About California

This guide lays out what matters most about California—its location and landscapes, people and cities, weather and wildlife, economy and government, water and wildfire, taxes and housing, and the symbols and stories that give the state its character. If you’re looking for a clear, useful, and truly comprehensive “About California” overview, you’re in the right place.

Pin California on the Map and Get Your Bearings

California sits on the West Coast of the United States, running more than 1,000 miles along the Pacific Ocean. It shares borders with Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and Baja California (Mexico) to the south. The capital is Sacramento, in the state’s interior. California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850, and by the early 1960s it had grown into the most populous state in the country—status it has held ever since.

The state’s nickname is the Golden State, a nod to both the Gold Rush that transformed it in the 19th century and to springtime hillsides washed in golden poppies. Even the very name “California” likely traces to a 16th-century Spanish romance novel describing a mythical island rich in gold—an origin story that fits the state’s long association with outsized dreams and outsized outcomes.

Read the Land: California’s Regions, Ranges, and Extremes

Meet America’s most varied state geography

California is famous for its contrasts. Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous 48 states, and Death Valley, the lowest, both lie within its borders. The Sierra Nevada walls the state’s east, snowcapped in winter with ancient, bright granite faces and high passes that soar above 9,000 feet. To the west, the Coast Ranges and their redwood groves lean down to steep cliffs and tucked-away beaches. Between them stretches the Central Valley, a 450-mile north–south trough that serves as the agricultural heartland of the United States.

The Central Valley: Split into the Sacramento Valley in the north and the San Joaquin Valley in the south, the “Big Valley” is the state’s produce aisle—almonds, grapes, tomatoes, citrus, leafy greens, dairy, and more. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet in a delta that drains into San Francisco Bay, the valley’s single opening to the sea.

The Sierra Nevada: Home to Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks, the Sierra is a spine of granite carved by glaciers into epic valleys and waterfalls. Whitney tops out at 14,494 feet, and a dozen other Sierra summits clear 14,000 feet. On the east side, the mountains drop nearly 10,000 feet within ten miles near Owens Lake, creating a dramatic escarpment.

Desert country: A sixth of the state—more than 25,000 square miles—is the Mojave Desert, with basins, fault-block mountains, Joshua trees, yucca, creosote bush, and high-desert light. South of the Mojave, the lower, hotter Colorado Desert (an extension of the Sonoran) falls toward the Imperial Valley and the Salton Sea. The far northeast is part of the volcanic Great Basin, with sage flats, lava plateaus, and quiet, high lakes.

The coast: From fog-shrouded redwood headlands in the north to the sun-washed beaches of San Diego, the coastline runs about 1,100 miles. Big Sur’s Santa Lucia Range sends cliffs straight into the Pacific. Natural harbors anchor cities at San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. North of San Francisco Bay, the coast grows sparsely populated, greener, and wilder, with trout streams and working ports tucked into coves.

Faults and quakes: The 800-mile San Andreas Fault is the state’s tectonic headline, with sister faults like the Hayward in the Bay Area and the San Gabriel system in greater Los Angeles. These fractures mark the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates. Earthquakes are part of life here; engineering, building codes, and preparedness are the response.

Lakes, rivers, and the massive plumbing beneath your feet

California’s water story is two stories at once: too little in the south and interior most years, too much at times in the north and mountains. Complex aqueducts and dams tie the state together:

California State Water Project: Launched in 1960, it lifts water from the Feather–Sacramento system and moves it south via canals and pumps to cities and farms as far as the Mexican border.

The Colorado River and the Los Angeles Aqueduct: The Colorado River Aqueduct brings desert river water across mountains to Southern California, while the Los Angeles Aqueduct, completed in the early 20th century, re-routed eastern Sierra flows to fuel L.A.’s growth.

Iconic lakes: Lake Tahoe straddles the California–Nevada line at 6,229 feet, famed for clarity and alpine rim. Mono Lake’s tufa towers rise from briny water east of the Sierra. Clear Lake is the largest natural lake entirely within the state.

Know the Weather: Mediterranean Moods, Mountain Winters, Desert Heat

California’s climate divides into a wet season and a dry season. Along the coast, temperatures are moderate year-round; inland, summers get hot and winters can chill. Elevation and latitude swing the experience fast: in one day you can surf in San Diego and crunch snow in the San Bernardino Mountains.

