California is a state that many people dream about and have different ideas about compared to any state in the United States. Of all the states in the USA, California is the most well-known and at times misunderstood and mysterious.
Between the grizzly bear, Hollywood, and Google there is something you will know and love that comes from California.
California is often referred to as “The Golden State.” Because of its unique history related to technology, nature, movies, and even animals California is one of the most unique and memorable places in the USA and world.
In California, there is an earthquake every three minutes.
It is true, California has over 100,000 earthquakes a year! The number of earthquakes in California will shock anyone. It is true that over 100,000 earthquakes in California every year, but many of these earthquakes are not harmful and leave no damage. One of the biggest fault lines, San Andreas, in the world is in California.
The terror and fear may make some fearful, but earthquakes are a way of life for Californians.
The average statistics for the number of earthquakes in a year are shocking enough. For example, in one year alone, there can be 10,000 earthquakes just in the southern part of California! Don’t worry though as most earthquakes are so tiny they will hardly be noticed.
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California invented the internet because it was here that semiconductors were created.
It has been less than 50 years only, but the internet started and was created in the golden state. The internet is a massive global network and system that has changed everything for everyone around the world.
The University of California in Los Angeles is the site where there was a public announcement about the internet. The historical moment happened on July 3, 1969, where the announcement of this thing called the “internet” first occurred.
The story begins with the birthplace of semiconductors and the Internet, which brought the digital revolution to the world. The first of the three astronomical observatories were also constructed in California, which spawned and brought the internet and digital revolution.
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California is home to Silicon Valley and some of the technology in the world!
California is a state that includes a lot of well-known places, things, history, and more. Silicon Valley, an area world-renowned for world-changing technology, innovation, and venture capital is located near San Francisco.
Also, some of the most popular and well-used tech companies all come from California. For example, if you know to name a big tech company like Google, Paypal or Facebook, the headquarters will most likely be in California.
Here are some other companies in California: eBay, VeriFone, Adobe, Calyx Software, Cisco, and more. These big “California” companies are leaders for industry and employed many citizens within California.
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California is called the Golden State because of the Golden Gate Bridge.
California is called “The Golden State” ever since it was officially nicknamed in 1968. Why? There are a variety of reasons but the biggest seems to be because of the history that is present and attractions. The Gold Rush is a massive historical development that created a lot of influence and development in the USA especially the west coast.
Moreover, California grows fields of golden poppies, which you can see in every part of the state. The golden color seemed to make people think more of gold as well.
The Golden Gate Bridge is the single most well-known golden symbol of California.
The iconic, popular, and world-famous landmark can be recognized by many around the world and it captivates for good reason. Why? Because in media, TV, and movies that are set in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge was built in the 1930s in California.
It can be described as a spectacular and large red bridge, which runs across the Golden Gate strait, and it’s one of the most sought-after travel destinations for people who visit California and wish to see its many landmarks.
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If California was a country then it would be the 6th largest economy in the world!
If you take California out of the United States then the GDP, which is the Gross Domestic Product. This means that California produces more economically than nearly all of the countries of the world!
California as a separate country is economically almost as big as Germany, but bigger than the UK, France, Italy, and Canada.
Also, California and workers in the state produce and make up a big economy despite having fewer workers than France and the UK! So, efficiency is another thing Californians should be valued for as well as overall wealth and riches.
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California’s name and history origin are unknown to most people.
Many are unaware of the origin of the state name, California. The name itself, California, comes from a romance novel or story by an author from Spain. This 16th-century story about the naming of California is very unique because it gives the state another romantic aspect.
The most popular theory, which may have inspired the name California, is that the name came from a warrior queen named Calafia. So, the actual name California, is symbolic of a much stronger connection to North African pirates and as well a medieval epic poem.
As well, there is another theory that the name California originates from the Spanish conquistadors purely. However, it is not the origin of the name that is fascinating but the mystery and intrigue. The first time California was on a map was in 1562. The translation of the original version of the name California is the phrase “Calida Fornax,” which means “hot, fiery furnace.”
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California has more nature than anywhere else in the USA and perhaps the world!
California has nine national parks and thus has the most national parks in the entire USA. The Golden state offers Hollywood, wine, tech, innovation, and beautiful nature. Between Yosemite, Sequoia, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley, and more California is its own world within the world.
For example, what makes California so stunning and fantasy-like is an amazing nature and variety it offers compared to anywhere in the USA or world. Every part of the state from north to south, east to west, California offers a great deal from the snow around Lake Tahoe to deserts around the Mojave and majestic beaches. If you want hiking or natural adventures then California is the spot for you!
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Los Angeles, California was the site of the first motion picture theater.
Everyone knows Hollywood and the iconic movie industry, but many don’t realize how groundbreaking the history is in California. The innovative trendsetters of technology and media picked Los Angeles as the place to show movies.
Tally’s Electric Theatre is the first motion picture theater that aired a movie on April 2, in 1902. This LA-based movie theater started out charging ten cents a ticket per customer for the first movie ever. Eventually, California especially Los Angeles was the epicenter of the movie industry with Hollywood. As well, the Tally theater was the site of the world’s first color movie in 1912 in Los Angeles. This theater eventually hosted pioneering movie stars like Charlie Chaplin and birthed the founding of the movie company, United Artists.
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California grows most of the food in the USA.
California is a powerhouse for technology and food production as well. The amount of food grown in California is enormous and important to the well being of the whole United States. Without the food production of California, many states in the USA would need to import more food.
For example, this is a very telling statistic, “81 percent of American carrots, 95 percent of broccoli, 86 percent of cauliflower, 74 percent of raspberries, 91 percent of strawberries,” are all grown in California. California is the sole place in the whole USA where almonds are harvested.
Clearly, the importance of the state is with the food industry and technology. Overall, more than third of the vegetables in the USA and two-thirds of fruits and nuts are produced in California.
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The Grizzly bear of California is one of the state’s popular symbols.
The grizzly bear can be found on the state flag and seal as well. In summary, the grizzly bear was deemed the official state animal in 1953. This massive animal is a testament to the grand and epic nature of California.
The grizzly bear was native to California and could be found in valleys and various mountains throughout the state. When California became settled and more popular the grizzly bear became extinct in 1922.
Many people around them recognize and love the bear and associate it to California.
In the end, the California bear or grizzly was put on the flag of California in 1846. The bear represented the California Republic. Moreover, the grizzly bear has been celebrated as a mascot for University of California Berkeley and as well UCLA in Los Angeles.
