California's gross domestic product rose by US$127 billion from 2016 to 2017, surpassing US$2.7 trillion, the data said. Meanwhile, the UK's economic output fell slightly over that time when measured in US dollars, due in part to exchange rate fluctuations.
The data demonstrate the sheer immensity of California's economy, home to nearly 40 million people, a thriving technology sector in Silicon Valley, the world's entertainment capital in Hollywood and the nation's salad bowl in the Central Valley agricultural heartland. It also reflects a substantial turnaround since the Great Recession.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday May 07 2018, @03:25PM (1 child)
I'm a little surprised California accomplished this only now. If you chopped it off and plunked it in the middle of Europe, it would dominate. It has everything it needs to be a successful country on its own, from a highly diversified economy that spans high-tech to agriculture, to thriving cultural centers, to deep water ports, excellent natural resources and wonders, and room to grow.
People in other parts of the country often lose sight of all that because of the antics of an obnoxious few in a couple coastal areas.
It's funny when you think California shares another parallel with the UK, in that it has a restive north that wants to split off from the south (the state of Jefferson [wikipedia.org]).
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 07 2018, @08:15PM
It also has water. So much water. All the water! Waterama!
You know, except for the part where if it left the US and other states started taking back water rights, California would have to build massive desalination plants to have any hope of maintaining those burgeoning, successful communities.
Environmental engineers are rather sceptical of California's independent viability. Something about dihydrogen monoxide.