California is America's most populous and diverse state, stretching 1,300 kilometers along the Pacific Coast from the Oregon border to Mexico. It encompasses everything from sun-drenched beaches and towering redwood forests to the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountains and the arid Mojave Desert.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped California.
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1
Over 100 distinct Native American tribal nations inhabited California with a combined population of 300,000-700,000, among the densest indigenous populations in North America
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2
Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored the California coast for Spain, becoming the first European to set foot on what is now the US West Coast
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3
Father Junipero Serra and Governor Gaspar de Portolá established Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first of 21 Franciscan missions along El Camino Real
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4
El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles founded by 44 settlers — the origin of modern Los Angeles
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5
California became a Mexican territory when Mexico gained independence from Spain; the Rancho era began as mission lands were redistributed
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6
American settlers declared the short-lived Bear Flag Republic at Sonoma; the Mexican-American War ended Mexican rule of California
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7
James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma on January 24, 1848 — triggering the California Gold Rush and transforming the state overnight
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8
California admitted to the United States as the 31st state on September 9, 1850, just 18 months after the Gold Rush began
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9
Completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad connected California to the East Coast; Chinese laborers comprised up to 90% of the workforce
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10
The Great San Francisco Earthquake (magnitude 7.9) and subsequent fire destroyed 80% of the city; rebuilt within a decade
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11
Hollywood emerged as the center of the American film industry; by 1915 it produced 60% of the nation's films
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12
100,000 young people gathered in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district in the defining event of America's counterculture movement
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13
Apple Computer founded in a Cupertino garage by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, beginning Silicon Valley's transformation into the world's technology capital
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14
California is the world's 5th largest economy if independent; home to the technology, entertainment, and agriculture industries that shape global culture
Historical sites
Places where California's past comes alive.
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
California's first Spanish mission, founded 1769 by Father Junipero Serra
Where: 10818 San Diego Mission Rd, San Diego, CA 92108
Admission: $5 adult
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park
Reconstructed adobe fort built by John Sutter in 1839, pivotal in California's Gold Rush history
Where: 2701 L St, Sacramento, CA 95816
Admission: $5 adult
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
Site where James Marshall discovered gold on January 24, 1848, triggering the California Gold Rush
Where: 310 Back St, Coloma, CA 95613
Admission: $8 vehicle
Alcatraz Island
Former federal penitentiary on San Francisco Bay housing notorious criminals from 1934-1963, including Al Capone
Where: Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay
Admission: $41.50 (ferry + audio tour)
Mission Santa Barbara
Founded in 1786 and still an active Franciscan parish, the 'Queen of the Missions' with twin bell towers
Where: 2201 Laguna St, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Admission: $15 adult
Hearst Castle
Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst's palatial 165-room estate now a California State Historic Monument
Where: 750 Hearst Castle Rd, San Simeon, CA 93452
Admission: $30-75
Haight-Ashbury Historic District
Epicenter of the 1967 Summer of Love and America's 1960s counterculture revolution
Where: Haight St & Ashbury St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Admission: Free
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
California's birthplace preserving Mexican and early American history of San Diego from 1821-1872
Where: 4002 Wallace St, San Diego, CA 92110
Admission: Free