| Official Name: | California, Maryland |
| Settlement Type: | CDP |
| Mapsize: | 250x200px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | St. Mary's |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 38.80 |
| Area Land Km2: | 33.32 |
| Area Water Km2: | 5.48 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 14.98 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 12.87 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 2.11 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 12947 |
| Population Density Km2: | 388.53 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1006.30 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 33 |
| Elevation Ft: | 105 |
| Coordinates: | 38.3056°N -76.4944°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 20619 |
| Area Code: | 301, 240 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 24-12150 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0594621 |
California is a census-designated place and community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,857 at the 2010 census, an increase of 27.4% from the 2000 census. California has been growing with the spread of population from the older adjacent community of Lexington Park and the growth in both technology-related and defense-related jobs at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. There are department stores and numerous shopping centers situated along Maryland Highway 235 ("Three Notch Road"). Maryland Route 4 crosses Highway 235 in California, providing access to the wide Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge and the popular weekend resort town of Solomons on its opposite side. Bridge-bound traffic is notorious for backing up during rush hour.
The community was named after the state of California before 1897.[2] The exact origins are unknown, however one story is that a family from the state moved to the area, using materials from their home state to build their new house, called the “California Farmstead.” Eventually, the name stuck.[3]
California is located at 38.3055°N -76.4945°W.[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, California has a total area of 14.8sqmi, of which 12.8sqmi is land and 1.9sqmi (12.64%) is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,857 people residing in California in 4,327 households. The population density was 928.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 4,697 housing units and a 71.8% home ownership rate. The racial makeup was 70.7% White, 18.3% Black, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 4.6% Asian, 0.5% Indigenous American, and 0.1% Pacific Islander.[5]
Of the 4,327 households, 42.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 57.2% had married couples, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.31.[6]
The population consisted of 29.8% under the age of 20, 6.6% from 20 to 24, 17.7% from 25 to 34, 17.3% from 35 to 44, 11.4% from 45 to 54, 10.5% from 55 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.5 years. The population was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.[7]
The median household income was $85,240 and the median family income was $91,935. Male full-time year-round workers had a median income of $63,657 versus $44,390 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $35,386. Just 0.8% of families and 3.1% of people were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of people under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.[8] In 2017, California, Maryland was listed as the metropolitan area with the fourth highest number of households with investable assets above one million dollars.[9] In 2019, Forbes Magazine listed California, Maryland as one of the best small places for business and careers in the nation with a ranking of 69.[10]