahuenga , signed at the
Campo de Cahuenga in 1847 by Californio general
Andrés Pico and American general
John C. Frémont , proclaimed a ceasefire under an American victory. The
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , signed a year later in 1848, officially ended the
Mexican–American War and formally ceded
Alta California to the United States. (from
History of California )
Image 53 Between 1846 and 1873, U.S. government agents waged an extermination campaign against
Indigenous Californians , known as the
California genocide , resulting in as many as 100,000 deaths. (from
History of California )
Image 54 The railway station in
Sacramento in 1874. (from
History of California )
Image 56 Francis Drake 's 1579 landing in "
New Albion " (modern-day
Point Reyes ); engraving by
Theodor De Bry , 1590. (from
History of California )
Image 57 Mission San Gabriel Arcángel , founded in 1771 by padres Pedro Benito Cambón and Ángel de la Somera. (from
History of California )
I've been in California for about 15 years now. You're always in your car and insulated. I miss New York so much.
Image 1 Picture of Stafford from the New York Sunday News , September 21, 1947
Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917 – July 16, 2008) was an American
traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical training to become an
opera singer before following a career in popular music, and by 1955 had achieved more worldwide record sales than any other female artist. Her 1952 song "
You Belong to Me " topped the charts in the United States and United Kingdom, becoming the second single to top the
UK Singles Chart , and the first by a female artist to do so.
Born in remote oil-rich
Coalinga, California , near Fresno in the
San Joaquin Valley , Stafford made her first musical appearance at age 12. While still at high school, she joined her two older sisters to form a vocal trio named the Stafford Sisters, who found moderate success on radio and in film. In 1938, while the sisters were part of the cast of
Twentieth Century Fox 's production of
Alexander's Ragtime Band , Stafford met the future members of
the Pied Pipers and became the group's lead singer. Bandleader
Tommy Dorsey hired them in 1939 to perform vocals with his orchestra. From 1940 to 1942, the group often performed with Dorsey's new male singer, Frank Sinatra. (
Full article... )
Image 2 Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as
Dr. Dre , is an American record producer and rapper. He is the founder and
CEO of
Aftermath Entertainment and
Beats Electronics , and co-founded and was the president of
Death Row Records . Dre began his career as a member of the
World Class Wreckin' Cru in 1985, and later found fame with the
gangsta rap group
N.W.A . The group popularized explicit lyrics in
hip hop to detail the violence of street life. During the early 1990s, Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of
West Coast G-funk , a subgenre of hip hop characterized by a
synthesizer foundation and slow, heavy production.
Released as Death Row's first major project, Dr. Dre's solo debut studio album,
The Chronic (1992) made him one of the best-selling American music artists of 1993. It earned him a
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance with the single "
Let Me Ride ", as well as several accolades for the single "
Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang " (featuring Snoop Dogg). That year, he produced Death Row labelmate
Snoop Doggy Dogg 's debut album
Doggystyle , and mentored producers such as his stepbrother
Warren G (leading to the multi-platinum debut
Regulate... G Funk Era in 1994) and Snoop Dogg's cousin
Daz Dillinger (leading to the double-platinum debut
Dogg Food by
Tha Dogg Pound in 1995), as he would mentor other producers including
Mel-Man and
Scott Storch . In 1996, Dre left Death Row Records to establish his own label, Aftermath Entertainment; his compilation album,
Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath (1996) and second studio album,
2001 (1999) followed thereafter. (
Full article... )
Image 3 John Muir (
MURE ; April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the
National Parks ", was a Scottish-born American
naturalist , author,
environmental philosopher ,
botanist ,
zoologist ,
glaciologist , and early advocate for the preservation of
wilderness in the United States.
His books, letters and essays describing his adventures in nature, especially in the
Sierra Nevada , have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the
Yosemite Valley and
Sequoia National Park , and his example has served as an inspiration for the preservation of many other
wilderness areas. The
Sierra Club , which he co-founded, is a prominent American
conservation organization . In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to his wife and the preservation of the Western forests. As part of the campaign to make Yosemite a national park, Muir published two landmark articles on wilderness preservation in
The Century Magazine , "The Treasures of the Yosemite" and "Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park"; this helped support the push for
US Congress to pass a bill in 1890 establishing
Yosemite National Park . The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings has inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas. (
Full article... )
Image 5 Paul Norton "
Pete "
McCloskey Jr. (September 29, 1927 – May 8, 2024) was an American politician who represented
San Mateo County, California , as a
Republican in the
U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1983.
