The bear flag had been the official state symbol of California, and records would reveal that the first flag was flown during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt. That a version of the Bear Flag as it is popularly known was adopted by the state legislature and signed into law by the Governor, Hiram Johnson in 1911.
And today, the official modern
California State Flag is a refined version, white with a wide red strip at the bottom. A red star is added in the upper left corner and a grizzly bear facing left towards the hoist and dead center on the
state flag, walking on a patch of green grass. Sad to say that the California grizzly bear depicted on the flag has long been extinct.
Since the gold rush of 1848, California's image has been one as a promised land. It has evolved as the most populous (one in eight Americans) among the states of the union. Almost half of the population is clustered around San Francisco and Los Angeles all egging for water.
Water had plagued residents of California and in 1940 the opening of the Colorado River Aqueduct eased the water shortage. The Central Valley Project, the state's largest water transfer provided the greening of around 128,000 square kilometers in San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys, the home of migrant workers in quest of seasonal work.
Half of all Californian's are immigrants or the siblings of immigrants, increasing the population between 1990 and 2000 to over 4.1 million. Owing to its vast concentration of residents, 90% of the state is now considered urban, dotted with residential zones and industrial parks engaged in the manufacture of high-tech equipment, in areas of biotechnology, aerospace defense, and computers.
by:
The Flagman
