Home of the State of California

California
This long page has sections on many topics including history, plants and animals, climate, and geography. There are lots of maps and pictures. Scroll through and look for the section title you need or use the CTRL-F command to search the page for a word.

Images of the California Environment
This site is just for pictures, and it has plenty! Click anywhere on a map of California to get a list of photos from that area or choose from a list of topics such as agriculture, energy, forestry, mining, pollution, etc., or from a list of regions and National Parks. A click takes you to a page listing dozens of photos from beautiful wilderness to historical sites to pictures of traffic and wind farms.

Geography/The Land

Atlas of California
Clicking on one of the areas on the list starting with "California Overview" will take you to a list of maps showing different facts about the people who live in that area such as education, citizenship, poverty, and income. To enlarge a map, click in the bottom right corner, then click on the little icon that comes up, and the map will enlarge. Click on the icon again to shrink the map.

Geology & Geography
Two tours from the Golden State Museum. Choose "Geology" for information on faults and major earthquakes in California's history. Choose "Landscape" for maps showing California regions and geography.

NETSTATE - California Geography
A good site for lots of facts about California, in one place: climate, size, and major geographical features (such as lakes, rivers, and mountain ranges). There is also a list of symbols which is linked to the California State Library site (listed below) for pictures and information on each symbol.

California's Natural Resources
From the State of California website, California Resources Agency, here is a site about the resources, regions, forests, parks and monuments of the state.

History

Early California History
From the First People of California through about 1900, here are sixteen illustrated articles on California History.

California State Historical Landmarks
Here are photos and information on over 1,000 of California's 1100 designated historical landmarks. The landmarks are listed by their Historical Landmark number.

State History
Here is a list of about 50 links provided by a department of the State government. There are links on many topics related to general history, the time before the Europeans came, the Spanish and Mexican periods, pioneers and settlers, the Gold Rush, the Conservation Movement, industry, transportation, demographics, and historic sites.

State of California Web Site
These are selections from the results of a search for "history" on the State of California web site: History of the Capital Building - 36 pages with many historic photographs. California Indian History - Difficult to read, but may still be useful for information such as the names of tribes.

California - Achieving Statehood
This short article explains very simply how California became a state.

How California Came to Be a State
This article goes into detail about how the struggle between states that allowed slavery and states that did not affected California becoming a state.

Mexican California - The Heyday of the Ranchos
A great site with pictures and easy-to-read information. Use the menus on the left to read about different aspects of life in Mexican California and the changes that led to California becoming a part of the United States.

Life on the Ranchos and Missions in Alta California
A great article that sounds like it was written in Alta California.

California Mission Internet Trail
An award winning site. Each mission has a mini-site which includes history, pictures, teacher resources. (Some pages are under construction.) The home page has a beautiful graphic of the state with all the missions drawn and labeled.

California Missions
A map of California showing all 21 missions. The map links to a page for each mission with a short history and a picture.

California Missions Interactive Bicycle trip
(by Brian Wood & Chris Hall with twelve 4th grade Palo Alto, California classes - 1995)
Two young men visited fourteen missions and published these pages about their trip. There are reports and pictures about Missions San Rafael, Buenaventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Ines, La Purísima, San Luis Obispo, San Miguel, San Antonio, San Carlos Borremeo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara.

California Missions
Terrific! Short articles on the history of each mission (about one page), longer articles wherever the button says "More Mission History" (with additional pictures), music from the missions and the native americans, and a gallery of photographs make this site just about all anyone wants. If you go to the site through the home page, there is an ad for mission music CD's whenever you click a link. Just scroll to the bottom of the ad and click for the page you meant to go to. (Photograph gallery is not currently available for some reason.)

Touring a California Mission
Take a guided tour of a typical California Mission modeled on Mission San Juan Capistrano. This is a great site. You can take the tour from the beginning, choose a topic, or go to a great map of the mission and click on the part you want to visit, i.e., the kitchen or the padre's quarters.

California Missions
The home page maps the missions in the order they were founded. Click for a one-page article on the mission of your choice. At the bottom of the articles are links that allow you to 'tour' all the mission articles, in the order the missions were founded. There is one photo of each mission.