Born in
Loma Linda, California , McCloskey pursued a legal career in
Palo Alto, California , after graduating from
Stanford Law School . He served in the
Korean War as a member of the
United States Marine Corps . For his service, he was awarded the
Navy Cross and the
Silver Star . He won election to the House of Representatives in 1967, defeating
Shirley Temple in the Republican primary. He co-authored the 1973
Endangered Species Act . He unsuccessfully challenged President
Richard Nixon in the
1972 Republican primaries on an anti-
Vietnam War platform and was the first member of Congress to publicly call for President Nixon's resignation after the
Saturday Night Massacre . (
Full article... )
Image 6 John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as
Jack London , was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.
London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of
animal rights ,
workers’ rights and
socialism . London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his
dystopian novel The Iron Heel , his non-fiction
exposé The People of the Abyss ,
War of the Classes , and
Before Adam . (
Full article... )
Image 7 Charles Milles Manson (
né Maddox ; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader and musician who led the
Manson Family , a
cult based in
California , in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed
a series of at least nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. In 1971, Manson was convicted of
first-degree murder and
conspiracy to commit murder for the
deaths of seven people , including the film actress
Sharon Tate . The prosecution contended that, while Manson never directly ordered the murders, his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy.
Before the murders, Manson had spent more than half of his life in correctional institutions. While gathering his cult following, he was a
singer-songwriter on the fringe of the
Los Angeles music industry, chiefly through a chance association with
Dennis Wilson of
the Beach Boys , who introduced Manson to record producer
Terry Melcher . In 1968, the Beach Boys recorded Manson's song "Cease to Exist", renamed "
Never Learn Not to Love " as a single B-side, but without a credit to Manson. Afterward, Manson attempted to secure a record contract through Melcher, but was unsuccessful. (
Full article... )
Image 9 Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the
San Francisco Board of Supervisors . Milk was born and raised in New York, where he acknowledged his homosexuality as an adolescent, but chose to pursue sexual relationships with secrecy and discretion well into his adult years. His experience in the
counterculture of the 1960s caused him to shed many of his conservative views about individual freedom and the expression of sexuality.
Milk moved to San Francisco in 1972 and opened a camera store. Although he had been restless, holding an assortment of jobs and changing addresses frequently, he settled in
the Castro , a neighborhood that at the time was experiencing a mass immigration of gay men and lesbians. He was compelled to run for city supervisor in 1973, though he encountered resistance from the existing gay political establishment. His campaign was compared to theater; he was brash, outspoken, animated, and outrageous, earning media attention and votes, although not enough to be elected. He campaigned again in the next two supervisor elections, dubbing himself the "Mayor of Castro Street". Voters responded enough to warrant his running for the
California State Assembly as well. Taking advantage of his growing popularity, he led the gay political movement in fierce battles against anti-gay initiatives. Milk was elected city supervisor in 1977 after San Francisco reorganized its election procedures to choose representatives from neighborhoods rather than through city-wide ballots. (
Full article... )
Image 10 Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as
Katy Perry , is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is known for her influence on modern
pop music and her
camp style, being dubbed the "
Queen of Camp " by
Vogue and
Rolling Stone . At 16, Perry released a
gospel record titled
Katy Hudson (2001) under
Red Hill Records , which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles at 17 to venture into
secular music, and later adopted the stage name "Katy Perry" from her mother's maiden name. She recorded an album while signed to
Columbia Records , but was dropped before signing to
Capitol Records .
Perry rose to fame with
One of the Boys (2008), a
pop rock record containing her debut single "
I Kissed a Girl " and follow-up single "
Hot n Cold ", which reached number one and three on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 respectively. The
disco -influenced pop album
Teenage Dream (2010) spawned five U.S. number one singles—"
California Gurls ", "
Teenage Dream ", "
Firework ", "
E.T. ", and "
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) "— the only album by a female singer to do so. A reissue of the album titled
Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection (2012) subsequently produced the U.S. number one single "
Part of Me ". Her empowerment-themed album
Prism (2013) had two U.S. number one singles, "
Roar " and "
Dark Horse ". Both their respective music videos made Perry the first artist to have multiple videos reach one billion views on
Vevo and
YouTube . The
electropop album
Witness (2017) featured themes of feminism and a political subtext, while
Smile (2020) was influenced by motherhood and her mental health journey. Afterwards, she embarked on her Las Vegas
concert residency titled
Play (2021–2023), receiving critical acclaim and commercial success. (
Full article... )
Image 11 Francis Ford Coppola (
KOH -pəl-ə,
Italian: [ˈkɔppola] ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the leading figures of the
New Hollywood film movement of the 1960s and 1970s and is widely considered one of the greatest directors of all time. He is the
recipient of five
Academy Awards , six
Golden Globe Awards , two
Palmes d'Or , and a
British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) .
