California Facts

50 California Facts

1. California is one of the 50 states of the United States of America.
2. California was the 31st state to join the United States on September 9, 1850.
3. California is in the western region of the United States.
4. California is the 3rd largest U.S. state, covering a total of 163,694.74 square miles or 4.30% of the total area of the United States.
5. California's 163,694.74 square miles is 95.16% land and 4.84% surface water.
6. California is ranked 3rd with the most land area in the United States, with 155,779.22 square miles of land area.
7. California is ranked 6th with the most water area in the United States, with 7,915.52 square miles of water area.
8. California is the most populated U.S. state with a population of 39,538,223 or 11.95% of the total population of the United States.
9. The state capital of California is the city of Sacramento.
10. California is divided into 58 counties statewide.
11. Los Angeles County is the most populated county in California
12. The most populated city in California is Los Angeles with an estimated 3,997,984 residents.
13. The five most populated city in California are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco and Fresno.
14. A native or resident California is called a Californian.
15. California's average elevation statewide is 2,900 feet.
16. California's highest elevation point is Mount Whitney at 14,505 feet.
17. California's lowest elevation point is the Death Valley at -282 feet.
18. California is all in the Pacific Time Zone (PT).
19. The two letter abbreviation for California is CA.
20. The ISO 3166 code for California is US-CA.
21. California is called the Golden State.
22. The estimated median household income in California is $80,440.
23. California is the 2nd most expensive U.S. state to buy a home with an estimated median home price of $554,886.
24. California is ranked 3rd on the cost of living index out of all 50 U.S. states.
25. California has the 40th oldest population in the United States with a median age of 37.3.
26. California's average temperature is 61.17°F making it the 10th warmest state in the United States.
27. California on average has 22.97 inches of precipitation per year, making it the 40th wettest U.S. state.
28. The hottest temperature ever recorded in California was 134 °F on Thursday, July 10, 1913, in Greenland Ranch (Death Valley), CA.
29. The coldest temperature ever recorded in California was -45 °F on Wednesday, January 20, 1937, in Boca, CA.
30. In Eastern California there is a desert valley known as Death Valley and it’s one of the hottest places on our planet during the summer months. Regardless of the extreme heat, Death Valley is home to a wide variety of animals and plants. Red-tailed hawks and bighorn sheep are two examples of animals that call Death Valley their home.
31. The longest living tree in the world is General Sherman, a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). The General Sherman is in Tulare County, California in the Sequoia National Park. This tree is estimated to be at least 2,200 years old.
32. California has a massive economy. In 2021, it’s estimated that the GSP (gross state product) of California was $3.4 trillion US dollars. If California was its own country, it would have the 5th largest economy in the world.
33. The population of California is massive. Around 11.5% of all U.S. citizens live in California or 1 out of every 8 people.
34. California is home to three of the ten U.S. cities with more than one million residents. Those three cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose.
35. That vast majority of the world’s almond supply (around 70%) comes from California.
36. California is home to both the highest and lowest elevation points in the continental United States. Mount Whitney reaches a peak of 14,505 feet and the Badwater Basin in Death Valley sits 282 feet below sea level.
37. In 1542, Iberian maritime explorer Juan Rodrigue Cabrillo became the first explorer from Europe to explore California.
38. In 1848, the California Gold Rush began with the discovery of gold in Coloma, California by James W. Marshall. This discovery would bring around 300,000 people to California between 1848 and 1855.
39. In 1906, a powerful earthquake devastated San Francisco, California. On April 18th, 1906, around 5:12 a.m. PST a 7.9 magnitude earthquake shook San Francisco. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake killed over 3,000 people and destroyed an estimated 80% of the city.
40. In 1945, the founding document of the United Nations (The Charter of the United Nations) was signed in San Francisco, California.
41. Politian and former U.S. President Richard Nixon was born on January 9th, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California.
42. Film director and producer George Lucas was born on May 14th, 1944, in Modesto, California.
43. Actress and model Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1st, 1926, in Los Angeles, California.
44. Entrepreneur, actor, and inventor Steve Jobs was born on February 24th, 1955, in San Francisco, California.
45. Actor, businessman, and former professional wrestler Dwayne D. Johnson (“The Rock”) was born on May 2nd, 1972, in Hayward, California.
46. Actor and film producer Leonardo DiCaprio was born on November 11th, 1974, in Los Angeles, California.
47. California's official state motto is "Eureka" (Greek, "I have found it).
48. California's official state bird is the California quail (Callipepla californica).
49. California's official state tree is the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum).
50. California's official state flower is the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica).

Pictures of California, USA

The state of California and its regional area on a Map of the United States of America.

The official state flag of California waving in the wind on a flag pole.

The official state seal of California that is used by the state's government.

Sacramento the capital city of California.

Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

Golden Gate Bridge In San Francisco