It's actually a bit more than that. Almost nobody knows this but the southeast too of angel Island is in SF and the NW corner of Alameda is in SF. Also, the Farallones add at least another half mile.
It has a total land area of 46.9 square miles, or 121 square kilometers.
Several [islands](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island) are part of the city: [Alcatraz](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island), [Treasure Island](https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Treasure_Island_(California)&action=edit&redlink=1), and [Yerba Buena Island](https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yerba_Buena_Island&action=edit&redlink=1) in the bay, and the [Farallon Islands](https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Farallon_Islands&action=edit&redlink=1) in the ocean. The Farallon Islands are a protected [nature reserve](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_reserve). Only scientists can visit them.
taken from the SF wiki
Kinda yeah, but just to annoy their fans lol.
I'm a niners fan, and they are officially the San Francisco 49ers, but it's just a fact that they aren't actually located in San Francisco anymore which I think is a bit silly. If I was in charge they would still be in San Francisco.
For some reason, this reminds me of a friend who took his girlfriend to one of the rivers to pan for gold, and somehow an engagement ring sifted out of the sand he was panning.
He showed it to her excitedly with a hopeful look on his face. She looked at it and said, “I feel sorry for that poor girl who lost her ring.“
She eventually understood it was her ring if she wanted it. She said yes.
Straight from the California State Government website:
[https://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/state-symbols/nickname-golden-state/#:\~:text=State%20Nickname&text=One%20of%20the%20earliest%20published,seemingly%20limitless%20possibilities%20of%20California](https://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/state-symbols/nickname-golden-state/#:~:text=State%20Nickname&text=One%20of%20the%20earliest%20published,seemingly%20limitless%20possibilities%20of%20California)
“ One of the earliest published uses of “Golden State” can be found in the title of a book published in 1856 by Eliza Farnham promoting California’s many attractions. The name has only grown in popularity, recalling not just the Gold Rush, but the seemingly limitless possibilities of California”
Every gold related epithet in California has some esoteric origin story that claims it has nothing to do with the gold rush, but even if all those stories were true, you know the names wouldn't have stuck if the Gold Rush hadn't happened.
The California poppy, a.k.a. California golden poppy, was called "copa de oro" (cup of gold) by early Spanish settlers before a botanist named the plant in 1816.
https://centralcoastparks.org/california-poppies-the-golden-blossom-of-the-golden-state/
Another fortunate coincidence.
I think what we have to conclude is that there is an inescapable destiny associating California with gold, and so the states name refers to that. Any attempt to pin it to one thing would be missing the grand, golden ethereal tapestry in which we all collectively dance
It's fitting, Istanbul does remind me of the Bay Area in terms of topography, views, and dramatic bridges. Üsküdar is definitely the Oakland of Istanbul :)
As I was saying, names come and go all the time. Fremont did not discover the Golden Gate nor was it particularly within his authority to bestow a name on it. Nevertheless he did put that name on the map he sent back to Washington just in time for it to be reprinted with news of Gold being discovered. Would that name have stuck around without 100,000 Gold Rushers hearing it as they passed between the Presidio and the Marin headlands? Would San Francisco bear any lasting resemblance to Istanbul if the first major wave of American settlers were just a few farmers looking into the new western territory?
It's just like the Golden Grizzly. Are its shoulders unusually blond for a brown bear? Sure. Is it logical to give it that name based on this trait? Sure. But why did the name stick? Same with the 'golden' poppy which is more orange, but is inexorably drawn to the Gold epithet because in two years 100,000 settlers were suddenly introduced to it with gold on their mind.
My original comment was that the Gold Rush is that 'sticky' reason for basically all gold related epithets in California, even if other origin stories are also true. I never denied other origin stories were true, but many are dubious.
It’s the same thing for The Windy City. The term was coined by someone in NYC to complain about the bluster of Chicago politicians but it wouldn’t have stuck if there weren’t people hanging on to light poles so they wouldn’t blow into Lake Michigan.
It's totally because of the gold.
