The U.S. state of California contains 482 municipalities in its 58 counties. California, located on the West Coast of the United States, is the most populous state and the third largest by area after Alaska and Texas. The state has been inhabited by numerous Native American peoples since antiquity. The Spanish, the Russians, and other Europeans began exploring and colonizing the area in the 16th and 17th centuries; the Spanish established their first California mission at what is now San Diego in 1769. Of the 482 municipalities, one, San Francisco (Golden Gate Bridge pictured), is a consolidated city–county. California law makes no distinction between "city" and "town", and municipalities may use either term in their official names. According to the 2010 United States Census, 30,908,614 of California's 37,253,956 residents lived in urban areas, accounting for 82.97% of the population. The first municipality to incorporate was Sacramento on February 27, 1850, while the most recent was Jurupa Valley on July 1, 2011. The largest municipality by population and land area is Los Angeles with 3,792,621 residents and 468.67 square miles (1,213.8 km2). (Full list...)