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Impress Your Friends with these Fun California Facts

Summary: From Agriculture and Tourism to the Performing Arts, California is home to a host of "Firsts."

Think you know everything there is to know about California facts? Consider these fun facts about California from the California Travel & Tourism Commission:

Agriculture California State Facts

Nicholas Turkey Farms in California is the largest producer of turkey eggs in the world.
The Renaissance Winery is the largest mountain vineyard estate (365 acres) in North America.
Knott’s Berry Farm is the birthplace of the boysenberry.
Encinitas is the largest poinsettia grower in the world.
It's a California fact that the first Navel Orange tree in the U.S. was grown in Riverside.
California leads the U.S. in producing 350 different crops and commodities. Almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwi fruit, olives, pistachios, pomegranates, prunes, raisins, and walnuts are all U.S. crops grown exclusively in California.
California has been the top ranking agricultural state in the U.S. for more than 50 years.
California has more than 400,000 acres devoted to wine grape production.
California produces over 90 percent of all wine in the U.S.
Fresno County produces more agricultural goods than any other county in the nation.
Marilyn Monroe was crowned the first “California Artichoke Queen” in 1947.
Nine counties in California supply the entire U.S. with artichokes.
According to the Wine Institute, the Golden State is home to approximately 800 commercial wineries.
The world’s largest almond processing plant, Blue Diamond, is located in Sacramento.

More California Fun Facts ... Adventure and Recreation

The Tuna Club, in Avalon, is the oldest fishing club in the United States, founded in 1889.
The Catalina Island Golf Course, built in 1892, was the first golf course in Southern California.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, embracing 114 square miles on both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge, is the largest urban park in the world, and the most popular in the U.S. National Park system.
The Furnace Creek Golf Course in Death Valley is the lowest golf course in the world at 210 feet below sea level.
Yosemite National Park has more than 700 miles of hiking trails.
With 265 state parks, the California State Park System is the largest state park system in the world.
The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks contain the largest cave system in California.
California is ranked number one for the number of persons visiting its state parks.

More Facts on California ...
Architectural wonders

The Honey Run Covered Bridge, built in 1894, just outside of Chico, is the only three-level covered bridge in the nation.
Mission Santa Barbara is the only mission church ever built with two towers.
The Fernbridge, built in 1911 in Humboldt County, is the oldest reinforced concrete bridge in existence.
Located six miles off Crescent City’s coast, Point Saint George Lighthouse is the most expensive lighthouse ever built in the U.S.
Bear Mountain Ski Resort has the world’s first “ski-into-the-building/ski-out-of-the-building” structure.
The Sunset Tower in West Hollywood was the first all-electric apartment building in California.
Knight’s Ferry Bridge, in Stanislaus County, is the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi.

San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House has 160 rooms and more than 10,000 windows. Photo by Maxime Perron Caissy / http://www.caissy.ca
Did you know? At 1,853 feet, Huntington Beach Pier is the longest concrete municipal pier in the nation.
Built in 1862, the Bridgeport single span wood arch bridge is the longest covered bridge in the U.S. reaching 208 feet from pier to pier.
Shasta Dam has the highest center over flow spillway of any dam in the world.
The Crystal Springs Dam, in San Mateo County, is the world’s largest concrete dam
The San Mateo-Hayward Bridge is the longest orthotrophic span in the world (6.74 miles).
The Stanford Linear Accelerator is the largest linear accelerator in the world (2 miles long).
The largest runway in the world is located at Edwards Air Force base (7.5 miles long).
The world’s largest outdoor amphitheater is the Hollywood Bowl.
San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House has 160 rooms and more than 10,000 windows.
St. Peter’s Chapel in Vallejo is home to the largest collection of Tiffany stained glass on the West Coast.
The Ventura Mission, or San Buenaventura Mission, is the only mission in America that has bells made of wood.
Hearst Castle near San Simeon is the last great estate produced during America’s Gilded Age and is the largest Gilded Age estate to come into public hands with its original collections intact.

The Arts

The Orange County Performing Arts Center is the largest privately funded performing arts center in the U.S.