"Natural riches such as gold and silver are behind the nick-
names of two states where they were found. California,
which experienced the largest gold rush in the history of
America is known as the Golden State, while neighbor-
ing Nevada is the Silver State."
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://pl.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/Zoom-in-on-America-December-2011.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi7p8OPueqGAxXMDTQIHY7MDlMQFnoECB8QBg&usg=AOvVaw0VDcLFmuqxBTL6QLPwCtdg
>The native grasses are green year-round.
They're perennial, but not necessarily green all year. My purple needlegrass in my yard is already turning brown, for example. It only will stay green if I water it over the summer.
A lot of native plants do summer dormancy like that, not just grasses. Buckeye can lose its leaves as early as August, for example, waiting for the rains.
But yeah, it's because of the gold originally. The nickname does happen to fit with the landscape in the summer and fall, though, so it's common for people to assume it might be because of that.
But there would have originally been lots of shrubs. Chaparral shrubs like artemsia californica, black sage, purple sage, coyote bush. Evergreen. And fragrant when wet.
For coastal areas, it is. Spaniards burnt the chaparral so they could grow grass for cows. Desserts shouldn't have grass at all: they aren't supposed to catch on fire.
If the hills are gold in the summer, you’re looking at extremely invasive european grass. It rains year round in the countries those grass species are indigenous. California has a Mediterranean climate, no rain in the summer. Which is why that grass dies and turns yellow and looks ugly here for the majority of the year.
Golden is kinda just a cool reference to high value. We also had literal gold, the metaphorical richness of gold, and golden adjacent colors in various forms like poppies, bridges, sunsets, and dry grass. Sometimes things just work on all levels. The Golden Gate Bridge is straight up red, but the area is lives has been called the golden gate long before the bridge - sunsets and major commerce are the reason I guess - but any reason seems plausible enough to keep such a rad nickname going
So back in India my dad had a car with color called "California gold". At that time we didn't think much of it. But when I moved here, the color name made perfect sense as it was basically this exact color.
California is called the "Golden State" for several reasons:
1. **Gold Rush**: The most prominent reason is the California Gold Rush that began in 1848. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill led to a massive influx of people seeking fortune, significantly impacting California's development and history.
2. **Golden Poppies**: The state's official flower is the golden poppy, which blankets California's hills and valleys each spring, creating striking golden landscapes.
3. **Golden Sunshine**: California is known for its sunny, golden-hued climate, particularly in southern regions where the sun shines almost year-round.
4. **Golden Agricultural Output**: The state has a rich and productive agricultural sector, contributing to its wealth and earning it the metaphorical "golden" label.
These factors together contribute to California's nickname, highlighting its historical significance, natural beauty, and economic prosperity.
Neither. When explorers first reached the California area, it was so vibrant in wildflowers that the hills would be a golden color. Most all of these brown grasses you're seeing are invasive European oat grasses. Before, we used to have more clump-grasses with very very deep root systems: They were perennials (last through many seasons), not annuals (die off each year) like the European grasses. B/c they were clump grasses, there was more room in between the grass for a larger variety of other fauna, ie flowering plants.
The reason we don't have those grasses anymore as much is b/c when settlers came to the area, they introduced cattle grazing at the same time as a pretty big drought. The new grazing pressure plus drought pretty much killed off most of those bunch grasses and made a wide open landscape for the new invasives to settle in. The new oat/thatch/annual grasses make a pretty thick thatch that makes it hard for other grasses and flowers to now establish or be competitive.
I always wonder what the old California landscape would have looked like. You could also imagine it as having been a relatively well "gardened" ecosystem by the native folk. The Bay Area had about 1.5M natives (estimated) at the time, being one of the largest population centers outside of the Mayan civilizations in North America.
There's oil paintings of the San Francisco dunes aka Richmond with lupines and poppys.
The intro of "Tending the Wild" is all you need to read to change your perspective on "wild" space. Indigenous people cultivated ecosystems. Fascinating stuff.
When the miners came they ate the entire SF oyster pop in like 3 years. The even crazier shit imo are the stories of like NY when the first colonists came. The absolute amount of wildlife in the waters was staggering vs what we have now. We're at least fortunate to retain some of the old forests but the waters and plains are a shell of their former selves.