The coast: Summer highs rarely break 90°F and winters hover well above freezing. Los Angeles averages in the mid-60s °F across the year with roughly 14 inches of rainfall; San Francisco averages mid-50s °F with about 20 inches.

The deserts: Death Valley is the hottest, driest spot in North America—summer readings often top 110°F, and rain averages around two inches a year. The Colorado Desert can touch 130°F at the peak of summer.

The mountains: The Sierra sees real winter. Snowpack is not just scenic—it’s the state’s largest water reservoir, melting out through spring and summer to feed rivers and aqueducts.

Climate swings and wildfire: El Niño winters can be stormier, especially in the south, but long 21st-century “megadroughts” have sharpened the risk of wildfire. The 2018 Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise and took scores of lives. In January 2025, a series of Los Angeles County fires destroyed thousands of homes and forced large-scale evacuations—an example of how high winds, dry fuels, and urban wildland edges create hazards even in winter.

Meet California’s Living Things: Redwoods to Condors

California is the most biologically diverse state in the nation, with more than 40,000 plant and animal species recorded. Nearly a quarter of North America’s plant types occur within its borders. That diversity stacks up across regions:

Coastal redwoods: Towering redwood forests once stretched over an estimated two million acres; today about 200,000 acres are protected across state and national parks. Farther south, Monterey cypress cling to seaside bluffs.

High-country icons: Bristlecone pines in the high eastern ranges rank among the oldest living organisms on Earth. In drier regions, creosote bush, brittlebush, yucca, and saltbush define the palette.

Wildlife: California grizzly bears are long gone, immortalized on the state flag. Black bears, deer, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, and skunks are common. Mountain lions roam the foothills and mountains and increasingly skirt suburbia. Desert tortoises, horned lizards, and rattlesnakes fit arid zones. Offshore, sea lions, whales, and rich fisheries surround the Channel Islands and line the continental shelf. The California condor’s story—rescued from the brink via captive breeding and reintroduction—remains a landmark in conservation.

Understand the People and the Cities: Where Californians Live and Why It Works the Way It Does

California’s population was estimated at just over 39.4 million residents in 2024. Three-quarters of Californians live in the Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego metropolitan regions, with additional major hubs in the Inland Empire (Riverside–San Bernardino), Sacramento, and the Central Valley’s string of cities from Bakersfield to Redding.

Los Angeles metro mixes the world capital of filmed entertainment, enormous port operations at Los Angeles and Long Beach, aerospace legacy plants, and creative industries.

The Bay Area clusters global technology, venture capital, biotech, and finance across San Francisco, Silicon Valley (Santa Clara County and neighboring areas), and East Bay cities like Oakland and Berkeley.

San Diego blends defense, biotech, cross-border commerce, tourism, and a lively craft and design scene.

The Central Valley anchors the food economy and agricultural processing, with cities like Fresno, Bakersfield, Modesto, Stockton, and Sacramento connected by Interstates 5 and 99.

The Inland Empire has become a logistics powerhouse thanks to rail lines, new warehouses, and proximity to Southern California ports.

California’s constant in-migration—from other states and from other nations—has shaped a culture that is urban, coastal in population, and always experimenting. That dynamism brings opportunity and growing pains alike.

Follow the Money: Economy, Sectors, and Where Growth Comes From

A state-sized economy that rivals countries

California’s economy topped roughly $4.0 trillion in gross state product in 2024, the largest of any U.S. state and one of the largest sub-national economies in the world. If California were a sovereign nation, its nominal GDP would rank among the top economies globally. It hosts 58 Fortune 500 headquarters as of mid-2025 and is home to many of the most valuable technology, entertainment, and life-science companies.

What California makes, builds, and sells

Information and technology: The single largest sector by output, driven by software, semiconductors, cloud services, digital media, and entertainment. Apple, Alphabet, Nvidia, Adobe, and many others employ tens of thousands in the state. Silicon Valley continues to attract a large share of U.S. venture capital.

Professional and business services: Legal, engineering, design, consulting, and creative services scale with the state’s innovation economy and global trade.

Manufacturing: From chipmaking to medical devices and aerospace components, California manufactures high-value goods and supports deep supply chains.