The Pony Express
A great site! There is a list of Pony Express riders and information on some of them. The History Page tells about people, places, and vocabulary of the Pony Express era and information on other horseback delivery services. You can take a quiz on what you learn. Other links tell about the stations along the route, statues and museums that commemorate the Pony Express, and much more.

The Pony Express Museum
Read about the history of the Pony Express, and click on "History", then "Stations" for a very nice map of the route and the stations.

Government

California Government
Click on Click on "Government" at the bottom of the first list on the left. On the new page, there are three especially useful links: the top link, "Governor and other Statewide Officials," which will help you get to each official's home page; "California Courts," where "Court Overview" gives an outline of the court system; and "California Legislature," to get information on the Senate and Assembly.

California Government, Politics & Higher Education
Infoplease.com provides this short explanation of how the government of California works.

Economics

Natural Resources
From the California Resources Agency, information on Biodiversity, Coastal Resources, Cultural Diversity, Deserts, Energy, Forests, Geology, Plant life, Water, Wetlands, and Wildlife. There is also information on California's State and National Parks, Monuments, and Preserves, and on protecting the environment.

Industries
Infoplease.com's encyclopedia page on the economy of California will give you information about California's industries which include agriculture, entertainment, and many more. No pictures.

The Gold Rush
Easy-to-read information about the discovery of gold in California, the routes to California, life in gold country, the growth of San Francisco, how the Gold Rush affected life in California today, and more. There are maps and pictures.

Ecology Problems

Ecotopia
Visit this site for a timeline of the American Environmental Movement and information on environmental heroes, past and present, including John Muir.

Natural Disasters, Past and Present

More on Earthquakes
The first two links on this page, "Basic Educational Information" and "Faults, Past Earthquakes & Geology" will be the most useful. Under "Basic Education..." are definitions of terms, and a section for kid's with activities as well as information. The U.S. Geological Survey - Earthquake Hazards Program provides this site.


People

Historic People of Los Angeles
Check out these articles for information on Father Juan Crespi who helped find sites for the missions; Felipe de Neve, founder of L. A.; Phineas Banning and the L. A. Harbor; Edward L. Doheny, L. A.'s first oil baron; William Ord, surveyor of the pueblo of Los Angeles and his artist assistant William Rich Hutton; Harrison Gray Otis and the Los Angeles Times; and others.

California's Native People
A list of the Native American tribes of California with a short description of each.

European Explorers
Explorers are listed by country. Click on a explorer for a page of links for that explorer with descriptions. Please note: The links from "DiscoverySchool" are not working anymore, but many of the other links are great.

Explorers A - Z
Explorers are listed alphabetically with several links to information for each explorer. Please note: The links from "DiscoverySchool" are not working anymore, but many of the links are great.

John Muir
John Muir is called the Father of the National Park System. This site by the Sierra Club contains biography, photos, quotes, crossword puzzles, and more.

Recreation

The California Recreation Guide
A list of good travel articles about outdoor attractions such as California grey whale migration, surfing in Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove tide pools, Joshua Tree National Monument, and endangered spotted owls.

Great Outdoor Recreation in California
Click on an area on a map of California for a list of the area's outdoor attractions. Choose one for a description and small but good photos.

Places to Visit

California State Parks
This is the official reservations page for the state parks. A map shows the locations of all of the State Parks. Click to zoom in and get a list of parks in the area you clicked on. Click on a park to get a park map and a description.

State Symbols

NETSTATE - State Symbols
This list has all the state symbols. If it says "Click" next to the listing, you can get a page of information on NETSTATE; if not, it will take you to the California State Library site (listed below) for pictures and information on the symbol.

California State Library - State Insignia
The BEST place for all the official state symbols, from the state flower to the state dance to the official state dirt (soil)!

NETSTATE - California Geography
A good site for lots of facts about California, in one place: climate, size, and major geographical features (such as lakes, rivers, and mountain ranges). There is also a list of symbols (see the menu on the left), linked to the California State Library site (listed below) for pictures and information on each symbol.