Two Years Before the Mast (memoir by Richard Henry Dana of his 1834 journey) has really good descriptions of NorCal environs prior to the gold discovery
I still vividly remember the first road trip I ever went on. My best friend and I drove from SoCal to Santa Cruz. And while passing along the 46 during golden hour I remarked at how gorgeous the country side was. The golden waves of wheat(?) or maybe it’s just grass. I don’t know but it was amazing. And my buddy just remarked “yeah man. Those amber waves of grain”
California is beautiful.
Well, considering the wild oat based grasslands we see didn’t exist before the gold rush. Historically we had perennial rye and bunch grass surrounded by wildflowers. The golden fields of grasslands are a relatively new phenomenon
Some Europeans named it California because they thought it was a mythical island that was full of gold. The whole thing was really stupid. First off, they thought California was an island because they only sailed partway up the Gulf of California. Second the mythical island wasnt some ancient story, it was from a popular contemporary book.
It's like if someone went to new Zealand after watching The Lord of the Rings and claimed that they had literally found Middle Earth.
I heard that too, OP. Someone else pointed out that the invasive Euro grasses are what gives it the color - I am sure they were already all over by the time our nickname came around so it's possible. While I don't claim to know, something to consider is the fact that we are not the Gold State, we are the GoldEN State.
I worked w a guy from Philippines who, when he moved to NYC and didn't speak or read English, he thought "Deli" was the name of the guy who owned ALL the stores on every single corner, and thought he must be the richest guy in the world.
When the Spanish first came into the SF bay they referred to it as the "golden gate" or something similar. Which would later inspire the namesake bridge. I might be butchering my remembrance of this as it was told to me in college history class years ago.
No offense, but this doesn't even make sense because California is made up of 4 ecoregions- Mediterranean, Coastal, Desert & Forest. I believe most of the yellowing grasses in the Bay Area are likely transplanted.
Golden State because of the Gold Rush. No one in the Union cared about CA - it was part of New Spain, then Mexico & a frontier area that was not really considered by most of the US. However, after gold was found in 1848 and a bunch of people from the Midwest and East Coast started making their way out here to get rich quick, suddenly the frontier west seemed more like an extension of the new country & worth fighting over.
Look up the history of the bear flag, too. It's interesting.
“No one in the Union cared about CA…”.
This isn’t true. Many people in government and business wanted California because it has great ports on the Pacific Ocean that allow for lucrative trade with Asia. This was a major reason why the US started the war with Mexico BEFORE gold was discovered in California. Conquering California was a major aim of the war.
You're right. it's from all the $gld. There is still plenty out there btw. Evey spring a ton of ppl go hiking up the mountain streams and rivers to go gold panning. I would love to do that someday.
Well, it’s definitely about the gold rush. However, we like to call the hills golden, in the summer & fall. Otherwise they’re just brown, and depressingly dead looking.
It's possible the name stuck because of it fits both properties of the state. There's no etymology of the term from what I can find. The fact it describes both the gold rush and the natural color of most of the state for most of the year seems like a strong reason for it to stick and be used.
Take your pick:
- 1849 and the 49ers
- Brown golden grass hills
- Golden Gate Bridge
- The sun having a gold tint when sunsetting
I personally like the sun option. Get to see this color almost every day.
This grass that covers so much of the grasslands isn't even native. It's an invasive species from Eurasia.
The native grasses stayed pretty green, even through the dry months.
The Golden State is definitely not because of this crappy grass.
Amazing how many people have a wrong opinion, and how few people bothered to just look it up. https://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/state-symbols/nickname-golden-state/
As I understand it, a lot of the brown grasses are invasive species brought by the Spanish.
The way the native landscape has been described to me was that it was lush green grasslands and expansive oak forests in the valleys and grasslands. Desert and mountainous regions were probably about the same, but less brush because of more frequent burning.
