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One of the country's largest states, and certainly the most populous, "sunny California" is located on the Pacific West coast and bordered by Oregon, Nevada and Arizona.

First colonized by 18th century Spanish explorers and missionaries, California's big population boom only came in the mid-19th century with the California gold rush.

Today, California's ranks among the ten largest economies in the world, and is home to the Central Valley agricultural industry, the largest in the U.S.

The state's largest cities are familiar-sounding ones throughout the U.S., if not the world, and include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco.

Besides tourism (along with a still-booming entertainment industry centered around Hollywood) other major industries include aerospace and petroleum, computer and information technology, with Mountain View in northern California the world headquarters for search giant Google.

• Demographics : (California Census Data)
  Major cities: Sacramento (capital) Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco
  Population : 36,457,549
  White : 77%
  Black, African American : 6.7%
  Hispanic : 35.2%
  High school graduates : 76.8%
  Bachelor's degree or higher : 26.6%
  Average household income: $49,894
  
  
• Crime : see Crime in California by City & County
  
  
• Cost of Living: Los Angeles | San Francisco | San Diego
  
  
• Property Taxes : The Tax Foundation - Ranking California - While taxes generally lower substantially as you move away from the Eastern Seaboard they jump again at California, which has the highest personal income taxes in the nation and near-replicates New York's hostile tax climate for businesses. However, thanks to the passage of Proposition 13, local property tax collections have lowered markedly, bringing California down to 31st in property tax collections per capita.
  
  
• Housing & Real Estate Overview : also see Zillow - California Real Estate
  Home ownership rate : 56.9%
  Average home price: $511,013
  Average travel time to work : 27 minutes
  
  
• Schools : see California Department of Education also : Wikipedia - Education in California
  
  
• Weather : Due to its sheer size and geography, California climate varies from mountain cold to desert heat, although main coastal areas are typically described as Mediterranean with cool, rainy winters and dry summers. Further inland, expect colder winters and hotter summers. Like its neighbor, Oregon, northern California experiences lower temperatures and higher annual rainfall. Further south and east, the highest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere was in California's Death Valley, which reached a high of 134 °F (56.6 °C) on July 10, 1913.

More about moving to California around the Web:

California for Newcomers - The official site of the State of California with a mini-directory of links to more information on state taxes, schools, government, voter registration, public transportation.

Los Angeles City-Data Forum - Busy message boards with helpful Q&A, neighborhood guides, advice on finding an apartment, making a permanet move, finding employment and related tips.

A Local's Guide for Visiting or Moving to San Francisco - Like it says, with a personal advice on city neighborhoods, nightlife, moving & relocating tips, along with detailed maps & pictures, related links.

San Diego, California population and demographics data - Sperling's Best Places guide with information on cost of living, median home prices, population data, visitor comments and related links.

California Moving & Storage Association - Searchable directory of approved movers throughout California, plus helpful consumer tips including moving forms & checklists, plus how to's on avoiding common scams by disreputable moving companies.

California Real Estate, Apartments & Job Classifieds:

• Los Angeles : Times | LA Downtown News
• San Diego : Union-Tribune
• San Franciso : Chronicle

also see -> California Beaches | California Eviction Laws

California Fall Foliage | California Taxes | California Tourist Attractions

California Wine Tours | Christmas in California