After directing
The Rain People in 1969, Coppola co-wrote
Patton (1970), which earned him the
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay along with
Edmund H. North . Coppola's reputation as a filmmaker was cemented with the release of
The Godfather (1972), which revolutionized the
gangster genre of filmmaking, receiving strong commercial and critical reception.
The Godfather won three Academy Awards:
Best Picture ,
Best Actor and
Best Adapted Screenplay (shared with
Mario Puzo ).
The Godfather Part II (1974) became the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Highly regarded by critics, the film earned Coppola two more Academy Awards, for Best Adapted Screenplay and
Best Director , making him the second director (after
Billy Wilder ) to win these three awards for the same film. (
Full article... )
Image 12 Murray M Chotiner (October 4, 1909 – January 30, 1974) was an American
political strategist ,
attorney ,
government official , and close associate and friend of President
Richard Nixon during much of the 37th President's political career. He served as
campaign manager for the future president's successful runs for the
United States Senate in 1950 and for the
vice presidency in 1952, and managed the campaigns of other
California Republicans . He was active in each of Nixon's two successful runs for the
White House in low-profile positions.
Chotiner was born in
Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania; his father moved the family to California and then abandoned his wife and children. Murray Chotiner attended
UCLA , and graduated from the
Southwestern School of Law . He practiced law in Los Angeles, and branched out into public relations. Involving himself in Republican politics, he played an active part in several political campaigns and made an unsuccessful run for the
California State Assembly in 1938. (
Full article... )
Image 13 John Whiteside Parsons (born
Marvel Whiteside Parsons ; October 2, 1914 – June 17, 1952) was an American
rocket engineer ,
chemist , and
Thelemite occultist . Associated with the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Parsons was one of the principal founders of both the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the
Aerojet Engineering Corporation . He invented the first
rocket engine to use a
castable ,
composite rocket propellant , and pioneered the advancement of both
liquid-fuel and
solid-fuel rockets.
Born in Los Angeles, Parsons was raised by a wealthy family on
Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena, California. Inspired by
science fiction literature , he developed an interest in rocketry in his childhood and in 1928 began
amateur rocket experiments with school friend
Edward Forman . He dropped out of
Pasadena Junior College and
Stanford University due to financial difficulties during the
Great Depression , and in 1934 he united with Forman and graduate
Frank Malina to form the Caltech-affiliated
Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory (GALCIT) Rocket Research Group, supported by GALCIT chairman
Theodore von Kármán . In 1939 the GALCIT Group gained funding from the
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to work on
Jet-Assisted Take Off (JATO) for the U.S. military. After the U.S. entered World War II, they founded Aerojet in 1942 to develop and sell JATO technology; the GALCIT Group became JPL in 1943. (
Full article... )
Image 14 Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as the 30th
governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as the 14th
Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The
Warren Court presided over a major shift in American
constitutional jurisprudence , which has been recognized by many as a "
Constitutional Revolution " in the
liberal direction, with Warren writing the majority opinions in landmark cases such as
Brown v. Board of Education (1954),
Reynolds v. Sims (1964),
Miranda v. Arizona (1966), and
Loving v. Virginia (1967). Warren also led the
Warren Commission , a
presidential commission that investigated the 1963
assassination of President John F. Kennedy . He served as
Governor of California from 1943 to 1953, and is the last chief justice to have served in an elected office before nomination to the Supreme Court. Warren is generally considered to be one of the most influential Supreme Court justices and political leaders in the
history of the United States .
Warren was born in 1891 in
Los Angeles and was raised in
Bakersfield, California . After graduating from the
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law , he began a legal career in
Oakland . He was hired as a deputy district attorney for
Alameda County in 1920 and was appointed district attorney in 1925. He emerged as a leader of the state
Republican Party and won election as the
Attorney General of California in 1938. In that position he supported, and was a firm proponent of the
forced removal and internment of over 100,000
Japanese Americans during
World War II . In the
1942 California gubernatorial election , Warren defeated incumbent
Democratic governor
Culbert Olson . As the 30th Governor of California, Warren presided over a period of major growth—for the state as well as the nation. Serving from 1943 to 1953, Warren is the only governor of California to be elected for three consecutive terms. (
Full article... )
Image 15 Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, filmmaker, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder known for his roles in high-profile action movies. He
served as the
38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011 and was among
Time 's 100 most influential people in the world in 2004 and 2007.