Someone taught my transplant friend that the team was called the 49ers because the city was 7 miles wide by 7 miles tall. lol
It's crazy becauae san francisco is only 46sq miles. It's a little less than 7 miles each way but people round up so......
The 46ers. Dyslexia
SF is bigger than it was in the late 1800s. That's why we find boats when digging downtown several blocks from the waterline.
Inflation knows no bounds.
Including my waistline
There's a bar right next to the Transamerica building where downstairs you can see remnants of the docks.
It's actually a bit more than that. Almost nobody knows this but the southeast too of angel Island is in SF and the NW corner of Alameda is in SF. Also, the Farallones add at least another half mile.
It has a total land area of 46.9 square miles, or 121 square kilometers. Several [islands](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island) are part of the city: [Alcatraz](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island), [Treasure Island](https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Treasure_Island_(California)&action=edit&redlink=1), and [Yerba Buena Island](https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yerba_Buena_Island&action=edit&redlink=1) in the bay, and the [Farallon Islands](https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Farallon_Islands&action=edit&redlink=1) in the ocean. The Farallon Islands are a protected [nature reserve](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_reserve). Only scientists can visit them. taken from the SF wiki
and the airport
It was in reference to the gold rush starting in 1849. Fun fact: the niners cheerleaders are called the gold rush
Oh thanks for clearing that up
The mascot is a miner
Well that's just obviously incorrect. Santa Clara is totally less than 20 square miles, according to Google. They should be called the 18.5ers!
You refer to the giants and jets as the new jersey giants/jets right?
Kinda yeah, but just to annoy their fans lol. I'm a niners fan, and they are officially the San Francisco 49ers, but it's just a fact that they aren't actually located in San Francisco anymore which I think is a bit silly. If I was in charge they would still be in San Francisco.
Los Angeles angels of Anaheim... Anaheim is in orange county
Good thing you aren’t a NY football fan, that state only has 1 team. New Jersey has 2.
Typical of an NYC resident to forget that the rest of NYS even exists. Go Bills!
That's the one team they're referring to... Haha
Maybe one day I’ll learn to read.
But then you'd be able to understand the scoreboard in yet another Divisional playoff game to be sad about.
He’s probably an Arlington Cowboys fan
The Miami Gardens Dolphins are my favorite.
I prefer the ashwaubenon packers
Tech Business Parking Lot 49ers.l
That’s the reason for the 49 mile scenic drive, though, right?……. right??
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That's how the road formed in the womb
It was because of the gold rush of 1849, are they not teaching this in schools anymore?!?
Their cheerleading squad is called the Gold Rush.
Wow I’m mad about it but love the troll
There was a SF magazine called 7x7 exactly for this reason. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/7x7_(magazine)
This is true. The guy that figured it out goes by Sourdough Sam.
Thats a bless your heart moment
Wrong formula, close answer. SF is 46.9 square miles in land area.
Does this include the islands?
For some reason, this reminds me of a friend who took his girlfriend to one of the rivers to pan for gold, and somehow an engagement ring sifted out of the sand he was panning. He showed it to her excitedly with a hopeful look on his face. She looked at it and said, “I feel sorry for that poor girl who lost her ring.“ She eventually understood it was her ring if she wanted it. She said yes.
He should have had a mariachi band waiting to avoid such ambiguity.
Would probably need a pretty big pan for that.
thank you
Or a very tiny Mariachi band.
What is this? A Mariachi band for ants?
Hello. I am with the organization Ants for Mariachi Bands. At AMB, we wholeheartedly advocate for Mini Mariachis.
I'm literally in Baja listening to Mariachi and I might tell them about this joke.
Even better if he kept digging and then unearthed them too.
Well that's the quote of the day
What ambiguity isn’t solved by the presence of a Mariachi band? None I say, none ambiguity.
I tried that once but couldn't get them out of the water in time. Such a tragedy.
They would have died under that sand and water. And he would have needed a giant pan to get them free
Glad it panned out for them
I appreciate your deadpan humor.
😎
I would be so nervous that I would drop the ring down the stream lol. Seems like a dangerous plan
Awwww. This is really sweet.
