This work is intended as a useful companion for anybody interested in general or basic knowledge about any aspect of the most populous state in the Union. It is designed to be serviceable to a wide variety of readers and consultants, whose range might include residents and tourists, high-school and college students, as well as scholars seeking a ready reference. At present no single volume comprehends such a scope as this one and although it treats its subjects briefly, many an entry also includes data not found elsewhere in a single place. Reference to hundreds of books and articles would be required to provide the information that is here between the two covers.