Schwarzenegger began
lifting weights at age 15 and won the
Mr. Universe title aged 20, and subsequently the
Mr. Olympia title seven times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest
bodybuilders of all time, and has written many books and articles about it. The
Arnold Sports Festival , considered the second-most important bodybuilding event after Mr. Olympia, is named after him. He appeared in the bodybuilding documentary
Pumping Iron (1977). After retiring from bodybuilding, he gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action star, with his breakthrough in the
sword and sorcery epic
Conan the Barbarian (1982), a box-office hit with
a sequel in 1984. After playing the
title character in the science fiction film
The Terminator (1984), he starred in
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and three other sequels. His other successful action films included
Commando (1985),
The Running Man (1987),
Predator (1987),
Total Recall (1990), and
True Lies (1994), in addition to comedy films such as
Twins (1988),
Kindergarten Cop (1990) and
Jingle All the Way (1996). He is the founder of the film production company Oak Productions. (
Full article... )
Shasta Dam under construction
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories
Extended content
This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs ) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{ WikiProject California }} ) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.
Featured articles
Featured lists
A-Class articles
Featured portals
Featured pictures
File:1967 Mantra-Rock Dance Avalon poster.jpg
File:2010 mavericks competition.jpg
File:20070616 Chris Young visits Wrigley (4)-edit3.jpg
File:Acorn woodpecker holding a nut in its beak-0225.jpg
File:Agassiz statue Mwc00715.jpg
File:Albert Bierstadt - Among the Sierra Nevada, California - Google Art Project.jpg
File:Albino Alligator 2008.jpg
File:Alcatraz03182006.jpg
File:Alice Park - Records of the National Woman's Party.jpg
File:Amboy (California, USA), Hist. Route 66 -- 2012 -- 1.jpg
File:Ansel Adams and camera.jpg
File:Beulah Ream Allen receiving the Medal of Freedom (1945).jpg
File:Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), Corte Madera.jpg
File:Boats on Lake Oroville during the 2021 drought.jpg
File:Bodie ghost town.jpg
File:Border USA Mexico.jpg
File:Brown pelican in flight (Bodega Bay).jpg
File:Burned mobile home neighborhood in California edit.jpg
File:Buteo jamaicensis in flight at Llano Seco-1520.jpg
File:CA-84 Woodside April 2023 002.jpg
File:CA Ground Squirrel on rock.jpg
File:CID Array.jpg
File:Cable Car No. 1 and Alcatraz Island.jpg
File:California island Vinckeboons5.jpg
File:California sea lion in La Jolla (70568).jpg
File:California state coat of arms (illustrated, 1876).jpg
File:CampanileMtTamalpiasSunset-original.jpg
File:Cervus canadensis nannodes at Tomales Point.jpg
File:Chemerinsky during Hyatt III sketch.jpg
File:Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889.jpg
File:Crystal Mountains CA02.jpg
File:Cynthia Woodhead 1980 - Restoration.jpg
File:Deathvalleysky nps big.jpg
File:Devastation in San Bruno.jpg
File:Donner Lake as seen from Donner Pass.jpg
File:Double-crested cormorant at Sutro Baths-6460.jpg
File:Dungeness crab face closeup.jpg
File:EdwardTeller1958 fewer smudges.jpg
File:Egretta thula at Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds.jpg
File:Elephant seals fighting.jpg
File:Eureka Inn, Entrance Hall.jpg
File:European starling at Bodega Head-1209.jpg
File:Fort Baker and Angel Island.jpg
File:Fort Mason Center and Downtown San Francisco.jpg
File:GGB reflection in raindrops.jpg
File:GREIDER Carol 2014 - Less vignetting.jpg
File:Gateway Generating Station rectified.jpg
File:Giant Marbles in Joshua Tree National Park.jpg
File:GoldenGateBridge BakerBeach MC.jpg
File:Grauman's Chinese Theatre, by Carol Highsmith fixed & straightened.jpg
File:Greater Yellowlegs2.jpg
File:Greater white-fronted goose in flight-1045.jpg