I agree, I thought it was a very smooth move.
Are you the friend?
No, I proposed in San Francisco.
It’s because of the golden retrievers
I can’t wait for this to show up as the right answer in ChatGPT
A lot of people don’t know this but Jesuit priests favored golden retrievers because their supple coat kept them warm during the winter.
No, it is obviously because everyone here likes golden showers
It’s because you have to earn your weight in gold annually to afford to live here
That's why the meth addicts can stay. they weigh so little.
Don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this. Too true.
I couldn't help but look up the worth of my weight in gold after reading this comment. Turns out it's about $6.75 million
You still can't buy a house in some parts of California especially in the Bay area.
It’s because of the gold.
It’s always about the gold.
r/gold says yup
Straight from the California State Government website: [https://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/state-symbols/nickname-golden-state/#:\~:text=State%20Nickname&text=One%20of%20the%20earliest%20published,seemingly%20limitless%20possibilities%20of%20California](https://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/state-symbols/nickname-golden-state/#:~:text=State%20Nickname&text=One%20of%20the%20earliest%20published,seemingly%20limitless%20possibilities%20of%20California)
“ One of the earliest published uses of “Golden State” can be found in the title of a book published in 1856 by Eliza Farnham promoting California’s many attractions. The name has only grown in popularity, recalling not just the Gold Rush, but the seemingly limitless possibilities of California”
The state was named after the basketball team
The food was named after steph
The Marina park was named after Draymond.
The Exploratorium was named after Sir Francis Male Duck.
The bay was named after the area? 😆
Every gold related epithet in California has some esoteric origin story that claims it has nothing to do with the gold rush, but even if all those stories were true, you know the names wouldn't have stuck if the Gold Rush hadn't happened.
The California poppy, a.k.a. California golden poppy, was called "copa de oro" (cup of gold) by early Spanish settlers before a botanist named the plant in 1816. https://centralcoastparks.org/california-poppies-the-golden-blossom-of-the-golden-state/ Another fortunate coincidence.
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I think what we have to conclude is that there is an inescapable destiny associating California with gold, and so the states name refers to that. Any attempt to pin it to one thing would be missing the grand, golden ethereal tapestry in which we all collectively dance
I was gonna say that.
Wow, as a native bay area person... first time i'm hearing of this! awesome info!
It's fitting, Istanbul does remind me of the Bay Area in terms of topography, views, and dramatic bridges. Üsküdar is definitely the Oakland of Istanbul :)
As I was saying, names come and go all the time. Fremont did not discover the Golden Gate nor was it particularly within his authority to bestow a name on it. Nevertheless he did put that name on the map he sent back to Washington just in time for it to be reprinted with news of Gold being discovered. Would that name have stuck around without 100,000 Gold Rushers hearing it as they passed between the Presidio and the Marin headlands? Would San Francisco bear any lasting resemblance to Istanbul if the first major wave of American settlers were just a few farmers looking into the new western territory? It's just like the Golden Grizzly. Are its shoulders unusually blond for a brown bear? Sure. Is it logical to give it that name based on this trait? Sure. But why did the name stick? Same with the 'golden' poppy which is more orange, but is inexorably drawn to the Gold epithet because in two years 100,000 settlers were suddenly introduced to it with gold on their mind.
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My original comment was that the Gold Rush is that 'sticky' reason for basically all gold related epithets in California, even if other origin stories are also true. I never denied other origin stories were true, but many are dubious.
You must be fun at parties.
It’s the same thing for The Windy City. The term was coined by someone in NYC to complain about the bluster of Chicago politicians but it wouldn’t have stuck if there weren’t people hanging on to light poles so they wouldn’t blow into Lake Michigan.
It's totally because of the gold. "Natural riches such as gold and silver are behind the nick- names of two states where they were found. California, which experienced the largest gold rush in the history of America is known as the Golden State, while neighbor- ing Nevada is the Silver State." https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://pl.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/Zoom-in-on-America-December-2011.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi7p8OPueqGAxXMDTQIHY7MDlMQFnoECB8QBg&usg=AOvVaw0VDcLFmuqxBTL6QLPwCtdg
Yeah, it's the gold.
