The name California was first used in 1542 to designate the region by the Spanish expedition led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. It was probably derived from a popular Spanish novel published in 1510 in which a fictional island paradise named California was described. California is the third largest state in area after Alaska and Texas. The discovery of gold and the immigration in 1849 of thousands of "forty-niners" in search of the precious metal helped California's admission into the Union in 1850 as the 31st state. Today, California has the highest population of any state in the nation and is America's principal agricultural state. It is also the home of Hollywood, the center of America's movie and television industry.
Many visitors and new residents are attracted by California's outdoor way of life. The warm, dry climate permits outdoor recreation almost the whole year round. The High Sierra Nevada rises near the eastern border. Rocky cliffs and sandy beaches line the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the west. Thick redwood forests cover the Coast Ranges in the northwest. Dramatic deserts stretch across the southeast.

GOVERNMENT:
Capital: Sacramento
Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger, R
Senators: Barbara Boxer, D (to Jan. 2005); Dianne Feinstein, D (to Jan. 2007)
House of Representatives: 53 districts | Search by zip code

STATISTICS:
Population (July 2001): 34,600,463; National Rank: 1; Percent change since April 2000: 1.9%
Land Area: 155,973 sq mi. (403,970 sq km); National Rank: 3
10 largest cities (2000): Los Angeles, 3,694,820; San Diego, 1,223,400; San Jose, 894,943; San Francisco, 776,733; Long Beach, 461,522; Fresno, 427,652; Sacramento, 407,018; Oakland, 399,484; Santa Ana, 337,977; Anaheim, 328,014

ECONOMY:
Total Gross State Product 1999 (millions of dollars): 1,229,098; National rank:1; Percent change since 1990: 54%; National Rank based on Growth Rate: 33 (Including Washington, DC)
Per Capita Personal Income 2001: $32,655; National Rank: 11 (107% of the national average)
State Exports 2001 (millions of dollars): 106,777; National Rank: 1
Agriculture: Vegetables, fruits and nuts, dairy products, cattle, nursery stock, grapes.
Industry: Electronic components and equipment, aerospace, film production, food processing, petroleum, computers and computer software, tourism.