California (U.S. state)

California is a state of the United States. California is located on the west coast of the North American continent. The major metropolitan areas are Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. "Silicon Valley" is the informal name of the computer-producing region centered on San Jose, south of San Francisco. In 2007, 10% of the population of the United States lived in California.

History

See California, history The United States captured California in 1846 as part of the Mexican War; it paid compensation to Mexico through the the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848. California never was a territory; it went from military control by the U.S. Army to statehood in 1850.

Politics

The current governor of California is Arnold Schwarzenegger, a conservative member of the Republican Party. However, the state generally votes for Democratic candidates for president, has a liberal Democratic majority in the legislature and congressional delegation. San Francisco, is a major liberal bastion, while Los Angeles is a major factor in political fundraising for national politicians of all stripes.

Historic Points of Interest

Historic Theaters of California

Bibliography

• Camarillo, Albert M., “Cities of Color: The New Racial Frontier in California’s Minority-Majority Cities,” Pacific Historical Review, 76 (Feb. 2007), 1–28.