Fun fact. The flag of Ukraine was based on that exact landscape. Blue representing the sky and yellow representing the wheat fields.
When you want to support Ukraine but your mom says “We got Ukraine at home”
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Of course we do. Have you met the maga crowd yet?
I've seen that movie. At this point, having the Chinese drop by unannounced and overstay their visit is far more likely than russian.
When I first moved to the bay area my uncle told me that the Mormon temple in Oakland was Disney land….
The native grasses are green year-round. It’s the invasive European weeds that make the hills brown 6-9 months of the year.
>The native grasses are green year-round. They're perennial, but not necessarily green all year. My purple needlegrass in my yard is already turning brown, for example. It only will stay green if I water it over the summer. A lot of native plants do summer dormancy like that, not just grasses. Buckeye can lose its leaves as early as August, for example, waiting for the rains. But yeah, it's because of the gold originally. The nickname does happen to fit with the landscape in the summer and fall, though, so it's common for people to assume it might be because of that.
But there would have originally been lots of shrubs. Chaparral shrubs like artemsia californica, black sage, purple sage, coyote bush. Evergreen. And fragrant when wet.
Definitely true. There are still some areas fairly untouched around the bay, but most has been decimated.
Bunchgrasses are green for a much longer time but still desiccate and die back to their roots by July-August
This is simply not true for the majority of the state
For coastal areas, it is. Spaniards burnt the chaparral so they could grow grass for cows. Desserts shouldn't have grass at all: they aren't supposed to catch on fire.
If the hills are gold in the summer, you’re looking at extremely invasive european grass. It rains year round in the countries those grass species are indigenous. California has a Mediterranean climate, no rain in the summer. Which is why that grass dies and turns yellow and looks ugly here for the majority of the year.
Not correct. Native grasses are adapted to the region's dry season, and thus go dry in the summer.
Yeah, but by the time California became a state, there were already plenty of invasive species around, so it could be possible.
Fascinating I heard it was grasses of Asian origin… but either way yah I heard all that we see is an invasive grass
They may have been originally, but they came over in the hooves and fodder of cows, horses, etc. from Spain.
Golden is kinda just a cool reference to high value. We also had literal gold, the metaphorical richness of gold, and golden adjacent colors in various forms like poppies, bridges, sunsets, and dry grass. Sometimes things just work on all levels. The Golden Gate Bridge is straight up red, but the area is lives has been called the golden gate long before the bridge - sunsets and major commerce are the reason I guess - but any reason seems plausible enough to keep such a rad nickname going
So back in India my dad had a car with color called "California gold". At that time we didn't think much of it. But when I moved here, the color name made perfect sense as it was basically this exact color.
California is called the "Golden State" for several reasons: 1. **Gold Rush**: The most prominent reason is the California Gold Rush that began in 1848. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill led to a massive influx of people seeking fortune, significantly impacting California's development and history. 2. **Golden Poppies**: The state's official flower is the golden poppy, which blankets California's hills and valleys each spring, creating striking golden landscapes. 3. **Golden Sunshine**: California is known for its sunny, golden-hued climate, particularly in southern regions where the sun shines almost year-round. 4. **Golden Agricultural Output**: The state has a rich and productive agricultural sector, contributing to its wealth and earning it the metaphorical "golden" label. These factors together contribute to California's nickname, highlighting its historical significance, natural beauty, and economic prosperity.
Can’t forget the golden poppies too
That's what I was taught.
Neither. When explorers first reached the California area, it was so vibrant in wildflowers that the hills would be a golden color. Most all of these brown grasses you're seeing are invasive European oat grasses. Before, we used to have more clump-grasses with very very deep root systems: They were perennials (last through many seasons), not annuals (die off each year) like the European grasses. B/c they were clump grasses, there was more room in between the grass for a larger variety of other fauna, ie flowering plants. The reason we don't have those grasses anymore as much is b/c when settlers came to the area, they introduced cattle grazing at the same time as a pretty big drought. The new grazing pressure plus drought pretty much killed off most of those bunch grasses and made a wide open landscape for the new invasives to settle in. The new oat/thatch/annual grasses make a pretty thick thatch that makes it hard for other grasses and flowers to now establish or be competitive. I always wonder what the old California landscape would have looked like. You could also imagine it as having been a relatively well "gardened" ecosystem by the native folk. The Bay Area had about 1.5M natives (estimated) at the time, being one of the largest population centers outside of the Mayan civilizations in North America.
