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!
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