California is a state in the Western United States, lying on the American Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. With over 38.9 million residents across a total area of approximately 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), it is the most populous U.S. state, the third-largest U.S. state by area, and the most populated subnational entity in North America.
Junípero Serra conducting the first Mass in Monterey Bay in 1770
The Spanish founded Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1776, the third to be established of California's missions.
General Mariano G. Vallejo reviewing his troops in the Sonoma Plaza, 1846
The 1846 Bear Flag Revolt declared the California Republic and prefaced the American conquest of California.
The Western United States, also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, and the West, is the region comprising the westernmost U.S. states. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term the West changed. Before around 1800, the crest of the Appalachian Mountains was seen as the western frontier. The frontier moved westward and eventually the lands west of the Mississippi River were considered the West.
Image: Los Angeles with Mount Baldy
Image: Grandcanyon view 2
Image: Gibbon River at Madison in Yellowstone
Image: Angels Landing
