|
 |
Home
California
Motto: "Eureka" - Greek - "I have found it"
Nickname: Official - "The Golden State"
Capital: Sacramento
Population: 35,484,453 (Estimate by the US Census Bureau 7/01/03) - Ranked 1st in US State Population
Size: 770 miles long and 250 miles wide at its most distant points; covers 163,707 square miles- 3rd largest of the 50 states.
State Bird: Valley Quail
State Flower: Golden Poppy
It's thought that the name California comes from a 16th century novel. Spanish explorers Hernando Cortez and Ortuno Ximenez were familiar with the book "Las Sergas de Esplandian," by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo, and probably named the territory after the gold-laden island described in the novel.
California became a state on September 9, 1850, after, it is said, the US Congress "hesitantly voted to admit another free state to the union." It was the 31st state admitted to the Union.
People who live in or come from California are called "Californians."
|
