California

The Golden State

California has long represented possibility, reinvention, natural beauty, creativity, and the idea of heading west in search of something new. Indigenous communities lived across the region for thousands of years before Spanish missions and settlements began appearing along the coast. California later became part of Mexico before joining the United States in 1850, shortly after the discovery of gold brought people from around the world during the California Gold Rush. Agriculture, shipping, railroads, oil, manufacturing, entertainment, aerospace, technology, and international trade each helped shape different eras of California's growth. Los Angeles became an international center of film, television, music, and culture; San Francisco became famous for its harbor, architecture, neighborhoods, and innovation; Silicon Valley became one of the world's leading technology centers; and California's Central Valley developed into one of America's most productive agricultural regions. The state's landscapes are equally remarkable, including Pacific beaches, redwood forests, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada, deserts, vineyards, and the dramatic coastline of Big Sur. California is America's most populous state and one of its most culturally diverse, shaped by generations of people arriving from across the nation and around the world. Its story is one of movement, imagination, opportunity, and people continually finding new ways to leave their mark on the American journey.

I've been there.
I know that place.
California is part of my story.

CALIFORNIA
The Golden StateExplore the places. Learn their stories. Remember the journey.

MILEAMERICA
Wear the Journey.