One of the most important sectors of the California economy is mining. The state’s “main” mineral resource is oil; rich deposits of “black gold” have been explored in California (mainly in the Central Valley and along the coast) and on the ocean shelf.
The largest of them (and the third largest in the United States) is Midway-Sunset in the San Joaquin Valley. Interestingly, one of California’s oil fields is located in Beverly Hills, one of the richest and most prestigious cities in California and the United States. Active oil production is carried out here in dense urban areas. Oil refining is also carried out in California; several petrochemical plants operate in the state.
In the mid-19th century, during the famous “gold rush”, a huge number of settlers came to California in pursuit of gold. Most of the gold mines in the state have been closed for many decades, but some (for example, the Mesquite mine in Imperial County, Southern California) are still successfully operating today.
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