The most populous state: California

Magnet geography / California , a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

California is by far the most populous U.S. state,[6] and the third-largest by land area (after Alaska and Texas), says Wikipedia.

It is home to the nation's second- and sixth-largest census statistical areas (Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and San Francisco Bay Area), and eight of the nation's fifty most populated cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland).[7] The capital city is Sacramento.

The name California is thought to be from a Spanish mythological tale, the tale of Queen Calafia.

At some 37 million, California's population is greater than that of all but 34 countries of the world.[42][43] Also, Los Angeles County has held the title of most populous U.S. county for decades, and it alone is more populous than 42 U.S. states.

Louisiana's pop. is some 4.5 million. Shreveport's pop is about 200,000. Bossier's is about 60,000. Together the metropolitan population is about half a million.