California Guidebook

State Animal: Grizzly Bear State Bird: California Quail State Colors: Yale Blue and Golden Yellow State Dance: The West Coast Swing State Fish: California Golden Trout State Flag: The Bear Flag State Flower: Golden Poppy State Fossil: The Saber-toothed Cat State Gemstone: Benitoite State Marine Mammal: California Gray Whale State Mineral: Native Gold State Motto: Eureka! State Nickname: The Golden State State Reptile: The Desert Tortoise State Rock: Serpentine State Tree: The California Redwood State Song: I Love You, California

State Flag: Historic Bear Flag raised at Sonoma on June 14, 1846, by a group of American settlers in revolt against Mexican rule. The flag was designed by William Todd on a piece of new unbleached cotton. The star imitated the lone star of Texas. A grizzly bear represented the many bears seen in the state. The word, "California Republic" was placed beneath the star and bear. It was adopted by the 1911 State Legislature as the State Flag.

Quick Facts

• California, the third largest state in land area, covers 158,693 square miles.

• The average width of the state is 150 to 200 miles.

• California has a coastline 1,264 miles long

• At 14,495 feet, Mt. Whitney in Sequoia National Park is the highest point in the contiguous United States.

• Badwater in Death Valley National Park, at 282 feet below sea level, is the lowest elevation point in the United States.

• California has three active volcanoes: In the Cascade Mountain range are Mt. Lassen (elevation 10,457 feet)., a plug-dome volcano surrounded by volcanic hot springs; and Mt. Shasta (elevation 14,162 feet), which is characterized by strong granite peaks; and Mt. Mammoth (elevation 11,000 feet), found in the Sierra Nevada, offers fantastic skiing.

• The nation's 11th National Marine Sanctuary extends along California's coast from just north of the Golden Gate south past Big Sur to San Simeon in Monterey County. The Monterey sanctuary encompasses 5,312 square miles (4,024 square nautical miles), making it the largest marine sanctuary in the United States.

• The San Francisco Bay is the largest natural harbor and estuary on the west coast.

• California has more than 420 recreational lakes. The largest natural lake, Clearlake, often referred to as "The Bass Capital of the West," has 43,000 acres of surface area and a shoreline of 100 miles, at an elevation of 1,320 feet.

• California has 4.1 million acres in National Park acreage and 1.3 million acres in State Park acreage.

• The largest trees in the world, a species of Redwood known as Sequoia gigantea, can be found in the Sierra Nevada.

• The oldest living thing in the world, the Bristlecone Pine tree, aged at nearly 5,000 years, can be found at an altitude of 11,000 feet in California.

• The tallest living thing in the world is the California Redwood found along the North and Central Coast area.

 

Quick History

1542

• The Portuguese-born sailor, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, became the first European to explore California, landing at San Diego on September 28. He went on to discover the Catalina Islands, the sites of San Pedro and Santa Monica and the Santa Barbara Channel Islands.

• The site of Cabrillo's first landing in California was made a national monument in 1913.

1579

• Sir Francis Drake landed north of San Francisco Bay and claimed the territory for England.
   

1769

• San Diego De Alcala, the first of 21 missions established by Franciscan padres under the leadership of Father Junipero Serra, was founded. The missions extend along a 650-mile trail, the El Camino Real, from San Diego to Sonoma.

• Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola (1723-86) led expedition from Mexico to establish settlements in Alta California; he arrived in San Diego on June 29, and on November 2, they reached San Francisco Bay. As commander, Portola served as Alta California's governor from March 1769 to July 1770.

1821

• The Russian trading post, Fort Ross, was completed near Bodega Bay, enabling the Russians to further explore the northern California coast as they continued hunting for fur seals and sea otters.

1846

• The Bear Flag Revolt achieved California's independence from the rule of Mexico. The flag used in this revolt is now the State flag.

1848

• California became a U.S. holding with the Treaty of Guadalupe, which ended the Mexican War.

• James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's sawmill in Coloma in January 1848, along the south fork of the American River, thus kicking off the famous Gold Rush of 1849 from whence the term "49ers" was coined.

1850

• California was admitted into the Union as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.

1860

• California's famous mail courier service, the Pony Express, followed a route which began in Missouri and ended in Sacramento, California. The trips, lasting more than ten days depending on weather conditions, were the first of a kind connecting California's communication system with the Midwest. Riders changed mounts at postal stations which were 15 miles apart. The fastest delivery was a trip in six days, delivering the news of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Late 1800's

• The trans-continental railroad system was established with funding from the "Big Four," a group of men whose economic influence helped shape California's industrial industry--Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Collis P. Huntington, and Leland Stanford. The system included tracks throughout California's Sierra Nevada region as well as connecting New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Mexico, Utah, and Nevada for mining and travel opportunities.

 

Climate

California has a Mediterranean-type climate that is characterized by general sun and warmth with rain mainly in the winter. Climate does vary greatly based on distance from the ocean and elevation. There are five main climatic zones which exist in the state.

Coastal climate: This area contains most of the state's population. It varies greatly up and down the coast.

Desert climate: Characterized by great daily and annual variations in temperature with very little rainfall.

Foothill climate: 1,000 to 3,000 ft. in elevation with climate similar to valley regions but with more rain and less fog.

Mountain climate: This is the sole region for heavy snow, accented with fairly cold winters and bright, sunny summers.

Valley climate: Characterized by high temperature and low humidity in the summer and low temperature and high humidity in the winter. Both the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys exhibit this type of climatology.

Rainfall: Rainfall varies from 80 inches in Del Norte County (North Coast) to as low as 3 inches in Imperial County (Desert).