File:Gull ca usa.jpg
File:Hawk eating prey.jpg
File:Heinrich Berann NPS Panorama of Yosemite without labels.jpg
File:Hotel Del c1900b.jpg
File:Igor Stravinsky LOC 32392u.jpg
File:Jane Russell in The Outlaw.jpg
File:JetBlue292Landing.jpg
File:Jfader dryden.jpg
File:JohnShea.jpg
File:Joshua tree keys view pano more vertical.jpg
File:Juvenile pelecanus occidentalis in flight.jpg
File:Kobe Bryant 7144 adjusted.jpg
File:LAPD Bell 206 Jetranger.jpg
File:LagunaBeachCA photo D Ramey Logan.JPG
File:Lange-MigrantMother02.jpg
File:Langechildren2.jpg
File:Lansdowne Herakles Getty Museum.jpg
File:Line scan photo of nine car BART C1 train in 2017.jpg
File:Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.jpg
File:Los Angeles Pollution.jpg
File:Los angeles from getty panorama.jpg
File:LutraCanadensis fullres.jpg
File:Male northern pintail at Llano Seco.jpg
File:Male wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) strutting.jpg
File:Map of Cathedral Peak Granodiorite.svg
File:Marilyn Monroe photo pose Seven Year Itch.jpg
File:Mary Pickford cph.3c17995u.jpg
File:McClure Tunnel west.jpg
File:Mission Santa Clara.jpg
File:Mono lake tufa.JPG
File:Mudpot at Lassen Volcanic National Park in August 2019.webm
File:NPG 2010 112 Lucia Chamberlain by Zaida Ben-Yusuf.jpg
File:Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981.jpg
File:Oppenheimer (cropped).jpg
File:Palace of Fine Arts (16794p).jpg
File:Parlos Verdes Light House Aug 2012.JPG
File:Pelecanus erythrorhynchos at Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds.jpg
File:Photograph of Members of the Mochida Family Awaiting Evacuation - NARA - 537505 - Restoration.jpg
File:Pigeon Point Lighthouse (2016).jpg
File:Pioneertown california saloon and bath house.jpg
File:Point Arena Lighthouse, Mendocino County.jpg
File:Point Reyes Lighthouse (April 2012).jpg
File:Post-and-Grant-Avenue-Look.jpg
File:Pyrosoma atlanticum (12256).jpg
File:Randy's donuts1 edit1.jpg
File:RiP2013 GreenDay Mike Dirnt 0002.JPG
File:Ronald Reagan with cowboy hat 12-0071M edit.jpg
File:Rosalind Goodrich Bates (1931).jpg
File:Russian chapel at Fort Ross (2016).jpg
File:Sacramento,-California---State-Capitol.jpg
File:Sally Ride (1984).jpg
File:San Francisco City Hall as seen from 100 Van Ness at dusk (wide).jpg
File:San Francisco International Airport at night.jpg
File:San Francisco in ruin edit2.jpg
File:San gorgonio pass wind farm california pano.jpg
File:SanFrancisco1851a.jpg
File:SanFranciscoharbor1851c sharp.jpg
File:Sea otter nursing02.jpg
File:Seaborg in lab - restoration.jpg
File:Sfearthquake3b.jpg
File:Sharon Tate Valley of the Dolls 1967 - Restoration.jpg
File:Shasta dam under construction new edit.jpg
File:Sonoma chipmunk at Samuel P. Taylor State Park.jpg
File:Spanish shawl.JPG
File:Steve Jobs and Macintosh computer, January 1984, by Bernard Gotfryd - edited.jpg
File:Strip photo of San Francisco Cable Car 10.jpg
File:Surfer in california 2.JPG
File:Tower Bridge Sacramento edit.jpg
File:Tracy Caldwell Dyson in Cupola ISS.jpg
File:US-NBN-CA-Oakland-2248-1870-10-388-B.jpg
File:US-NBN-CA-Petaluma-2193-1870-100-209-A.jpg
File:US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-5-6758-B.jpg
File:US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-20-2772-C.jpg
File:US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-50-1616-A.jpg
File:USA Lassen NP Kings Creek CA edit3.jpg
File:Vernal Falls Rainbow.jpg
File:Victor Adam after Louis Choris - Vue du Presidio san Francisco, 1822.jpg
File:Vineyards of Napa Valley panorama.jpg
File:Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA, CA, jjron 22.03.2012.jpg
File:Waxman during Hyatt III sketch.jpg
File:World War II woman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, California 1942.jpg
Nicknames: The Golden State
Capital: Sacramento
Total area: 163,696 mi2
Land: 156,002 mi2
Water: 7,694 mi2
Highest elevation: 14,505 ft (Mount Whitney )
Population 39,250,017 (2016 est)
Admission to the Union: September 9, 1850 (31st )
State symbols:
Things you can do