MAIN Home Life House & Home Moving California

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.

Quality-of-life statistics for California

Demographics : (California Census Data)
Major cities: Sacramento (capital) Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco
Population : 36,457,549
White : 77%
Hispanic : 35.2%
Asian: 12.7%
Black, African American : 6.7%
High school graduates : 76.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher : 26.6%
Average household income: $49,894

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.

Personal income taxes: California's six state income tax rates range from 1 percent to 9.3 percent depending upon the amount earned and filing status. Residents must complete returns on Form 540EZ, Form 540A (short form), Form 540 (long form) or Form 540-ADS by April 15.

California has a sales tax of 7.25%, which can total up to 9.75% with local sales tax included. In part, this rate compensates for the much reduced property tax revenue brought on by Proposition 13. Sales and use taxes in the state of California are collected by the Board of Equalization, whereas income and franchise taxes are collected by the Franchise Tax Board.

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.

Crime : see Crime in California by City & County

also see -> California Eviction Laws | California Taxes | California Touriism

California Fall Foliage | California Wineries | Christmas in California

Kids Party Locations in LA, SF & San Diego

More about moving to California around the Web:

Moving to California - The official site of the State of California with a mini-directory of links to more information on buying a home, state taxes, schools, government, voter registration, public transportation, crime statistics, and lots more.

Moving to Los Angeles - About.com guide with a library of articles with tips to settling in from local natives, neighborhood guides, and related resources

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

Moving to San Francisco - Comprehensive guide from Lonely Planet featuring tips on best neighborhoods, finding a house, job, or apartment, local movers, and related information in PDF format.

San Francisco Moving Guide - Like it says, with a personal advice on city neighborhoods, nightlife, moving & relocating tips, along with detailed maps & pictures, related resources.

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 Francisco : Chronicle