Entertainment and media: Hollywood still leads global filmed entertainment and streaming production, supported by stages, post-production, animation houses, and a huge workforce in greater L.A. and the Bay Area.

Agriculture: California leads the nation in farm receipts. The Central Valley alone ranks as one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions, supplying a majority share of America’s fruits, vegetables, and nuts, plus dairy on a massive scale and world-class wine regions from Napa and Sonoma to Paso Robles and Santa Barbara.

International trade and logistics: Ports at Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland are among America’s busiest, feeding inland rail and truck corridors. San Diego’s port and border position add to the mix.

Tourism: National parks like Yosemite and Sequoia, beaches, desert parks, wine country, and theme parks from Disneyland to Universal Studios draw domestic and international visitors.

Where the county-level GDP is concentrated

Los Angeles County anchors the largest county economy by far, followed by Santa Clara (Silicon Valley), Orange, San Diego, and San Francisco. San Mateo and Alameda add major tech and biotech output; Riverside and San Bernardino reflect the rise of logistics and inland growth; Sacramento mixes government, health care, and services. These county economies show how California’s output clusters along the coast and around major inland corridors.

Follow the Water: Why Aqueducts, Dams, and Snowpack Matter

Water defines California’s growth and its limits. Southern and central coastal metros, along with desert regions, do not naturally receive enough water for their populations and farms. Northern mountains and coastlines, by contrast, can receive abundant rainfall and snow.

Infrastructure at scale: The California State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project store Sierra snowmelt behind a web of dams and move it through canals and pumping stations to fields and cities hundreds of miles away. The Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Colorado River Aqueduct layer additional supply routes.

North–south tensions: Transferring water from north to south has always sparked debate over environmental tradeoffs, regional equity, and long-term sustainability.

Drought and flood routines: Multi-year droughts are part of the pattern, as are powerful winter storms (atmospheric rivers) that can flood rivers and overwhelm reservoirs. Managing both risks at once is the core challenge for water managers.

Live Here, Pay Here: Taxes, Cost of Living, and Household Realities

Income, wages, and inequality

California’s per-capita income ranks near the top nationally, and median household income is well above the U.S. average. But high costs—especially housing and energy—mean many families still feel stretched. The state also has a wide income gap: booming earnings at the top and stubbornly low wages for service-sector and informal-sector workers leave a noticeable spread across households and regions.

How the state taxes work in practice

California relies heavily on personal income taxes. There are multiple brackets, with rates that rise with income. A 1% surcharge applies to taxable income over $1 million to fund mental health services. The statewide base sales and use tax rate is 7.25%, with local districts adding voter-approved increments that push total sales tax to between roughly 7.25% and 10% depending on the city or county. Property taxes are limited by Proposition 13, which caps the general rate at about 1% of assessed value and limits annual assessment increases, resulting in a patchwork of effective rates where long-held properties often carry much lower tax bills than recently purchased homes.

Businesses face a state corporate income tax and various fees, while specialized excise taxes apply to fuel, tobacco, and alcoholic beverages. Add it together and the overall tax burden ranks among the higher states, yet within the state the incidence differs meaningfully by income tier and by local choices.

The housing crunch in plain terms

California has underbuilt housing for decades, particularly in job-rich coastal metros. Population grew faster than housing in the 2010s, and zoning limits, high construction costs, lengthy permitting, and neighborhood resistance all played a role. By the mid-2020s:

Home prices were more than double the U.S. median across the state, with the highest medians in San Jose, Orange County, and San Francisco.

Rent burdens were among the highest in the country, with a majority of renter households spending over 30% of income on housing.

Shortage estimates reached the millions of units, with the steepest gaps at the lower end of the income scale.

These conditions spill into longer commutes, out-migration to inland counties and neighboring states, and elevated homelessness—driven not simply by addiction or mental illness rates, but by the basic mismatch between incomes and rents in high-cost metros. State and local reforms, pro-housing laws, and infill incentives aim to increase supply, but turning the curve takes years.

Learn the Ground Rules: Government, Civics, and Participation

The structure at a glance

California’s Constitution sets up the familiar three branches—executive, legislative, and judicial—and layers them over the state’s 58 counties, 480+ cities, thousands of special districts, and hundreds of school districts.

