California
state, United States
- Capital:
- Sacramento
- Population:
- (2020) 39,538,223; (2023 est.) 38,965,193
- Governor:
- Gavin Newsom (Democrat)
- Date Of Admission:
- September 9, 1850
- U.S. Senators:
- Dianne Feinstein (Democrat)
- Alex Padilla (Democrat)
Recent News
May 2, 2024, 8:06 PM ET (AP)
Captain sentenced to 4 years for criminal negligence in fiery deaths of 34 aboard scuba boat
May 2, 2024, 8:05 PM ET (AP)
Police officer fired gun while clearing protesters from Columbia building, prosecutors say
May 2, 2024, 7:58 PM ET (AP)
The Latest | Arrests top 2,000 as protests against Israel-Hamas war roil college campuses
May 2, 2024, 2:02 PM ET (AP)
Singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt's latest album is a distinct shift from her austere sound
May 2, 2024, 11:39 AM ET (AP)
AI use by businesses is small but growing rapidly, led by IT sector and firms in Colorado and DC
California, constituent state of the United States of America. It was admitted as the 31st state of the union on September 9, 1850, and by the early 1960s it was the most populous U.S. state. No version of the origin of California’s name has been fully accepted, but there is wide support for the contention that it derived from an early 16th-century Spanish novel, Las sergas de Esplandián (“The Adventures of Esplandián”), that described a paradisiacal island full of gold and precious stones called California. The influence of the Spanish settlers of the 18th and 19th centuries is evident in ...(100 of 10123 words)