California at a Glance

Find Yourself Here

Find yourself in the world’s movie capital or under the world’s tallest tree. Find yourself in California.

With lush valleys and barren deserts, California is hard to capture. Los Angeles is home to films while Sonoma is home to wine. San Francisco boasts iconic monuments while San Diego has the beaches. But with so many options, it’s easy to “find yourself here.”

Find out more about California at DiscoverAmerica.com.

Capital: Sacramento

Population: California is the most populous U.S. state, with more than 37 million residents.

Geography: The second-largest state in the contiguous United States, California spans nearly 1,300 kilometers from north to south. This U.S. West Coast state shares a border with Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, Mexico to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its diverse landscape ranges from the Sierra Nevada to the Central Valley to the Mojave Desert.

Higher Education: The state of California operates three public higher education systems: the University of California (UC) system, the California State University (CSU) system and the California Community College System (CCCS). Founded in 1868, UC Berkeley was the first school of the UC system. Offering nearly 350 undergraduate and graduate degrees, UC Berkeley is best known for its chemistry, mathematics and physics undergraduate programs and its public policy, business and law graduate programs. Established in 1857, San Jose State University, part of the California State University system, is the oldest public higher education institution on the U.S. West Coast. San Jose State is well known for its business, engineering and nursing undergraduate programs and its engineering, library science and education graduate programs. Stanford University is California’s premier private institution. Founded in 1891, Stanford University is organized into seven schools offering both undergraduate and graduate programs. It is internationally recognized for its humanities and social sciences, engineering and technology and physical sciences programs.

Major Industries: California boasts the highest economic production among all U.S. states. Its service industry leads the way with health care, law, engineering and entertainment making up the largest portion of the state’s gross product. In terms of gross product, the manufacturing sector is next with electrical equipment, computer machinery and food processing at the top of the list. Agricultural outputs such as dairy products, nursery products, grapes, almonds and cattle are also vital to the Golden State’s economy.

Sports Teams: The National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings; the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers; the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks; and Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.

Famous Californians: With the largest population in the United States, California is bound to have a host of notable individuals. Musicians Paula Abdul, Beck, Cher, Snoop Dogg, Fergie, Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani and Dr. Dre; actors Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jack Black, Josh Brolin, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Zac Efron, James Franco, Will Ferrell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Gene Hackman, Tom Hanks, Jonah Hill, Kate Hudson, Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, Shia LaBeouf, George Lopez, Marilyn Monroe, Sean Penn, Robert Redford, Jason Segel and Kristen Stewart; athletes Oscar De La Hoya, Joe DiMaggio, Landon Donovan, Tony Hawk, Marion Jones, Billie Jean King, Michelle Kwan, Lisa Leslie, Jeremy Lin, Mark McGwire, Alex Morgan, Mark Spitz, Stephen Strasburg, Shaun White, Ted Williams, Venus Williams and Tiger Woods; models Tyra Banks, Christie Brinkley and Christy Turlington; photographer Ansel Adams; authors Robert Frost, Jack London, John Steinbeck and Amy Tan; publisher William Randolph Hearst; directors Tim Burton and George Lucas; chef Julia Child; Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak; the first American woman in space, Sally Ride; and U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer were all born in California.

Pop Culture: The 1967 drama The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman; the 1974 noir Chinatown, starring Jack Nicholson; the 1995 comedy Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone; the 1997 mystery drama L.A. Confidential; and the 2011 silent film The Artist all employed the Golden State as scenery.

Culinary Specialties: Dubbed the capital of everything from artichokes and avocados to dates and raisins, California has a rich agricultural and culinary history. The Cobb salad, invented at Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant, features crisp romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes, smoked bacon, strips of boiled chicken, hard boiled eggs, ripe avocado, crumbled blue cheese and a light vinaigrette. San Francisco is also known for its sourdough, a dense, tangy bread.

International Connection: Sacramento, California, is sister cities with Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories; Chișinău, Moldova; Hamilton, New Zealand; Jinan, China; Liestal, Switzerland; Manila, Philippines; Matsuyama, Japan; Pasay City, Philippines; San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua; and Yongsan-gu, South Korea.

Fun Facts:

• California claims both the highest (Mount Whitney) and lowest (Bad Water in Death Valley) points in the contiguous United States.

• California is home to the world’s tallest tree (Hyperion), the world’s oldest tree (Methuselah) and the world’s largest tree by volume (General Sherman). In fact, you can see nearly 60 percent of the world’s tallest trees driving along California’s Avenue of the Giants.

• One out of every eight music festivals in the United States is held in California, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, the longest continuously running jazz festival in the world.

Adventure Idea: Submerge yourself — literally! Catalina Island, just off California’s southern coast, boasts exceptionally clear waters and a variety of marine life. Enterprises like SEAmagine offer visitors the opportunity to experience this watery wonderland in a personal submarine.