Executive: The Governor leads the executive branch, flanked by separately elected statewide officers (Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Controller, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction). Cabinet-level “superagencies” group dozens of departments (from CalEPA to the Natural Resources Agency to the State Transportation Agency) for day-to-day administration.

Legislative: The California Legislature is bicameral, with an 80-member Assembly (two-year terms) and a 40-member Senate (four-year terms, half up every two years). It meets in the State Capitol in Sacramento, passes laws, and approves the state budget.

Judicial: The Supreme Court of California sits at the top, with Courts of Appeal in six districts and Superior Courts in each county. The Judicial Council sets statewide rules and standards. Published appellate decisions bind trial courts across the state.

Direct democracy and local control

California pioneered direct democracy at the state level. Voters can put initiatives on the ballot, approve or reject laws by referendum, and recall elected officials. Meanwhile, counties and cities pass local ordinances, manage services, and, in many places, set the development rules that shape housing, transportation, and business growth.

State symbols you’ll actually notice

Flag: The Bear Flag with a California grizzly, a red star, and a red stripe—ubiquitous on T-shirts and murals from San Diego to the Shasta foothills.

Flower: The California poppy, which explodes across coastal hills and Antelope Valley in a good rain year.

Tree: The California redwood, representing both coast redwoods and giant sequoias.

Colors: Blue and gold, seen across state publications and public university campuses.

Build, Explore, and Protect: Infrastructure, Parks, and Everyday Life

Transportation and energy in transition

California is spending heavily on infrastructure—from highway corridors and bridges to transit lines and clean-energy grids. The state targets a high share of zero-emission vehicles on the road and a power mix moving toward 90% clean energy by the mid-2030s. Ports are electrifying equipment, utilities are hardening grids against wildfire, and communities are retrofitting neighborhoods for resilience.

Parks, trails, and coastline miles

California’s park system is a national model. Ten national parks and seashores—from Channel Islands to Joshua Tree to Redwood—sit alongside hundreds of state parks that protect beaches, redwood groves, gold-rush sites, and high-country lakes. Public access is a big part of the state identity: coastal laws guarantee public access along the shoreline, and mountain trails thread from town edges into wild country within minutes.

Fire-safe living on the edge of wildland

With more people living in the wildland–urban interface, residents and local governments plan for defensible space, ember-resistant construction, evacuation routes, and vegetation management. Fire seasons are longer and more intense in many regions; preparedness and community design are the frontline tools.

Food, Culture, and Innovation: How California Shapes What the World Eats and Watches

The farm that feeds your fridge

Open your fridge and you’re likely looking at California output: strawberries and lettuce from the Central Coast, almonds and pistachios from the San Joaquin, citrus from the Sierra foothills, milk and cheese from the valley, and wines from Napa to Temecula. Irrigation technology (including drip systems), refrigerated railcars historically, and smart logistics today made year-round supply possible.

Hollywood plus Silicon Valley equals global culture

From early film studios seeking consistent sunshine to today’s multiverse of streaming platforms and sound stages, California built modern entertainment. Pair that with the Bay Area’s revolution in chips, software, mobile, cloud, and AI-adjacent computing—and you get products and platforms that dominate global culture and commerce. Add in game studios, design firms, music labels, and social apps, and the state’s influence on what the world watches, hears, and taps remains oversized.

Universities as engines

Three public higher-education pillars—University of California, California State University, and the California Community Colleges—combine with powerhouse private institutions to educate millions and feed research labs and startups. UC’s research footprint, CSU’s workforce scale, and community colleges’ access and training form a ladder that touches nearly every California community.

Visit Like a Local: Regions to Explore Without the Guesswork

Southern California: Beaches, deserts, and big-city energy

San Diego: Surf breaks, craft breweries, naval history, and the biodiversity of the nearby mountains and desert.

Orange County and coastal L.A.: Family beaches, walkable piers, and theme parks tie into thriving Asian food scenes and art enclaves.

Downtown and Eastside L.A.: Galleries, historic theaters, food halls, and neighborhoods with layered immigrant histories.

The deserts: Joshua Tree’s otherworldly granite, Anza-Borrego’s spring wildflowers, and star-gazing that reminds you what “dark sky” means.

Central California: Valleys, vineyards, and granite walls

Central Coast: Monterey Bay’s marine sanctuary, Carmel’s coves, Big Sur’s cliffs, and quiet beaches in San Luis Obispo County.

