The Nifty Fifty: California

California is a state in the western region of the US with the abbreviation of CA; it became the 31st state on September 9, 1850, which makes California 172 years old, as of September 2022. The name California originates from the name of an imaginary island from a Spanish romance that was written in 1510; the island is described as a paradise filled with gold and precious gems.

California is the 3rd largest state and the most populous; with more than 39 million people, California is the only state more populous than Canada. The capital of California is Sacramento. California’s demonym is Californian and it borders the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and the Mexican state of Baja California.

The motto of the state of California simply is Eureka!

California’s official nickname is The Golden State. This nickname signifies the many golden aspects of California, including the golden fields of California Poppies, the Golden Gate Bridge, and California’s abundance of gold.

The landscape of California contains cliffs, mountains, waterfalls, river valleys, volcanic lava beds, beaches, and deserts. California is also home to the most populous county in the United States, Los Angeles County, the largest county in the world, San Bernardino County, and the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin, which is in Death Valley and is 282 feet below sea level.

California is known for many things, including its sunny beaches and producing the vast majority of US wine, avocados, and artichokes, not to mention that California also produces about 80% of the world’s supply of almonds. The state has many expansive National Parks, in fact, California is home to more National Parks and State Parks than any other state; 9 National Parks and 270 State Parks, to be precise. The Golden State is obviously rich in gold, but also other minerals, such as silver, iron, copper, rare earth elements, boron compounds, clays, limestone, gypsum, and salt.

It is not easy to select one notable figure from California, especially because it contains Hollywood and it is one of the top producers of celebrities, however, my choice is Lee Greenwood. Greenwood was born in South Gate, California, and he is a successful country singer. One of his greatest songs is God Bless the USA, and it has been an American classic since its release.

In the year 1873 in San Francisco, California, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis invented a type of pants that has become the most popular pants in the world: jeans. These denim pants were originally designed to withstand the wear and tear of prospecting during the Gold Rush.

On January 9, 1847, the Battle of La Mesa occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in what is now the city of Vernon. This was the final battle of the California Campaign during the Mexican-American War, and it resulted in an American victory that would lead to the US gaining the province of Alta California.

An interesting fact about California is that the Golden Gate Bridge was originally supposed to be painted in black and yellow stripes, but apparently one of the architects saw the parts for the bridge covered in a reddish orange primer and liked the contrast and visibility of the color enough to change plans and paint the bridge International Orange, which is still the color of the bridge.

Nearly every US State experiences at least a small amount of snow each year, and that snow is almost always the same, pure white color across the states, except for the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. In the summer months, the snow in these mountains can appear pinkish, due to the presence of microscopic algae. This pink snow is often referred to as watermelon snow.

What fact about California most interests you?