California is one of the most popular states in the United States. Since the state of California joined up with the United States as one of the 51 states, it had grown in leaps and bounds and has become one of the most visited states in the country. The tourist attractions here speak volume. The people residing here have shown other states how resourceful and special they are in their daily activities. Very important things to know about California before you pay a visit will be looked into below. This will enable you to have background knowledge of the place you plan to visit.
- The state of California became part of the United States when it signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty saw the end of the Mexican-American War of 1848. The United States paid off Mexico a total of $15 million as payment for damages. To repay the generosity of the United States, Mexico on her part ceded some of its territory to the United States like Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
- In times past, the original name for California was Grizzly Bear State. The name was changed to Golden State when the number of bears found here reduced due to increasing population.
- Currently, flag of the state of California bears the grizzly bear image as tribute to one of the grizzly bears captured in California named Monarch. The bear weighed up to 1,200-lb. the bear found its way to San Francisco and was star attraction at the Golden Gate Park organized by Woodward. The bear later died in 1911.
- The official flag of California State was actually adopted on 1911. The original flag was designed by a man named William Todd; he was the nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln. The motor “Eureka” is an exclamatory word and the attribute is given to Archimedes, the popular scholar in his days.
- You must also know that the state of California is the only state in the united states that has hosted successfully both the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics. Additionally, the state is the state with the highest population in the country. Aside this, the state has the third biggest landmass in the United States. The number of people presently residing here can be put at something in the neighborhood of 38 million. This means California accommodates 1/8th of American population.