California boasts a rich history, filled with great stories and fascinating characters. The state’s timeline flows from the Native Americans through the first European explorations to the building of the Spanish missions, then the Gold Rush, and on into the millennium.

Today, California takes an active role in the economy and culture of the United States and indeed the world. The Internet began, took off, boomed, busted, and settled into its current iteration as a worldwide communication and commerce web in the Bay Area.

Central Valley agriculture remains the state’s economic mainstay, while the motion picture industry continues to dominate the Los Angeles landscape. Movie stars keep getting into politics; actors Ronald Regan and Arnold Schwarzenegger have claimed residence in the Governor’s Mansion and Clint Eastwood’s credits include a stint as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

California has had good times and bad, triumphs and shame, but one thing has remained constant—the story of California is never, ever boring.