California

California is a state located on the west coast of the United States. It is the most populous state in the U.S., as well as physically the most diverse, with the highest and the lowest points in the lower 48 states located within 150 miles of each other. If California were an independent nation, it would have the fifth largest economy in the world (see economy of California). The state's official nickname is "The Golden State" in reference to California's 1849 Gold Rush. {{ref|origin_of_nickname}} California's U.S. postal abbreviation is CA, and its Associated Press abbreviation is Calif.

Demographics

Population

As of 2004 California had a population of 35,893,799. The state had 9,400,000 foreign-born residents (26.5% of the population), of which an estimated 2,209,000 were illegal aliens (illegal aliens accounted for nearly one-fourth of the foreign-born population and 6.2% of the total state population).

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California is the most populous state—more than 12 percent of Americans live in the state. California's population is larger than all but 33 countries; more populated than Canada and Australia.

Related Topics:
Canada - Australia

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Racial and Ancestral Makeup

The Census Bureau considers race and Hispanic origin to be two separate categories. Hispanics must not only select "Hispanic"; they must also select a race such as White or Asian, or, simply "some other race." This makes interpreting Census data difficult. Thus, for the sake of simplicity, the data below does consider Hispanic origin to be its own category. It therefore shows only non-Hispanic members of each group: non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Eskimos, non-Hispanic people of two or more races, etc. For more information on race and the Census, see here.

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2000 Census http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/tables/SC-EST2003-03/SC-EST2003-03-28.pdf

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2003 Estimate http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/tables/SC-EST2003-03/SC-EST2003-03-28.pdf

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White

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47.4%

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45.2%

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Hispanic/Latino

Related Topics:
Hispanic - Latino

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32.4%

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34.3%

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Asian

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11.0%

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11.4%

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Black

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6.5%

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6.3%

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Two or More Races

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1.9%

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1.9%

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Native American and Inuit

Related Topics:
Native American - Inuit

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0.5%

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0.5%

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Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

Related Topics:
Native Hawaiian - Pacific Islander

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0.3%

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0.3%

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California lacks a majority ethnic group. It is the third minority-majority state, after Hawaii and New Mexico. Non-Hispanic Whites are still the largest group, but are no longer a majority of the population due to high levels of immigration in recent years. Hispanics make up over one-third of the population; in order, other groups are Asians, Blacks, and Native Americans.

Related Topics:
Ethnic - Hawaii - New Mexico - Whites - Hispanics - Asians - Blacks - Native Americans

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Because of high levels of immigration from Latin America, especially Mexico, and higher birth rates among the Hispanic population, Hispanics are predicted to become a majority in the state around 2040. California has the second-largest Asian population (percentage-wise) of any state, Hawaii having the largest.

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The largest ancestries in California are Mexican (25%), German, Irish, and Asian. Mexicans and Chicanos predominate in Southern California, the Central Valley, Salinas, and parts of the San Francisco Bay area. Irish and German ancestries are dominant in the eastern Sierra Nevada, the far north, and the North Coast. San Francisco has the greatest concentration of Asians in the continental United States, with Chinese numerous in San Francisco, Alameda, and Santa Clara counties and Filipinos particularly numerous in San Mateo county.

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Languages

As of 2000, 60.5% of California residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 25.8% speak Spanish. Chinese is the third most spoken language at 2.6%, followed by Tagalog at 2.0% and Vietnamese at 1.3%.

Related Topics:
English - Spanish - Chinese - Tagalog - Vietnamese

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Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of California:

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• Christian – 75%
• Protestant – 38%
• Baptist – 8%
• Presbyterian – 3%
• Methodist – 2%
• Lutheran – 2%
• Other Protestant or general Protestant – 23%
• Roman Catholic – 34%
• Other Christian – 3%
• Jewish – 2%
• Other Religions – 3%
• Non-Religious – 20%

As with many other western states, the percentage of California's population identifying themselves as "non-religious" is comparatively high in relation to the rest of the U.S.

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