Attractions

California has more theme parks and amusement parks than any other state.
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is California’s oldest amusement park.
The Giant Dipper Roller Coaster at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is California’s oldest operating roller coaster.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is the West Coast’s only major seaside amusement park.
“Superman The Escape” at Six Flags Magic Mountain, is the world’s fastest and tallest thrill ride - it goes from 0 to 100 mph in 7 seconds and is 415 feet tall (41 stories).
“The Viper” at Six Flags Magic Mountain is the world’s largest looping roller coaster. It is 188 feet high, 3,380 feet long, goes upside down 7 times, and reaches speeds up to 70 mph.
“The Colossus” at Six Flags Magic Mountain is the world’s highest capacity roller coaster. It can move over 2,600 guests per hour!
Knott’s Berry Farm, which opened in 1940, is America’s oldest theme park.
“The Timber Mountain Log Ride” at Knott’s Berry Farm, which opened in 1969, was America’s first log flume ride.
“Bigfoot Rapids” at Knott’s Berry Farm is California’s longest man made white water river.
Knott’s Berry Farm is the site of America’s first 360-degree looping roller coaster (Opened in 1975, replaced in 1990).
The San Diego Wild Animal Park hosts the only Northern White Rhinoceroses in the Western hemisphere.
California’s only nudist colony exhibit exists at San Diego Zoo -- naked mole-rats.
The world’s first digital theme park (virtual reality) is located in Pasadena.
The World Famous San Diego Zoo boasts the world’s largest zoological society membership, with members in more than a quarter million households.
The World Famous San Diego Zoo hosts the most comprehensive collection of deer in the world, with 17 species.
The Outer Bay Exhibit in Monterey features the largest window on earth, 17 feet by 57 feet by 13 inches thick.
Two of the top ten amusement parks in the U.S. are located in California. They are Disneyland, and Universal Studios, (#2, and #7, respectively).
The Star of India, located in San Diego, is the oldest active tall ship in the world.

Cities and Homes

Beverly Hills is the only city to boast: no hospital, no cemetery, no billboards, and no telephone or power wires.
The Beverly Hills zip code area is the richest per-capita area in the nation.
Beverly Hills is the most filmed city in the world.
California is home to more drive-in movie theater screens than any other state with 123 screens at 60 sites.
Eureka is home to the world’s tallest living Christmas tree, standing more than 125 feet in height.
Hollywood is home of the world’s largest outdoor amphitheater, the Hollywood Bowl.
Modesto is home to the world’s largest winery and the world’s largest cannery, the E.J. Gallo Winery and the Tri-Valley Growers cannery.
San Diego is home to the largest military complex in the world (165,000 active duty and civil service personnel).
Riverside is home to California’s first bicycle club.
Humboldt County is home to the tallest totem pole in the U.S., measuring 160 feet in height.
Bishop is home to the Mule Days Parade, the “longest” non-motorized parade in the world.
Barstow is the last Main Street city with Route 66 still named Main Street.
The O’Neil Company, inventor of the wetsuit and manufacturer of surfboards, is located in Santa Cruz.

Climate/Weather

The highest recorded temperature ever in the western hemisphere was 134 degrees, recorded in 1913 in Death Valley.
The largest wave (Tsunami), at 20.7 feet, to ever wash ashore in California was on March 28, 1964, destroying 56 blocks of Crescent City.

Culinary Delights

Spago, a West Hollywood restaurant, was the birthplace of the “California Designer Pizza.”
The world’s largest burrito, as awarded by the Guinness Book of World records, was made at the La Caesta restaurant in Fallbrook.
Hot fudge sundaes became famous at C.C. Brown’s in Los Angeles in 1906.
The Margarita cocktail got its start at the Tail O’ the Cock in Los Angeles in 1955.
The Martini was first developed in Martinez.
The Popsicle began in Oakland in 1905 thanks to Frank Epperson.
The use of the “doggie bag” began with Lawry’s in Los Angeles in 1938.
America’s oldest Italian Restaurant is the Fior d’Italia (1886) in San Francisco.
California is the birthplace of the following fast-food chains: A&W, McDonald’s, Denny’s, In-N-Out Burger, Carl’s Jr., Taco Bell, Bob’s Big Boy, Del Taco, Winchell’s, Marie Callender’s and Wienerschnitzel.
Old California Restaurant Row with 18 restaurants, located in San Marcos, is the only mall of restaurants in California.

Interesting Facts About California Culture

California is home to more than 300,000 Native Americans, which is more than any other state.
Klamath’s End of the Trail Indian Museum contains one of the world’s largest private collections of authentic Native American artifacts.
Barstow has the largest Native American Rock Art Gallery accessible to the public. Black Canyon contains more than 10,000 petroglyphs.
The Tien Hau Temple in San Francisco is the oldest Chinese temple in the U.S.

Economy/Business

California is the nation’s leading agriculture state.
104 of the 500 fastest growing U.S. technology companies are based in California.
California has the largest environmental industry (including technology) in the nation.
The 3 million square-foot California Mart in Los Angeles is the largest apparel wholesale market in the world.
Kern County is the number one oil-producing county in the U.S.

Education

The California State University is the largest system of senior higher education in the U.S., boasting 23 campuses and 19 extension centers.