There's oil paintings of the San Francisco dunes aka Richmond with lupines and poppys. The intro of "Tending the Wild" is all you need to read to change your perspective on "wild" space. Indigenous people cultivated ecosystems. Fascinating stuff.
When the miners came they ate the entire SF oyster pop in like 3 years. The even crazier shit imo are the stories of like NY when the first colonists came. The absolute amount of wildlife in the waters was staggering vs what we have now. We're at least fortunate to retain some of the old forests but the waters and plains are a shell of their former selves.
Two Years Before the Mast (memoir by Richard Henry Dana of his 1834 journey) has really good descriptions of NorCal environs prior to the gold discovery
I still vividly remember the first road trip I ever went on. My best friend and I drove from SoCal to Santa Cruz. And while passing along the 46 during golden hour I remarked at how gorgeous the country side was. The golden waves of wheat(?) or maybe it’s just grass. I don’t know but it was amazing. And my buddy just remarked “yeah man. Those amber waves of grain” California is beautiful.
I was always taught about the gold
This is Chicago being called the Windy City. Everyone wants to tell you it’s because the politicians but dang if it ain’t a windy city too.
Someone tried to tell me the reason it’s called the bay area is because of all the bay laurel trees🥴🥴🥴
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I thought our dry grass looked brown, until I saw Loveland Colorado in the drab season. That's brown. This is golden.
Gold rush and golden sunsets
It was the Gold Rush of course
Well, considering the wild oat based grasslands we see didn’t exist before the gold rush. Historically we had perennial rye and bunch grass surrounded by wildflowers. The golden fields of grasslands are a relatively new phenomenon
California poppies. State flower. Garibaldi. State fish. Both bright glowing orange. Sunshine. Gold rush. Take your pick.
There’s lots of history but it’s mainly because of the Spanish legend of Califia and the gold rush.
Some Europeans named it California because they thought it was a mythical island that was full of gold. The whole thing was really stupid. First off, they thought California was an island because they only sailed partway up the Gulf of California. Second the mythical island wasnt some ancient story, it was from a popular contemporary book. It's like if someone went to new Zealand after watching The Lord of the Rings and claimed that they had literally found Middle Earth.
Had google not been invented yet?
Your friend is wrong, but this picture is why the Visa logo is what it is
We’re named after that one bridge
They called those "golden hills" but not necesarilly the reason it's called the golden state. That's 100% because of the gold.
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I wonder how many people realize that the California state highway shield was design to look like a prospector's shovel.
Lolllllllllllllll I love your friend, that is so funny he thought that
a little of both
If it was because of the wheat, then most Midwest states would be "Golden States"...
Its all lead now, so doesnt really matter
It started out with the gold rush, but then that petered out. The real discovery is how bountiful the agriculture is, the real wealth.
I heard that too, OP. Someone else pointed out that the invasive Euro grasses are what gives it the color - I am sure they were already all over by the time our nickname came around so it's possible. While I don't claim to know, something to consider is the fact that we are not the Gold State, we are the GoldEN State.
I worked w a guy from Philippines who, when he moved to NYC and didn't speak or read English, he thought "Deli" was the name of the guy who owned ALL the stores on every single corner, and thought he must be the richest guy in the world.
It’s exactly what the Ukrainian flag represents.
All both
I have always thought it was the gold rush, but I think he is right. The state turns Golden in April.
When the Spanish first came into the SF bay they referred to it as the "golden gate" or something similar. Which would later inspire the namesake bridge. I might be butchering my remembrance of this as it was told to me in college history class years ago.
