California produces over 99 percent of the commercially grown grapes in the United States. Los Angeles became home to the first California vineyard in 1839, and the newly constructed transcontinental railway allowed successful shipping of fresh California grapes to Chicago in 1869. read more
Check out crops grown in California that play a large role in that contribution: Almonds. California almonds were worth a whopping $5.3 billion in 2015. The nuts are grown in California’s Central Valley, and take the No. 2 spot in the state’s list of top crops. The industry provides lots of jobs for Californians – about 104,000 statewide. read more
California grows over 200 different crops, some grown nowhere else in the nation. Crops include grapes, almonds, strawberries, oranges and walnuts. California produces almost all of the country's almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwi fruit, nectarines, olives, pistachios, prunes, and walnuts. read more