What can you tell me about California ?

Answer:
California officially became a state in 1850,

making it the 31st to join the union, although there were Spanish missions established in the territory since 1769 (San Diego). California is the "Golden State", with the offiicial one word motto EUREKA, meaning "I have found it!".

The official state flower of California is the golden poppy, and the state bird is the California valley quail. California also boasts both the highest point in the 48 contiguous states (Mt. Whitney) and the lowest point (Death Valley). The climate is notoriously variable, from harsh winter conditions in the northern section to nearly year-round 70-80 degree sunny day in the southern section.

In some parts of southern California, a few inches of rain can be just as debilitating as three feet of snow in other states. One of the more hazardous weather conditions in California is the development of high-speed desert winds called the Santa Ana's. Minor earthquakes and tremors are also common in California, but in general the weather in most parts of California is exceptionally good.

The total estimated population of California varies with its economic health, but in general 45 to 50 million people call California home. The capital of California is Sacramento, but it is not the largest or most populous city. That honor goes to Los Angeles, with an estimated population of 3.9 million people. Other large cities include San Francisco, San Diego, Long Beach, Oakland. Fresno, Anaheim and San Jose.

Popular tourist destinations in California include Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the original Disneyland, the La Brea tar pits, Mount Whitney, Sequoia National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and Yosemite National Park.

California can be abbreviated in print as Calif., and the official post office abbreviation is CA.

A number of famous people were born in California, including poet Robert Frost, former president Richard Nixon, actress Marilyn Monroe, chef Julia Child, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, military commander George S. Patton, and astronaut Sally Ride.


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