| |
| |
|
| |
|
Political
Culture: |
California has an idiosyncratic political
culture. It was the second state to
legalize abortion and one of the first
states to legalize domestic partnerships
for gay couples, and was also the
first where voters decided that only
marriage between a man and a woman
would be recognized (legalized domestic
partnerships were not approved by
voters, but were made law by the state
legislature). California was the first
state in which voters approved a measure
to deny social services to illegal
immigrants and was also the first
state in which voters passed a law
ending affirmative action.
The state's African American vote
remains mostly loyal to the Democrats,
and Latinos tend to vote Democratic
to a lesser degree. Conservative
Caucasians in the suburbs and rural
areas are typically reliable Republican
voters. Partisan demographics have
shifted in past twenty years with
the once-Republican inner suburbans
moving to the Democrats; Republicans
count on the votes in fast-growing
Inland Empire and Central Valley
to make up the difference. Since
1990, California has generally elected
Democratic candidates. However,
the state has had little hesitance
in electing Republican Governors.
Of California's past four Governors,
three of them were Republicans.
The Democrat, Gray Davis, was removed
from office via recall election.
|
|
|
| |
Population: |
As of 2006, California has an estimated
population of 37,172,015. California
is the 13th fastest-growing state.
This includes a natural increase since
the last census of 1,557,112 people
(that is 2,781,539 births minus 1,224,427
deaths) and an increase due to net
migration of 751,419 people into the
state. Immigration from outside the
United States resulted in a net increase
of 1,415,879 people, and migration
within the country produced a net
increase of 564,100 people, and a
decrease of 21,669.
More than 12 percent of U.S. citizens
live in California and its population
is larger than all but 33 countries.
California has eight of the top
50 US cities in terms of population.
Los Angeles is the nation's second
largest city with a population of
3,845,541 people, followed by San
Diego (8th), San Jose (10th), San
Francisco (14th), Long Beach (34th),
Fresno (37th), Sacramento (38th)
and Oakland (44th). The center of
population of California is located
in Kern County, in the town of Buttonwillow.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Languages: |
As of 2000, 60.5% of California residents age
five and older are monolingual and speak only
English at home. In addition to any other language
that may be spoken (such as English), 25.8% speak
Spanish, 2.6% speak Mandarin Chinese, and 2.0%
speak Tagalog. Over 200 languages are known to
be spoken and read in California. Including indigenous
languages, California is viewed as one of the
most linguistically diverse areas in the world
(the indigenous languages were derived from 64
root languages in 6 language families). About
half of the indigenous languages are no longer
spoken, and all of California's living indigenous
languages are endangered, although there are now
some efforts toward language revitalization.
|
|
|
| |
Religion: |
The state has the most Roman Catholics of any
state, a large Protestant population, a large
American Jewish community, and a large, rapidly-growing
American Muslim population. "As the twentieth
century came to a close, forty percent of all
Buddhists in America resided in Southern California.
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area has become unique
in the Buddhist world as the single place where
representative organizations of every major school
of Buddhism can be found in a single urban center."
The Hsi Lai Temple in Southern California is the
largest Buddhist temple in the United States,
and California has more Temples of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than any
state except Utah.
|
|
|
| |
Education: |
California offers a unique three-tier system of
public postsecondary education:
The preeminent research university system in
the state is the University of California (UC)
which employs more Nobel Prize laureates than
any other institution in the world, and is considered
one of the world's finest public university
systems. There are ten general UC campuses,
and a number of specialized campuses in the
UC system. The California State University (CSU)
system has over 400,000 students, making it
the largest university system in the United
States. It is intended to accept the top one-third
(1/3) of high school students. The CSU schools
are primarily intended for undergraduate education.
The California Community Colleges system provides
lower division courses. It is composed of 109
colleges, serving a student population of over
2.9 million. California is also home to such
notable private universities as Stanford University,
the University of Southern California (USC),
and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
California has hundreds of other private colleges
and universities, including many religious and
special-purpose institutions. Public secondary
education consists of high schools that teach
elective courses in trades, languages, and liberal
arts with tracks for gifted, college-bound and
industrial arts students. California's public
educational system is supported by a unique
constitutional amendment that requires 40% of
state revenues to be spent on education.
|
|
|
| |
Sports: |
California hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics at
Squaw Valley, the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles, as well as the 1994 FIFA World
Cup. Los Angeles is currently competing to host
the 2016 Summer Olympics.
California has fifteen major professional sports
league franchises, far more than any other state.
The San Francisco Bay Area has six major league
teams spread in three cities, San Francisco,
Oakland and San Jose. While the Greater Los
Angeles Area is also home to six major league
franchises, it is the largest metropolitan area
not to have a team from the National Football
League. San Diego has two major league teams,
and Sacramento has one.
Home to some of most prominent universities
in the United States, California has long had
many respected collegiate sports programs. In
particular, the athletic programs of USC, Cal-Berkeley,
UCLA, and Stanford are often nationally ranked
in the various collegiate sports. California
is also home to the oldest college bowl game,
the annual Rose Bowl, and the Pacific Life Holiday
Bowl, among others.
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
