California is one of the largest, richest and most diverse places on earth. In California, no one ethnic or racial group makes up a majority of the population and some of the oldest forests in the world share a state with some of the driest, most desolate deserts in the hemisphere. California doesn't lend itself to generalizations, but all Californians share something more than geography. California is a place of, by and for dreamers.
Spanish explorers first glimpsed California in the 16th century, and named it after a fictional island paradise. In 1849, tens of thousands of Americans flocked to California with dreams of plucking gold from the hills. Today, new Californians are made as buses drop off aspiring stars in Hollywood. Striking it rich (and famous) has always been part of California's myth. But people here want to do things differently too. "California Dreaming," topped the charts in the 1960s, when barefoot hippies invented the term "alternative lifestyle" in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. And without the quirky visionaries and dynamic thinkers of California's Silicon Valley, chances are you wouldn't be reading this right now.
California's dreamy, forward-looking self-image can sometimes overtake the state's everyday reality. Most Californians don't live in the shadow of the Hollywood sign, or on one of California's fabled beaches. But with a dream behind almost every corner, life in California is never dull.
There are a couple facts you'll want to keep in mind:
California is the most populous state in the Union, with 33,871,648 residents. California's capital is Sacramento.
With nearly three million acres, San Bernardino County is the largest county in America.
The Hollywood Bowl, in Los Angeles, California is the largest outdoor amphitheater in the world.
California's state motto is "Eureka," a Greek word that means "I found it!" The motto refers to the state's early days as a Mecca for gold hunters.
The California Grizzly is the official state animal, though the last grizzly sighting in California was in 1922.
Scientists have detected up to half a million earthquakes in California during a single year, but the vast majority are too small for people to feel.
In Blythe, California, local law prohibits anyone from wearing cowboy boots unless they own at least two cows.
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Life Insurance is also some time known as Term Life because the policy only remains in force for a pre-determined period of time – the “term” of the policy.
