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 but this land 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!

You Are Visitor Number Since 19 June 2003

New CAGenWeb Search Engine