California (U.S. state)

California is a state of the United States. California is located on the west coast of the North American continent. The major metropolitan areas are Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. "Silicon Valley" is the informal name of the computer-producing region centered on San Jose, south of San Francisco. In 2007, 10% of the population of the United States lived in California.

History

The United States captured California in 1846 as part of the Mexican War; it paid compensation to Mexico through the the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848. California never was a territory; it went from military control by the U.S. Army to statehood in 1850.

Politics

The current governor of California is Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate member of the Republican Party. However, the state generally votes for Democratic candidates for president, has a liberal Democratic majority in the legislature and congressional delegation. San Francisco, is a major liberal bastion, while Los Angeles is a major factor in political fundraising for national politicians of all stripes.

Agriculture

In the Los Angeles area the San Gabriel Mountains' alluvial fans in the foothills and valleys were ideal for citrus cultivation, By 1900 planned residential communities or "colonies" sprang up in the midst of the steadily expanding orange groves. Citrus growers needed laborers and imported successive groups of ethnic minority workers. After experimenting with Sikh, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino laborers between the 1870s and 1900, growers began hiring Mexican immigrants in larger numbers. Prized for their proximity and their willingness to work hard and cheap, Mexicans gradually supplanted other workers in the region. By the 1920s, some 150,000 to 200,000 Mexicans had taken over most citrus jobs.

Geography

• Yosemite Valley
• Mount Shasta
• Mount Lassen
• San Andreas Fault

Historic Points of Interest

Historic Theaters of California

Historic Homes of California

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