The United States of America is made up of 50 states. Each region and state is know for different things and have their own unique cultures and stereotypes. I am from California so I will tell you a bit about it
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Capital- Sacramento Major Cities- Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco
State Flower - Golden Poppy
State Animal- Golden Bear (extinct)
History: California used to be known as Alto California and was a part of Spains New World territories. When Mexico broke of from Spain in the 1820s Alto California went with it. Mexico had trouble convincing it's citizens to move there so it invited American settlers to work the land and become Mexican citizens. When the Mexican American War broke out in the 1840s the predominantly caucasian Alto-Californians decided to side with American and declared their independence as the Republic of California. They then asked to be annexed as a state by the USA. It took some time so California was it's own country for a few years before all they politics and paper work were finished. The reason it took so long was the US didn't want to anger Mexico too much and because it's admission would throw off the balance between Slave and Free states, but when gold was found in 1848 the US knew it had to get California before someone else did (others like Russia and Mexico may have tried to take over to get the gold). So on September 9 1850 California was made the 31st state.
Facts:California is the 3rd largest state in area but is the biggest in terms of population. It is home to roughly 10% of all Americans.
The state takes up about half of the western coast of the US and is famous for it's beaches and marine wildlife. Humpback whales pass by in their migrations in march usually. Also there are Giant Kelp forests that are home to abalone, sea urchins, sunflower starfish and much more.
Due to the nice beaches, particularily in the southern half of the state, California has a large surfing culture. This plus the abundance of californian sea lions lead to a decent amout of shark attacks on surfers. (a surfer died near me a few months ago by a 17ft great white) Also the surfer culture is where many of the stereotypes about Californians come from. A few stereotypes are that all californians are tan and say "dude" alot.
Also California has the highest and lowest places in the continental United States, the highest being Mt. Whitney at 14,500 ft or 4400m above sea level and the lowest being Death Valley at 282ft or 86m below sea level.
California has the most diverse terrain in all the 50 states aswell. There are several deserts including the hottest in North America, the Mojave. There are also many mountain ranges the most famous of which is the Sierra Nevadas. The tallest waterfall in North America is also in California in the Yosemite National Park, where Yosemite Falls falls 2425ft or 739m. We also have some of the largest trees in the world with our red wood sequoias. California also has the most fertile farmland in the USA in the Central or San Joaquin Valley.
California also has the largest economy of any of the states. The USA is usually considered to be in the top 3 in the world and California by itself is usually the 7th or 8th largest economy in the world. This means that California is very prosperous but it also means that the cost of living is much higher than most places in the USA.
It is also the most culturally diverse state, though New York is pretty close. In california cultures are displayed with pride and understanding (for the most part). This is apparent by the vast variety of ethnic foods available aswell as foreign holiday celebrations that take place in the major cities.
Hollywood, the Movie capital of the world, is also in California as well as the headquarters for most US entertainment companies aswell as Disney.
California's Silicon Valley is also the birthplace of the personal computer.
All in all it is my favorite place on Earth and I feel very lucky to have been born here. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me
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A pic I took of Yosemite Falls
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