This index is the site map to all pages covering the state of California. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs taken by Alex Nitzman and Andy Field. Many thanks to Casey Cooper, Pete Sison, Joel Windmiller, Kevin Trinkle, Mike Ballard, Mark Furqueron, Russ Connelly, Trevor Carrier, Jeff Waller, Steve Hanudel, Leland Bailey, Dominic Ielati, and many others for participating in taking trips with us and submitting photos from the state of California. This California Roads page was part of West Coast Roads.
Population Statistics
State Population
33,871,648
Top County Populations
Los Angeles
9,519,338
Orange
2,846,289
San Diego
2,813,833
San Bernardino
1,709,434
Santa Clara
1,682,585
Riverside
1,545,387
Alameda
1,443,741
Sacramento
1,223,499
Contra Costa
948,816
Fresno
799,407
San Francisco
776,733
Ventura
753,197
Top City Populations
Los Angeles
3,694,820
San Diego
1,223,400
San Jose
894,943
San Francisco
776,733
Long Beach
461,522
Fresno
427,652
Sacramento
407,018
Oakland
399,484
Santa Ana
337,977
Anaheim
328,014
Riverside
255,166
Bakersfield
247,057
Stockton
243,771
Fremont
203,413
Glendale
194,973
Source: 2000 U.S. Census Data
Other Statistics
Capital: Sacramento
Nickname: Golden State
If it were its own country, California would rank sixth among the world's richest nations based on the value of goods and services the state produces (as of 2000).
California decommissioned (eliminated) most of its U.S. routes starting in 1964: U.S. 40, U.S. 60, U.S. 66, U.S. 70, U.S. 80, U.S. 91, U.S. 99, U.S. 299, U.S. 399, and U.S. 466. Most of the decommissioned routes were no longer signed by no later than 1972. Other routes that were truncated or reduced in length include U.S. 6, U.S. 50, U.S. 101, and U.S. 395. Only U.S. 95, U.S. 97, and U.S. 199 were left alone after the actions of 1964.
California 49, the Gold Country Highway, is so numbered because gold was discovered in the Sierra Nevada Mountain foothills in 1848, with a plethora of treasure seekers traversing the foothills in the Gold Rush of 1849.
Area: 163,695.57 square miles or 411,049 square kilometers, 3rd largest
Statehood: 31st state; admitted September 9, 1850
Total Interstate Mileage: 2,457.34 miles
Highest Point: Mount Whitney (west of Lone Pine partially in Sequoia National Park and Inyo National Forest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains), 14,494 feet above sea level. This is the highest point in the 48 contiguous states.
Lowest Point: Death Valley National Park at Badwater Basin, -282 feet below sea level. This is the lowest point in the 48 contiguous states.
The San Gabriel Mountains north of the Los Angeles Basin run east-west, unlike the north-south alignment of the state's other mountain chains: Sierra Nevada, Coast Range, and Cascades.
The Central Valley (formed by the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers) is the chief agricultural area of the state, followed by the irrigated Imperial Valley in the southern desert.
California 141 (Decommissioned) - former state highway that followed Curtola Parkway, Mare Island Way, and Wilson Avenue from the Interstate 80 and Interstate 780 interchange to California 37
California 142 - Chino Hills Parkway and Carbon Canyon Road
California 259 - connector from I-215 north to California 210 east
California 260 - eastern approach to unconstructed Southern Crossing (including Webster and Posey Tubes under Inner Harbor between Oakland and Alameda)
California 261 - Eastern Transportation Corridor Connector to Jamboree Road
Sources: To complete the AARoads California Roads pages, we have utilized a variety of resources including U.S. Census data for population, geographical size, and demographic information; the California atlas produced by Benchmark Atlas; Thomas Guides for most regions of the state (especially in Southern California); a variety of old Gousha, Rand McNally, CSAA/ACSC (Auto Club) maps, and official state maps; the Caltrans bridge logs to determine dates of highway construction; webpages such as California Historic U.S. Highways (Casey Cooper's excellent page), Michael Ballard's Santa Clarita Valley Resources, and California Highways (Daniel Faigin's resourceful and useful page); official city, county, and chamber of commerce webpages; and personal observations from hundreds of trips around the Golden State over the past ten years. We will try to cite any other sources used on individual pages where we can. If you should find any errors on the page (and we know they're out there), please don't hesitate to contact us.
