Capital: Sacramento
Population: 33,871,648
Governor: Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (R, to January 2011)
Entered the Union: September 9, 1850
as the 31st state
Motto: Eureka (I Have Found It)
Nicknames: The Golden state
Flower: Golden Poppy
Bird: California Valley Quail
Song: "I Love You, California"
Sports Teams: Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants (Baseball); Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings (Men's Basketball); San Jose Raiders (Women's Basketball); Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, and San Francisco 49ers (Football); Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks (Hockey)
Origin of Name: From the name of a fictional earthly paradise in a book called Las Sergas de Esplanidian, written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo around 1500
Major Industries: Manufacturing, Agriculture, Biotechnology
Historical Sites: Sutter's Mill, where gold was first discovered in California in 1848
Points of Interest: Disneyland (Walt Disney's original theme park), the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay, Hollywood, Sequoia National Park
Bordering States: California borders Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. California also borders Mexico.
Source: State of California
Population, 2006 estimate: 36,457,549
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 7.6%
Population, 2000: 33,871,648
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 7.3%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 26.1%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 10.8%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 50.0%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 76.9%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a: 6.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 1.2
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 12.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.4%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 2.4%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 35.9%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 43.1%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 50.2%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 26.2%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 39.5%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 76.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 26.6%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 5,923,361
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 27.7
Housing units, 2006: 13,174,378
Homeownership rate, 2000: 56.9%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 31.4%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $211,500
Households, 2000: 11,502,870
Persons per household, 2000: 2.87
Median household income, 2004: $49,894
Per capita money income, 1999: $22,711
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 13.2%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 1,616,351
Private industries: 1,435,610
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 23,722
Crop and animal production (Farms): 16,871
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 6,851
Mining: 11,371
Oil and gas extraction: 7,705
Mining, except oil and gas: 1,418
Support activities for mining: 2,248
Utilities: 25,939
Construction: 79,264
Manufacturing: 158,984
Durable goods: 92,810
Wood product manufacturing: 2,692
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 5,002
Primary metal manufacturing: 2,763
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 11,644
Machinery manufacturing: 7,513
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 33,925
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 3,278
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 2,284
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 7,888
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 3,761
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 12,060
Nondurable goods: 66,173
Food product manufacturing: 17,012
Textile and textile product mills: 1,610
Apparel manufacturing: 4,107
Paper manufacturing: 2,364
Printing and related support activities: 4,360
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 13,614
Chemical manufacturing: 18,430
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 4,675
Wholesale trade: 93,903
Retail trade: 114,309
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 36,242
Air transportation: 3,986
Rail transportation: 972
Water transportation: 766
Truck transportation: 10,966
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 1,743
Pipeline transportation: 595
Other transportation and support activities: 13,259
Warehousing and storage: 3,954
Information: 98,075
Publishing including software: 20,404
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 24,460
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 40,342
Information and data processing services: 12,869
Finance and insurance: 110,304
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 61,526
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 19,035
Insurance carriers and related activities: 27,251
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 2,492
Real estate and rental and leasing: 266,120
Real estate: 252,736
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 13,383
Professional and technical services: 134,849
Legal services: 26,941
Computer systems design and related services: 22,850
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 85,057
Management of companies and enterprises: 22,883
Administrative and waste services: 49,770
Administrative and support services: 45,944
Waste management and remediation services: 3,826
Educational services: 13,081
Health care and social assistance: 96,510
Ambulatory health care services: 51,742
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 36,327
Social assistance: 8,441
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 19,804
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 12,311
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 7,493
Accommodation and food services: 43,266
Accommodation: 11,815
Food services and drinking places: 31,451
Other services, except government: 37,217
Government: 180,741
Federal civilian: 23,562
Federal military: 16,205
State and local: 140,974
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 114° 8' W to 124° 24' W
Latitude: 32° 30' N to 42° N
Length / Width: California is 770 miles long and 250 miles wide at its most distant points.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of California is located 38 miles east of Madera.
Borders: California is bordered by Oregon to the north. In the south, California shares an international border with Mexico. To the east, Nevada and Arizona share the California border. California meets the Pacific Ocean on the west.
Total Area: California covers 163,707 square miles, making it the third largest of the 50 states.
Land Area: 155,973 square miles are land areas.
Water Area: 7,734 square miles of California are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in California is Mt. Whitney at 14,494 feet. Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the contiguous 48 states. Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in Alaska, rises 20,320 feet above sea level and is the highest point in the United States.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in California is in Death Valley. Death Valley lies 282 feet below sea level and is the lowest point in the United States.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of California is 2,900 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, Colorado River
Major Lakes: Lake Tahoe, Salton Sea, Owens Lake, Searles Lake
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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