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Discover California, USA

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Napa Valley, California
Author: Aaron Logan (Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 Generic)

California is the most populous state in the United States. It covers an area of 163,696 sq miles (423,970 sq km), making it the third largest state behind Alaska and Texas. Guide to California Hotels Here's a list of hotels in California that you can book online, listed by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites. Redwood National Park Author: Michael Schweppe (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic) More on California The four biggest cities in California are Los Angeles (which is also the second largest in US behind New York City), San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco. California shares border with Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. To the west is the coastline of California to the Pacific Ocean. Yosemite National Park Author: Rainer Marks (public domain) The main components of California's geography includes the Pacific coast, the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Mojave desert areas and the Redwood-Douglas fir forests. In addition to being a highly industrialized state, California through its Central Valley is the most productive agricultural areas in the world. The area that we know today as California has seen human habitation going back at least 10,000 years ago. Before the arrival of Europeans, there were seventy different Native American groups in California. The first European to set foot in California was the Portuguese explorer Jaão Rodrigues Cabrillho, who was sailing under the Spanish flag in 1542. Sir Francis Drake passed by California in 1579. The area was mapped by Sebastián Vizcíno to be included in New Spain in 1602. Bowling Balls Beach, Mendocino county, California Author: Mila Zinkova (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported) In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence led to the independence of Mexico - which at that time includes California - from Spain. The US State of California was then part of Alta California within Mexico. During that time, settlers from the U.S. and Canada began moving in to settle in California. In 1846, they rebelled against Mexican rule, and created the shortlived California Republic. This was followed by the Mexican-American war, which led to the American occupation of California. In 1848, the discovery of gold in California sparked the California Gold Rush, ballooning the population from 15,000 that year to 300,000 by 1854. During Mexican rule, the capital of California was at Monterey, from 1777 to 1835. After the Mexican authorities left California, legislative sessions were held there in 1849, following by San Jose (1850-51), Vallejo (1852-1853) and Benicia (1853-1854), all of which proved to be inadequate to serve as a state capital. Finally in 1854 the legislative sessions moved to Sacramento, and apart from a short break in 1861 when Sacramento was flooded, it has been held there since. Today California is the world center of technology, engineering, movie production, entertainment and music industries. It is also a leading agricultural state. California State Capitol, Sacramento Author: Sascha Brück (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0) Budget Travel to California The main airports in California includes the Los Angeles International (LAX), the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and the San Diego International Airport (SAN). I will describe the airports within the individual cities guides. Channel Islands National Park, California Author: Urban (public domain) Budget Travel within California A car is the best way to explore California. It takes a whole day to travel the state from top to bottom. I would encourage you to get a GPS if you intend to explore California extensively. Business in California Benefiting from a diverse economy that represents the nation's largest GSP, California is home to a wide variety of industries spanning eveything from aerospace to viticulture; from internet and new media to blockbuster movies, they have all chosen to base their operations out of California office space. Big Sur, California Author: Dysepsion (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Tools Principal Cities of California Arranged by city population. City and Metropolitan population is provided where available) Los Angeles (3,834,000 / 15,250,000) The largest city in California, second largest in the United States. Anaheim (354,000) Second most populous city in Orange County, renowned for Disneyland and other theme parks. Bakersfield (339,000) City within a petroleum-rich part of California. Beverly Hills Affluent city that is famous as the home of movie stars and other celebrities. Fresno (502,000) Major city in San Joaquin Valley and gateway to Yosemite National Park. Hollywood Famous neighborhood of Los Angeles closely associated with the movie industry. Long Beach (495,000) City with the world's largest shipping port, located within Los Angeles county. Malibu Beach-front community famous for being the choice residence of celebrities. Oakland (431,000) Major West Coast port city and home to many corporate headquarters. Riverside (304,000) Birth place of California's citrus industry. Sacramento (486,000 / 2,137,000) Capital and 7th largest city in California. San Diego (1,359,000 / 3,000,000) Second largest city in California, 8th largest in the United States. San Francisco (809,000 / 4,204,000) Fourth largest city in California and 12th largest in the United States. San Jose (965,000 / 1,840,000) Third largest city in California, 10th largest in the United States. Santa Ana (358,000) County Seat of Orange County. Santa Monica Coastal city to the west of Los Angeles. Places of Interest in California These are arranged in alphabetical order Big Sur Disneyland Gilroy Lake Tahoe Napa Valley Principal Counties of California Orange County National Parks of California California ties with Alaska in having eight national parks, the most of any states in the country. Channel Islands National Park Death Valley National Park, California/Nevada Joshua Tree National Park Kings Canyon National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park, California Redwood National Park Sequoia National Park Yosemite National Park National Monuments in California Cabrillo National Monument California Coastal National Monument Carrizo Plain National Monument Devils Postpile National Monument Giant Sequoia National Monument Lava Beds National Monument, California (21 November, 1925) Muir Woods National Monument Pinnacles National Monument Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, Hawaii/Alaska/California UNESCO World Heritage Sites in California Redwood National and State Parks (1980) Yosemite National Park (1984) Get a GPS and never get lost again! Avoid charges for overweight luggage! Get a luggage scale for your trip. Prepare for your trip!

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