what was the population of california when it became a state
California In 1848, only one week before the official American annexation of the area, gold was discovered in California, this being an event which was to forever alter both the state's demographics and its finances. Soon afterward, a massive influx of immigration into the area resulted, as prospectors and miners arrived by the thousands. The population burgeoned with United States citizens, Europeans, Chinese and other immigrants during the great California Gold Rush. By the time of California's application to the US Congress for statehood in 1850, the settler population of California had multiplied to 100,000. By 1854 over 300,000 settlers had come.[59] Between 1847 and 1870, the population of San Francisco increased from 500 to 150,000.[60] California was suddenly no longer a sparsely populated backwater, but seemingly overnight it had grown into a major US population center.
California California (/ˌkælɪˈfɔːrnjə, -niə/ ( listen) KAL-i-FORN-yə, -FOR-nee-ə) is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.3 million residents, California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 8.8 million residents respectively.[13] Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second largest after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County; its largest county by area, San Bernardino County; and its fifth most densely populated county, San Francisco.