The California GenWeb Project

This State is a member
of The US GenWeb

 As a proud member of the USGenWeb Project, CAGenWeb's mission is to provide a single entry point for all counties and towns within the state of California, where collected data will be stored. The volunteers of CAGenWeb hope you will strike gold!

  State Coordinator: Martha A Crosley Graham  
Assistant State Coordinators:  Claire Martin & Joy Fisher

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             Brief History of California

 California was a colonial province of Spain during the years 1769 to 1821. When European explorers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries sailed along the California coast they took home glowing impressions of an amazing, rich and unspoiled landscape. When Mexican independence was achieved in 1821, California became a northern province. During this Rancho era, traders and settlers from the new United States of America began to find their way west. Consequent tensions between diverse ethnic groups resulted in the Mexican American War of 1846-1848. When gold was found in "them thar hills," droves of fortune seekers of all shapes, sizes and colors headed west permanently impacting local culture and society. Once here, pioneers sent home glowing reports of lands that looked just like the areas they had left behind which offered a fresh start and endless opportunities for success. California became a state September 9, 1850, but the capital city moved from San Jose, to Vallejo, to San Jose, back to Vallejo, to Sacramento, back to Vallejo again, and then to Benicia before the permanent capitol was established at Sacramento in 1854. Information on the formation of California counties can be found on the California Counties Selection List.With a land surface of almost 100 million acres, California is the third largest state in the union. The broad diversity of geography in this state offers habitat to a huge spectrum of plants and animals. Little surprise that people who felt drawn here believe that protecting our animals, plants and rich natural resources is a responsibility that we all must share in perpetuity.  In 2004, California is home to 33,871,648 people originating from every country in the world. Californians have learned to welcome diversity as an exciting condition that lets us enjoy the very best the entire world has to offer right here in our own California backyards!
"The Fine Print"
The CAGW Administrative Team:
State Coordinator: Martha A Crosley Graham
Assistant State Coordinators: Claire Martin & Joy Fisher
Copyright ~ 1996-2013 by The CAGenWeb Administrative Team.  All materials, images, sounds and data contained herein are not to be copied or downloaded for purposes of duplication, distribution, or publishing without the express written permission of The CAGenWeb Administrative Team. Any and all future data which is contributed to this project will be returned to the donor upon request.

 This web page is maintained on behalf of the California portion of The USGenWeb Project and is paid for by financial Supporters.  Although believed to be correct as presented, if you have corrections, changes, additions, or find that any links provided on this page are not functioning properly, please contact the webmaster for prompt attention.
Disclaimer  ~ Site Updated: 19 January 2013