Originally Posted by GatorB

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California is about to get a lot more crowded.

The nation's most populous state will have 59.5 million residents when it reaches the mid-century mark ? nearly 22 million more than today, the state Department of Finance predicted Monday.

Hispanics will make up 52 percent of the population in 2050, up from 36 percent now. Whites, now 43 percent of the population, will drop to 26 percent, while Asians' share will grow by 1 percentage point to 13 percent, and blacks will decline from 6 percent to 5 percent, according to the department's forecast.

Hispanics are projected to become a majority of the population by 2042.