Wine country south and north: Paso Robles offers bold reds and rolling oak-dotted hills; farther north, Napa and Sonoma showcase cellar doors, bike paths through vines, and farm-to-table menus.

Sierra gateways: From Oakhurst to Mariposa to Bishop, trailheads and river canyons lead into Yosemite, Sequoia, and high-Sierra wilderness.

Northern California: Redwoods, rivers, and tech-meets-tidelands

San Francisco: Hills, fog, and Victorian neighborhoods set against the Golden Gate, with museums, parks, and a dining scene shaped by farm-fresh ingredients.

East Bay: Oakland’s waterfront and murals, Berkeley’s food and campus culture, and miles of ridge-top trails in the foothills.

North Coast: Avenue of the Giants, misty fishing towns, and quiet beaches where elk graze dunes and surf pounds sea stacks.

The Shasta–Cascade: Volcanic cones, waterfalls, alpine lakes, and some of the state’s best trout waters.

Practical California: Everyday Systems That Touch Your Life

Schools and colleges

California’s K–12 landscape runs through independent school districts and county offices of education, with state frameworks and funding formulas that send extra dollars to higher-need districts. Community colleges provide pathways to transfer and career training at scale, CSU focuses on practical bachelor’s and master’s programs across 23 campuses, and UC blends undergraduate rigor with top-tier research.

Health care and safety nets

County health departments, regional hospital systems, and state health agencies knit together care across a huge geography. The state funds extensive Medicaid (Medi-Cal) and behavioral-health programs and has pushed to expand coverage and services for low-income residents, immigrants, and youth.

Public safety and emergencies

The California Office of Emergency Services coordinates responses to wildfires, floods, earthquakes, and major storms, working with CalFire, the Highway Patrol, and local police and fire agencies. Residents can sign up for local alert systems and are encouraged to keep go-bags, harden homes in fire zones, and know evacuation routes.

Why California Feels Different: A Short Note on Identity

California has a reputation for testing new ways of living long before they go mainstream—environmental policy, clean-tech mandates, entertainment formats, tech products, immigrant food mash-ups, housing and zoning experiments, and even direct democracy mechanisms. The mix is not always tidy; traffic, housing costs, and wildfire evacuations are not romantic. But the state’s scale, diversity, and willingness to act tend to move debates from concept to concrete faster than elsewhere.

Key Facts at a Glance (Useful for Quick Reference)

Statehood: September 9, 1850

Capital: Sacramento

Population: ~39.4 million (2024 estimate)

Area: ~163,695 square miles

Highest point / Lowest point: Mount Whitney (14,494 ft) / Death Valley (−282 ft)

Signature regions: Central Valley, Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges, Mojave Desert, North Coast redwoods, Southern California beaches

Top metros: Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Inland Empire, Sacramento

Economy: ~$4.0 trillion GSP (2024), largest of any U.S. state; leading sectors include information/tech, professional services, manufacturing, entertainment, agriculture, logistics, and tourism

State symbols: Bear Flag; California poppy (flower); California grizzly (animal, extinct in the wild); redwood (tree); blue and gold (colors)

What to Watch in the Near Term: Trends Shaping the State’s Next Chapter

Water and climate: Balancing flood control, groundwater recharge, and drought planning while modernizing aqueducts and diversifying supply with recycling and desalination pilots.

Housing production: Turning state-level pro-housing laws into shovels in the ground, especially near transit and job centers, and expanding affordable housing pipelines.

Grid and vehicles: Building transmission lines and storage to support renewables; scaling charging networks as the share of zero-emission vehicles climbs.

Workforce and education: Aligning community college and CSU programs with clean energy, health care, construction, and advanced manufacturing.

Wildfire resilience: Hardening communities in the wildland–urban interface, accelerating vegetation management, and upgrading evacuation and communications systems.

Trade and ports: Keeping port competitiveness while slashing emissions through electrification and operational tech.

Innovation: Maintaining California’s edge in semiconductors, biotech, climate tech, and next-gen media while spreading opportunities inland and addressing cost barriers for startups and workers.

This “About California” guide is designed for readers who want both the big picture and the practical detail—how the land is laid out, how the economy works, what the rules are, and where the beauty and challenges live side by side.