The almond tree was originally brought to California from Spain in the mid-1700s, but moist conditions and cool temperatures by the Pacific Ocean on the Northern California coast were not found to be the proper growing environment for this type of tree. It was found to be that the tree could grow best inland in California’s grand central valley. Today, California produces the largest amount of almonds. Statistics show that California has over 6,000 almond farms with more than 900,000 acres devoted to growing these trees. The trees typically begin to bear fruit at three or four years old, but an almond tree is not actually considered to be mature until it is 6 years old. Each mature almond tree can bear fruit for as long as 50 years.