The first Spanish missionaries arrived in California in the 18th century, but California did not become a U.S. territory until 1847, as part of the treaty that ended the Mexican–American War. Soon after, the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 inspired a wave of settlers to head to the west coast in search of fortune.
In 1850, California became the 31st state, and is now the third largest state after Alaska and Texas. With millions of acres of farmland, California leads the US in agricultural production. The state is also home to famous cultural institutions and national parks, including: Hollywood, Disneyland, Yosemite National Park, Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Geography
California is located in the western United States and is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is a state of great natural beauty, with towering mountain ranges, deep valleys, lush forests, sandy beaches, and rugged coastline. California has an incredibly diverse geography that spans from the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east to low-lying areas along its central coast.
The Sierra Nevada mountains form a backbone that runs from north to south through California’s interior. The highest peak in this range is Mount Whitney at 14,494 feet (4,418 meters). This range includes national parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia National Park. To the west of this mountain range lies California’s Central Valley—the most productive agricultural region in the United States. This large valley stretches 450 miles (725 km) from north to south and contains many cities such as Sacramento and Fresno.
To the south of this valley lies California’s Coastal Range which consists of several mountain ranges running parallel to each other along much of California’s coast. The highest peak in this range is Mount San Jacinto at 10,834 feet (3302 meters). This coastal range includes Redwood National Park which features some of the tallest trees on earth.
Further south lies California’s famous Central Coast which runs from San Francisco Bay down through Los Angeles County and into San Diego County. This area features iconic landmarks such as Big Sur and Hearst Castle as well as many popular beaches like Santa Monica Beach and Venice Beach.
Finally, there are two deserts located in California—the Mojave Desert in southern California near Death Valley National Park and Joshua Tree National Park; and then there is also a smaller desert called Anza-Borrego Desert State Park located east of San Diego near Imperial County. These deserts have some of the driest climates in North America with temperatures reaching up to 120°F (49°C) during summer months!
Overall, California boasts a wide variety of landscapes ranging from snowcapped mountains to sandy beaches; lush forests to arid deserts; vibrant cities to rural backcountry; all within one state! From big cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco down through small towns like Carmel-by-the-Sea or Mendocino; from redwood forests up north down through Joshua Tree out east; there are so many places for visitors or residents alike to explore here in beautiful California.
Cities in California
Below are the top 15 cities by population in California. For all cities and towns in the state, please see California cities list.
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 3,902,440 |
| 2 | San Diego | 1,385,398 |
| 3 | San Jose | 1,013,337 |
| 4 | San Francisco | 865,933 |
| 5 | Fresno | 538,678 |
| 6 | Sacramento | 518,605 |
| 7 | Long Beach | 466,565 |
| 8 | Oakland | 437,548 |
| 9 | Bakersfield | 398,756 |
| 10 | Anaheim | 348,204 |
| 11 | Stockton | 317,818 |
| 12 | Riverside | 314,858 |
| 13 | Santa Ana | 313,818 |
| 14 | Irvine | 297,868 |
| 15 | Chula Vista | 274,818 |
Counties in California
The State of California consists of 58 counties. They are:
- Alameda County, California
- Alpine County, California
- Amador County, California
- Butte County, California
- Calaveras County, California
- Colusa County, California
- Contra Costa County, California
- Del Norte County, California
- El Dorado County, California
- Fresno County, California
- Glenn County, California
- Humboldt County, California
- Imperial County, California
- Inyo County, California
- Kern County, California
- Kings County, California
- Lake County, California
- Lassen County, California
- Los Angeles County, California[5]
- Madera County, California
- Marin County, California
- Mariposa County, California
- Mendocino County, California
- Merced County, California
- Modoc County, California
- Mono County, California
- Monterey County, California
- Napa County, California
- Nevada County, California
- Orange County, California
- Placer County, California
- Plumas County, California
- Riverside County, California
- Sacramento County, California
- San Benito County, California
- San Bernardino County, California
- San Diego County, California
- The City and County of San Francisco, California
- San Joaquin County, California
- San Luis Obispo County, California
- San Mateo County, California
- Santa Barbara County, California
- Santa Clara County, California
- Santa Cruz County, California
- Shasta County, California
- Sierra County, California
- Siskiyou County, California
- Solano County, California
- Sonoma County, California
- Stanislaus County, California
- Sutter County, California
- Tehama County, California
- Trinity County, California
- Tulare County, California
- Tuolumne County, California
- Ventura County, California
- Yolo County, California
- Yuba County, California