Environment

California has 265 state parks, which is the most state parks in one state, in the nation.
Riverside was the first place to use a tree-lined divided avenue in the U.S.
The world’s first oil tanker burnt and sank in Ventura in 1887 at the end of the Ventura Pier.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is the largest protected sanctuary in the country.

Fun Facts About California Geography

The highest point of the San Andreas Fault is in Wrightwood. Photo by Veronica Hill.

With the exception of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Diablo State Park Summit offers a sweeping panorama showing more of the earth’s surface than any other peak in the world.
California is the third largest state in the nation covering 158,693 square miles.
The highest point of the San Andreas Fault is in Wrightwood.
California has a coastline more than 1,264 miles long.
At 14,495 feet above sea level, Mt. Whitney, in Sequoia National Park, is the highest point in the contiguous U.S.
At 280 feet below sea level, Badwater, in Death Valley National Park, is the lowest point in the western hemisphere.
California State Parks cover more than one million acres; more than the 48 state park systems combined, with the exception of Alaska.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in the U.S., with more than 600,000 acres.
The elevation change from Badwater Basin to Telescope Peak is 11,300 feet in 15 miles, which is the greatest elevation change in the shortest distance in California.
The South Fork Ridge in Northern California is the longest ridge in the world (63 miles long).
Santa Monica boasts the longest stretch of beach on the Pacific Coast (3 miles).
San Bernardino County is the largest county in the U.S. (12,876,032 acres).
The average width of the Golden State is 150-200 miles.
California boasts 4.1 million acres of National Parks.
Death Valley is the largest national park in the contiguous U.S. with over 3.3 million acres.

Natural Wonders

The Moreton Bay Fig Tree, located outside of Santa Barbara, is the nation’s largest of it’s kind. It has a span of over 160 feet and provides more than 21,000 square feet of shade.
Plumas County is home to the world’s largest ponderosa pine tree. It is 334 feet tall, 24 feet around and 7.5 feet in diameter.
In Calaveras Big Trees State Park you can find the world’s tallest trees-redwoods and giant sequoias.
Dorrington, in Calaveras County, is home of the second largest sugar pine in the world. The tree boasts a 32-foot circumference and is 220-feet tall.
The General Sherman Tree has the largest volume of any tree. It weighs approximately 2.7 million pounds, has a height of 274.9 feet, a circumference of 102.6 feet, and adds enough wood per year to make a 60-foot-tall tree.
The Sutter Buttes in northern California may be the smallest stand alone mountain range in the world, measuring a mere mile in length.
The largest gold nugget in the western hemisphere was unearthed in 1854 at the gold mine in Carson Hill, Calaveras County.
The Joshua Tree Forest on Cima Dome is the largest, tallest and most dense in the United States.
Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, measuring 12 miles wide by 22 miles long, with a 72 mile long shoreline and a maximum depth of 1,645 feet.
Giant Rock, located north of the Joshua Tree National Park, is the world’s largest solitary boulder at seven stories and weighing over 23,000 tons.
Lassen Volcanic Park is home to the world’s largest plug dome volcano.
The Smith River is the only wild river (undammed) in the state.
Eureka Dunes in Death Valley are the tallest dunes (680 feet tall) in California.
Clear Lake is the largest natural fresh-water lake within California and is the oldest lake in North America.

The area of Geysers near Clear Lake is the world’s largest geothermal region.

California is home to the top two Largest National Champion Trees - in first place, a Giant Sequoia in Sequoia National Park and a Coast Redwood in Prairie Creek in second place. Giant Sequoia Chandelier Tree by Whitney Tucker/Stockxhng

California is home to the top two Largest National Champion Trees. In first place, a Giant Sequoia in Sequoia National Park and a Coast Redwood in Prairie Creek in second place.
The largest coast live oak tree has recently been identified. Reaching 58 feet tall, more than 28 feet in trunk circumference, and boasting a 75 foot wide crown, the coast live oak tree still continues its 250 year residency in Wynola today.
Medicine Lake Volcano is the largest volcano in the Cascade Range.
Lava Beds National Monument is the location of: the highest concentration of lava tube caves in the world; the highest concentration of pictographs and petroglyphs in California; the longest lava tube cave in California (Mammoth Cave); the deepest lava tube cave in California (Crystal Cave); the largest obsidian flow in California and perhaps the world.
Moaning Cavern in Calaveras County is the largest cavern in California.
Yosemite National Park has the highest waterfall in the U.S., with 2,425 feet of water falling over Yosemite Falls.
The San Francisco Bay is the largest natural harbor and estuary on the West Coast.
The oldest living thing in the world, the Bristlecone Pine Tree, aged at nearly 5,000 years old, can be found in California.
Point Lobos State Reserve has more than 300 species of wildflowers.
Vichy Springs Resort & Inn, near Ukiah, is home to the only naturally carbonated hot springs in North America.