There is much more to the state of California than Hollywood and a pleasant climate. It was once a deserted land that was settled by the first colonists. Actually, they had no idea how big the cities they founded would become. California is today the most populated state on the West Coast, and millions of people call it home.
Today, we're going to tell you 15 exciting facts about California, which will probably surprise you. Let's start!
Population
- California is a densely populated state in the United States. Officially, it's home to 39.6 million people - almost the whole population of Ukraine. In terms of area, California is in third place. In 1st place is Alaska and in 2nd place is Texas.
- The minimum salary here is $12/hour. In Texas, the minimum wage is $7.25/hour. But California also has the highest costs in the U.S.
- The capital of California is Sacramento, with a population of 466 thousand people. It's not a very popular city as for the state capital.
- A densely populated city in California is Los Angeles. Almost 4 million people live here. However, it is not a lot compared to New York (8.5 million) and Moscow (12.5 million).
- The most massive immigration in history was to California. From 1848 to 1855, there was a gold rush. In 1848, in San Francisco lived about one thousand people. However, in a year, the number of inhabitants grew to 25 thousand. The same situation was with the apartment and food prices.
- The highest percentage of homeless people in the United States is in San Francisco. They are attracted by the mild climate, the locals' good attitude, and the excellent provision from the state.
Food
- The world's first McDonald's was opened precisely here - in 1940 in San Bernardino.
- A Japanese created the first Chinese fortune cookie from San Francisco. It was not Chinese, as everyone thought.
- It is California that produces 75% of the world's almond crop.
Technologies
- The first city where jeans appeared was San Francisco. On May 20, 1873, Levi Strauss presented to the world the first blue jeans as we know them today. It was a sensation.
- Remember the green meadow wallpaper from Windows 98? It's located in California, in Napa Valley. In 1996, the American photographer Charles O'Rear took a picture of this landscape and received a lot of money for using it. Nowadays, this meadow is planted with grapes and is no longer pleasing to the eye with its simplicity and serenity.
- In 2013, Apple started naming versions of MacOS after places in California. The first was Mavericks, the most famous and dangerous surf spot in the United States. Mojave is the desert where the famous Death Valley is located.
- Here is the most expensive gasoline in the U.S. (about $3.22 per gallon). The cheapest can be found in Arizona (about $2.10 per gallon).
Nature
- California is a paradise for nature lovers. You can enjoy doing a lot of exciting things here. For example, in winter you can go skiing and boarding in the mountains. The largest resort is Mammoth Mountain. Snow lies here until late May or early June. In the summer, you can bask in the sun in southern California. As for a comfortable lifestyle, you can try it in San Francisco, where the average temperature is +13...+18 at any time of the year.
- In Sequoia National Park, there is a giant tree in the world. It is 84 meters high and weighs 1,900,000 kg. There is also one of the oldest trees in California, which is about 4,848 years old.
What are the most significant airports in California?
There are 27 airport names on the list of the most important airports in the state of California. Here also are recorded a total of about 300 airports for different purposes. The largest ones are Los Angeles International Airport, San Diego International Airport, and San Francisco International Airport.
Los Angeles International Airport: how to get there?
Los Angeles International Airport is located 6 miles from downtown. Four runways take more than 100 airplanes a day. In addition, the airport has nine terminals with halls for passengers to board planes.
Los Angeles Airport is one of the largest not only in America but also in the world. It offers its passengers all necessary services: comfortable waiting rooms, playrooms and areas for parents with children, a lot of stores and restaurants, fast food cafes, etc. The terminal halls are decorated with the dignity of a wealthy state. Thus, we can say the airport is more like a shopping and entertainment complex.
The airport serves 60 million air passengers a year to destinations around the world. The most popular flights are to North America, Latin America, Oceania, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Actually, you have many options to get to the Los Angeles Airport. The cheapest one is public transport, the most expensive - a cab. But what about the car?
If you get to the airport by car, we would like to give you a piece of advice. First, we recommend you take a closer look at the parking near Los Angeles Airport, not at the LAX terminal parking. The thing is that this type of parking is much cheaper. Yes, such a parking lot is usually located a few miles from the airport. So what should I do, you ask?
You don't need to worry about this moment because you can always use a shuttle, which will take you from the LAX parking lot to the Los Angeles Airport.
If you're interested in such information, you can learn more about all the advantages of this parking type, cheap LAX parking, and the best deals on our website.
