California, Here We Come: A Quiz About The Golden State
Written by Tom Cohen
Last updated · 9 min play time
Strip away the fires, the earthquakes and the high taxes, and California is a pretty sweet place to live. From L.A. to S.F. and everywhere in between, there's a lot to explore, and a lot of questions to answer. Let's see how well you fare in this Golden State quiz.
At some point, we've all caught ourselves "California dreamin' on such a winter's day". From the Hollywood Hills to San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square to the mountains of the Sierras, no place captures our imagination quite like the Golden State. It's our country's most populous state, and one of the most culturally diverse.
In this quiz, we'll find out how much you know about our 31st state, from the cities to the agriculture to the mountains and everything in between. Let's start dreamin'!
Quiz written by
Tom CohenI'm a 3-time Emmy-winning game show producer, writer, director and published author. I dig traveling, watching hockey, photographing wildlife and exploring the cultural and social fabric of society.
California Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 1.1K Plays · No comments
Question 1
California is known for providing much of our nation's fresh produce. Which of the following did Lt. Governor Newsom officially make the state fruit in 2013?
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AOrange
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BAvocado
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CGuava
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DStrawberry
Avocado
In addition to the avocado becoming the state fruit, Newsom made the artichoke the new state vegetable, rice the state grain, and almonds the state nut. Picking the avocado as the state fruit was a no-brainer, as the state grows more avocados than any other. 60% of those avocados are grown in San Diego County, which is why San Diego earned the nickname "avocado capital of the world".
Question 2
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” is possibly the most famous quote about the City by the Bay. For years, to whom has the quote has been falsely attributed?
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ANeil Simon
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BYogi Berra
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CMark Twain
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DDave Barry
Mark Twain
In a <i>Mental Floss</i> article titled "8 Things Mark Twain Didn't Really Say," it's noted that while Mark Twain never said this about the weather in San Francisco, he did have a few funny weather quotables, such as “Cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer we'd all have frozen to death.”
Question 3
California has been the birthplace of so many of our country's innovations, including Apple computers and Levi's jeans. Which of these was also invented in the Golden State?
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AWalkie-talkie
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BSkateboard
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CThe compact disc
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DPantyhose
Skateboard
Skateboarding was invented sometime in the late 1940s, or early 1950s. Originally known as "sidewalk surfing," they were created to give surfers something to do when they weren't on the water. The first manufactured skateboards were made for a Los Angeles surf shop.
Question 4
California is home to the largest tree in the world, located within Sequoia National Park. 102 feet at the base and over 2700 years old, what is this tree's name?
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AGeneral Sherman
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BGeneral Custer
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CGeneral Lee
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DGeneral Grant
General Sherman
By volume, General Sherman is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth. While it's currently the largest alive, it's not the largest ever, as a coast redwood near Trinidad, California that was cut down in the 1940s was estimated to have been at last 20% larger.
Question 5
What famous burger chain first opened in California in 1948, and stayed exclusively in the Golden State until their first out-of-state location opened in 1992 in Las Vegas?
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AIn-N-Out
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BCarl's Jr.
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CFatburger
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DJack in the Box
In-N-Out
In-n-Out is a staple of California living, and some people won't eat any other burger. As a California-only chain for more than 40 years, the first location was in Baldwin Park, and as of 2020 there are more than 300 locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, and Oregon.
Question 6
California's iconic flag depicts a grizzly bear named Monarch, captured in 1889. What famous Californian ordered the capture of this 1200-pound bear?
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ACharles Crocker
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BLeland Stanford
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CWilliam Randolph Hearst
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DCollis Huntington
William Randolph Hearst
In 1899, Hearst hired a journalist named Allen Kelley to capture Monarch in Ventura County as a publicity stunt. He was given the name Monarch after one of the Hearst newspaper's taglines - “Monarch of the Dailies". Sadly, the bear's life after that was not a happy one, though he did end up on the flag.
Question 7
Out of the 59 National Parks in the United States, California has 9 - or 15% - of them. Which of the following is NOT a National Park in the Golden State?
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ABig Bend National Park
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BChannel Islands National Park
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CJoshua Tree National Park
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DKings Canyon National Park
Big Bend National Park
The 9 National Parks in California are: Channel Islands, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Sequoia, Redwoods, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Lassen and Pinnacles. Big Bend National Park is actually located in Texas. Of California's National Parks, Death Valley is the largest, at 3 million acres.
Question 8
Let's start with a little bit of history. What year did California go from being a territory to an official free, non-slavery state of the Union?
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A1830
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B1850
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C1870
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D1880
1850
If you know your California history, you'll know that the gold rush that started in 1848 and culminated a year later was instrumental in officially pushing the territory into the United States. Per the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted to the Union as a free, non-slavery state. That was a big deal at the time, as the Civil War was looming, and the different between "Union" and "Confederate" states was stark.
Question 9
The Channel Islands are a series of eight islands off the coast of Southern California in the Pacific Ocean. Which of these is NOT one of the Channel islands?
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ASan Miguel
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BSanta Cruz
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CSan Juan
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DSanta Rosa
San Juan
The 8 Channel Islands are actually made up of two separate groups of islands: Santa Barbara group to the north and Santa Catalina group to the south. The Santa Barbara group is made up of San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, and Anacapa. The Santa Catalina group consists of Santa Barbara, San Nicolas, Santa Catalina, and San Clemente.
