California – Unit Exercises

With a GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion, California would rank as the world's fifth-largest economy if it were an independent nation – ahead of the UK and France, and not far behind Germany. But how did this sun-drenched state on America's Pacific coast become so extraordinarily wealthy?

The story of California's rise begins with the Gold Rush of 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The news spread rapidly, and within a year hundreds of thousands of prospectors had flooded into the territory from across the United States and beyond. Even after the gold ran out, many of them stayed. California's population exploded, and with it came roads, railways, businesses and a culture of risk-taking and reinvention that has shaped the state ever since.

Today, California's economic strength rests on three pillars: technology, agriculture and immigration. Silicon Valley, located to the south of San Francisco Bay, is home to the world's most powerful technology companies, including Apple, Google, Meta and Netflix. The combined market value of these companies runs into the trillions of dollars, and they attract top engineers and entrepreneurs from around the globe.

California's Central Valley, meanwhile, is one of the most productive agricultural regions on earth. It produces more than a third of the United States' vegetables and nearly two-thirds of its fruit and nuts. Much of this output depends on immigrant labour, particularly from Mexico and Central America. California's Hispanic community – now the state's largest ethnic group – contributes enormously to its economic and cultural life.

Yet California is far from a paradise for all its inhabitants. The state has some of the highest levels of income inequality in the United States. Homelessness has reached crisis levels in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where property prices have made housing unaffordable for millions. Persistent drought and climate change are threatening agricultural output, and catastrophic wildfires have become a regular feature of life. And the millions of undocumented immigrants who form the backbone of the farm labour force live under the constant threat of deportation.

Is California truly a 'golden state'? The answer depends very much on who you ask – and where they stand in the economic hierarchy.

California has long been at the forefront of global trends – in fashion, sport, technology and lifestyle. Many of the things we take for granted today were born on the sun-soaked streets and beaches of the Golden State.

Take denim jeans, for example. In 1853, a Bavarian-born immigrant named Levi Strauss arrived in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Seeing the need for durable work clothing, he began selling heavy-duty canvas trousers to miners. Later, he patented the idea of reinforcing the pockets with metal rivets, and the blue jeans we know today were born. Levi Strauss & Co. is still headquartered in San Francisco.

Skateboarding is another Californian invention. It emerged in the 1950s when surfers in Santa Monica and Venice Beach began attaching roller-skate wheels to wooden boards so they could 'surf' on land when the waves were flat. By the 1970s, skateboarding had become a global phenomenon, complete with purpose-built skateparks and professional competitions.

The modern fitness and aerobics movement also has its roots in California. In the 1970s and 80s, studios in Los Angeles popularised aerobic exercise classes – workouts set to upbeat music, designed to improve cardiovascular fitness. The trend spread worldwide and gave rise to the global gym and fitness industry we know today.

More recently, California was the birthplace of inline skating as a mainstream sport. Developed in the 1980s as a cross-training tool for ice hockey players, inline skates were popularised in California and quickly spread across the world, becoming a craze of the 1990s.

Whether it is technology, fashion, sport or food, California has an extraordinary ability to create ideas that go on to conquer the world. Some analysts attribute this to the state's unique combination of diversity, sunshine, risk-taking culture and sheer economic power.

My name is Miguel. I came to California from Oaxaca, Mexico, twelve years ago with a group of men from my village. We had heard there was work in the fields of the Central Valley, and we were right.

For the first few years, I worked with a crew of about twenty people, picking strawberries near Watsonville. The work was backbreaking – we would start before dawn and work until dusk. Around us, a flock of starlings would follow the harvesting machines, eating the insects that the machinery disturbed.

I have since moved to the Napa Valley, where I work on a vineyard during the harvest season. The owner employs a large team of workers and treats us well. At night, we sleep in a cluster of cabins at the edge of the vineyard. In the morning, a herd of cattle from the neighbouring farm sometimes wanders past the fence.

Life here is not easy. A gang of young men from my home town were recently deported, leaving their families behind. I live with the fear that the same could happen to me. But I also feel pride: without people like us, the harvest of this rich land – and the wealth of California – would not be possible.