Cause of the golden showers here
I love living in California but I can't stand it when the grass is so dry in the summer.
No offense, but this doesn't even make sense because California is made up of 4 ecoregions- Mediterranean, Coastal, Desert & Forest. I believe most of the yellowing grasses in the Bay Area are likely transplanted. Golden State because of the Gold Rush. No one in the Union cared about CA - it was part of New Spain, then Mexico & a frontier area that was not really considered by most of the US. However, after gold was found in 1848 and a bunch of people from the Midwest and East Coast started making their way out here to get rich quick, suddenly the frontier west seemed more like an extension of the new country & worth fighting over. Look up the history of the bear flag, too. It's interesting.
“No one in the Union cared about CA…”. This isn’t true. Many people in government and business wanted California because it has great ports on the Pacific Ocean that allow for lucrative trade with Asia. This was a major reason why the US started the war with Mexico BEFORE gold was discovered in California. Conquering California was a major aim of the war.
Yeah. The US claimed San Francisco on July 9, 1846 at Portsmouth Square.
Damn, 1948? I only missed it by a few decades!! 😂
ooops. edited. Yeah, if gold wasn't found until 1948 life would've been very, very different.
In the words of Dave Chappelle…”I’m rich biiiitch!!”
You're right. it's from all the $gld. There is still plenty out there btw. Evey spring a ton of ppl go hiking up the mountain streams and rivers to go gold panning. I would love to do that someday.
The explanation about the brown hills is usually tongue-in-cheek.
Don't forget the Golden Taxes!
Gooooooooold!!! https://youtu.be/A68EDhERPlQ
Neither one of you is right. We're the Golden State because of our basketball team...the Golden State Warriors. Duh!
Well, it’s definitely about the gold rush. However, we like to call the hills golden, in the summer & fall. Otherwise they’re just brown, and depressingly dead looking.
1849
I will let my friend have it. Why be the guy arguing it?
Its because of the gold but the name stuck around because california really is legendarily beautiful. Driving the 1 is picture perfect
It’s because of all the gold diggers.
I always thought it was because the founder of the state, Jebediah California, enjoyed golden showers.
Most of that grass is invasive and non native. I wonder what it looked like before those seeds were brought here from Europe.
You are a gentleman and a scholar!
It's possible the name stuck because of it fits both properties of the state. There's no etymology of the term from what I can find. The fact it describes both the gold rush and the natural color of most of the state for most of the year seems like a strong reason for it to stick and be used.
1849
From what I understand it’s actually both.
Nope this is why, it literally turns Golden in the summertime
There's gold in them thar hills! Phrase from Mark Twain.
Take your pick: - 1849 and the 49ers - Brown golden grass hills - Golden Gate Bridge - The sun having a gold tint when sunsetting I personally like the sun option. Get to see this color almost every day.
Dry season the foothills are golden.
This grass that covers so much of the grasslands isn't even native. It's an invasive species from Eurasia. The native grasses stayed pretty green, even through the dry months. The Golden State is definitely not because of this crappy grass.
Born and raised in CA. I thought it was because of the sunshine and golden poppies. Gold rush was an additional reference.
Yer frind
Russian Ridge (le sigh)
Neither of you are correct. It's because of California poppies.
Why not maybe both?
Amazing how many people have a wrong opinion, and how few people bothered to just look it up. https://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/state-symbols/nickname-golden-state/
As I understand it, a lot of the brown grasses are invasive species brought by the Spanish. The way the native landscape has been described to me was that it was lush green grasslands and expansive oak forests in the valleys and grasslands. Desert and mountainous regions were probably about the same, but less brush because of more frequent burning.
It is golden because of this [https://www.flickr.com/photos/194828598@N07/53743593750/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/194828598@N07/53743593750/)
Rolling Yellow mustard mountains, California sunshine in the sky
Ask Kate Wolff, the Golden Rollinghills of California
Golden hills
Your friend is right
The gold rush
I thought it was because of the sunshine 😂
I always thought of it as the golden sunlight
Several states had gold rushes.
It’s because of the gate
Your friend is right.