Question 10
Billed as the largest of its kind in the United States, what takes place annually at the Tehama County Fairgrounds in Red Bluff, California?
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AFireworks festival
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BScottish highland games
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CAntique market
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DRodeo
Rodeo
The Red Bluff Round Up Rodeo is a 3-day event that started way back in 1921 as a companion event to the Tehama County Fair. This event has persevered for almost 100 years. As noted on the website: It has "overcome interruptions due to hoof and mouth disease, the Great Depression and World War II to become one of the sport's signature events."
Question 11
Before Sacramento became California's capital in 1879, the territory had many capitals, including Vallejo and San José. What city held the honor of being the capital for 75 years, from 1774 to 1849?
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ABakersfield
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BSan Diego
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CLos Angeles
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DMonterey
Monterey
In the late 1700s, Monterey was a thriving hub in California. Founded on June 3, 1770, it was the capital of Alta California, which was the northern part of the state, under both Spain and Mexico. Monterey was home to California's first theater, first public library, and first public schools, as well as its first daily newspaper.
Question 12
California's known for having drought, but Los Angeles had its own NFL drought, going how many years without a pro football franchise?
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A20 years
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B30 years
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C12 years
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D10 years
20 years
First, Los Angeles had the Rams, then they had the Raiders too. In 1995, when the Raiders returned to Oakland and the Rams moved to St. Louis, L.A. suddenly had no team. In 2015, the Rams finally returned to L.A., and soon after that came the Chargers.
Question 13
While staying on a houseboat, where in California was Otis Redding inspired to write the iconic song "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay"?
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ASausalito
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BOakland
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CSanta Barbara
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DMonterey
Sausalito
Sausalito, in southern Marin county, is known for its houseboat community. At the same Redding wrote the song, he was playing shows at the famed San Francisco venue called Fillmore West.
Question 14
Which of the following historic California arenas has hosted both the NBA Finals and the 1956 and 1964 Republican National Conventions?
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APechanga Arena
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BThe Forum
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COakland Arena
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DCow Palace
Cow Palace
The Cow Palace is a storied arena in Daly City, California, just north of San Francisco. The arena was originally opened to a livestock pavilion, which explains the name. In 1935, a local newspaper asked "Why, when people are starving, should money be spent on a 'palace for cows'?" They had a good point.
Question 15
California has 58 counties, varying in size from only 45 square miles to 20,000 square miles. Which of these cities is located in the largest county by area?
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ABakersfield
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BRiverside
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CFresno
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DSan José
Riverside
The largest county in California is San Bernardino at 20,000 square miles. It extends all the way from just east of L.A. to the border with Nevada, and includes Riverside, Ontario, and even Bear Lake. By comparison, the smallest county is only 45 square miles, and that's San Francisco County.
Question 16
In what California city can you be fined $500 for "annoying" a Monarch butterfly, an animal which has become synonymous with the coastal town?
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ACrescent City
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BPismo Beach
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CHalf Moon Bay
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DPacific Grove
Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove is nicknamed "Butterfly Town, U.S.A." because of the annual autumn migration of monarch butterflies to the small town near Monterey. According to a city ordinance, molesting a monarch is a crime that carries a $500 fine.
Question 17
Found in gemstone quality only in California, what mineral is named for the county in which it can be mined?
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AMendocinoite
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BMateoite
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CBenitoite
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DCruzite
Benitoite
Benitoite can be found in Japan and Arkansas, but only San Benito County, California, does it have a special quality that makes it worthy of being called a "gemstone". There's a place in Coalinga which allows the general public to do their own digging and take home a quart-sized bag of the mineral.
Question 18
California is a land of contrasts, as home to both the highest and lowest points in the lower 48 states. How far apart are the highest point - Mt. Whitney - and the lowest point - Bad Water in Death Valley?
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A156 miles
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B236 miles
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C76 miles
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D26 miles
76 miles
It's amazing to think that the highest place in the contiguous states is only 76 miles from the lowest. The difference in altitude is an astounding 14,776 feet - Mt. Whitney's peak is 14,494 feet and Bad Water in Death Valley sits at 282 feet below sea level.
Question 19
Of all the facts about California, perhaps the most obscure is how California got its name. Which of these is allegedly the source of the state's name?
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AA fictional island
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BA type of burrowing rodent
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CA small red flower
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DAn explorer from Spain
A fictional island
While there are several theories about how California got its name, most historians believe it's from the fictional island called California from Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo’s novel <i>The Deeds of Esplandián</i>. In the book, the island of California, east of the Indies, is ruled by Queen Calafia.
Question 20
Known for her starring roles in box office hits of the 1950s, who became have become the first person to officially receive a (temporary) star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960?
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ANatalie Wood
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BJoanne Woodward
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CJane Russell
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DDoris Day
Joanne Woodward
On February 9, 1960, the official groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which would become one of the most iconic tourist attractions in all of California. The very first star went to Joanne Woodward, who won an Academy Award winner for her 1957 role in <i>Three Faces of Eve</i>.
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