Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 31

This is the 31st week of my personal 50-week States of the Union Challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 United States (in the order they attained statehood). I share tidbits of information about the state here on my blog and I create a card that is inspired by something about that state.

This week's state (the 31st one to attain statehood) is...

California

Date of Statehood: September 9, 1850

California has almost 40,000,000 residents, more than Canada and roughly 1/8 of U.S. population.

California sees over 100,000 earthquakes a year. Luckily, vast majority of them are quite feeble.

California is the only state that's hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

The state motto “Eureka” dates back to the days of the Gold Rush. The one-word state motto, an exclamation-point-less "Eureka," hearkens back to the exciting days of the Gold Rush. But the exclamation of "Eureka!" is attributed to the Greek scholar Archimedes. According to legend, he had an epiphany as he stepped into a bathtub and watched the water level rise—he realized that the volume of the displaced water was equal to the volume of the foot he'd submerged. And then he ran out of the room to tell others about his discovery... while he was completely naked.

The highest and lowest points in the continental United states are within 100 miles of one another and they are  both in California. Mount Whitney measures 14,495 feet and Bad Water in Death Valley is 282 feet below sea level.

California holds two of the top ten most populated cities in the US: Los Angeles and San Diego.

The California poppy is the official state flower. The California grizzly bear is the official state animal.

Alpine County is the 8th smallest of California's 58 counties. It has no high school, ATMs, dentists, banks, or traffic lights.

Totaling nearly three million acres, San Bernardino County in California is the largest county in the United States.

Death Valley is recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States. It isn't uncommon for the summer temperatures to reach more than 115 degrees.

Located in Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum is the largest museum of its kind in North America.

On Catalina Island in 1926, American author Zane Grey built a pueblo-style home on the hillside overlooking Avalon Bay. He spent much of his later life in Avalon. The home is now a hotel.

Castroville California is known as the Artichoke Capital of the World. In 1947 a young woman named Norma Jean was crowned Castroville's first Artichoke Queen. She went on to become actress Marilyn Monroe.

Thousands of U.S. banks failed after the 1929 stock market crash—by 1933, only 11,000 were left. All of San Francisco's banks, however, survived.

Sequoia National Park contains the largest living tree. Its trunk is 102 feet in circumference.

California grows half of the United States' fruits and vegetables.

Fallbrook is known as the Avocado Capital of the World and hosts an annual Avocado Festival. More avocados are grown in the region than any other county in the nation.

More turkeys are raised in California than in any other state.

Almonds are the biggest export in California.

There are more than 300,000 tons of grapes grown in California every year.

How about these laws in California...

No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour.

It is against the law for anyone to try and stop a child from playfully jumping over puddles of water.

In Los Angeles County, it is illegal to throw a Frisbee without the permission of a lifeguard.

In the city of Los Angeles it is against the law  for a man to beat his wife with a strap wider than 2 inches without her consent. It is also against the law to bathe two babies in the same tub at the same time, to hunt moths under a street light, to cry on the witness stand, or to lick a toad.

In Chico California bowling on the sidewalk is illegal, as is driving a herd of cattle down a street or planting a garden in any public street.

Sandboxes may not be used as ashtrays in El Monte California.

It's against the law to annoy lizards in Fresno City Parks.

I've decided to go with this bit of California information for my card's inspiration... During the boom years in California due to the gold rush of 1849, miners used to send their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing, but it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing due to the extremely high costs in California.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Supplies Used

Stamp Set: Craft Lounge Spin Cycle stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Wild Wasabi CS and DP from the Recollections All Occasions Paper Pad

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Dress and Wooden Hanger Brads
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