Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County, California. It is the 7th largest city in California. It was founded in December of 1848 by John Sutter. Sacramento grew from Sutter's Fort, which was established by Sutter in 1839, and the city is now a quickly growing metropolis. During the gold rush, Sacramento was a major distribution point, a commercial and agricultural center, and a terminus for wagon trains, stagecoaches, riverboats, the telegraph, the Pony Express and the First Transcontinental Railroad. The city proper is home to about 450,000 residents, while the 5 county metropolitan area (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo Counties) is home to 2.5 million people.

Typical of California informality, Sacramento is referred to by many names. The most prevalent are: Capital City, River City (due to the two major rivers which run through the city), and the City of Trees. However, the nickname most used by those living in the area is simply Sacto, Sactown or Sac. This is evident when residents refer to areas and landmarks by this name. Old Sac is the original town of Sacramento which to this day is maintained. The Big Tomato, Sacratomato, and Sack O' Tomatoes continue to be used despite the ongoing triumph of tract houses over tomato fields, perhaps in reference to the perceived pastorality of Sacramento in comparison to denser cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Sac State (California State University, Sacramento), is the local university and is one of twenty-three campuses (and growing) in the California State University system.

History

The lost frontier

Main Article: History of Sacramento, California

Miwok, Shonommey and Maidu Indians lived in this area for perhaps thousands of years. Unlike the settlers that would eventually make Sacramento their home, these Indians left little evidence of their existence. Their diet was dominated by acorns taken from the plentiful oak trees in the region, and by fruits, bulbs, seeds, and roots gathered throughout the year.

In either 1806 or 1808, the Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga discovered and named the Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento River after the Spanish term for 'sacrament', specifically, after "the Most Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ," referring to the Roman Catholic sacrament of the Eucharist.

From pioneers to gold fever

The pioneer John Sutter arrived from Liestal, Switzerland in the Sacramento area with other settlers in August 1839 and established the trading colony and stockade Sutter's Fort (as New Helvetia or "New Switzerland") in 1840. In 1848, when gold was discovered by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma (located some 50 miles northeast of the fort), a large number of gold-seekers came to the area, increasing the population. John Sutter, Jr. then planned the City of Sacramento, against the wishes of his father, naming the city after the Sacramento River for commercial reasons. He hired topographical engineer William H. Warner to draft the official layout of the city, which included 26 lettered and 31 numbered streets (today's grid from C to Broadway and from Front to Alhambra). However, a bitterness grew between the elder Sutter and his son as Sacramento became an overnight commercial success (Sutter's Fort, Mill and the town of Sutterville, all founded by John Sutter, Sr., would eventually fail).

The part of Sacramento originally laid out by William Warner is situated just east and south of where the American River meets the Sacramento River (though over time it has grown to extend significantly north, south, and east of there). A number of directly adjacent towns, cities or unincorporated country suburbs, such as Carmichael, Elk Grove, Roseville, West Sacramento and Citrus Heights, extend the greater Sacramento area.

The citizens of Sacramento adopted a city charter in 1849, which was recognized by the state legislature in 1850. Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California. During the early 1850s the Sacramento valley was devastated by floods, fires and cholera epidemics. Despite this, because of its position just downstream from the Mother Lode in the Sierra Nevada, the newly founded city grew, quickly reaching a population of 10,000.

Capital city

The California State Legislature named Sacramento as the permanent home of the state capital in 1854 by law, but the city did not physically hold that honor until January 1 1855. Previously, the capital was located in Monterey, San Jose, Vallejo, and Benicia successively.

Begun in 1860 to be reminiscent of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, the Renaissance Revival style California State Capitol was completed in 1874. The legislative chambers were first occupied in 1869 while construction continued.

With its new status and strategic location, Sacramento quickly prospered and became the western end of the Pony Express, and later the First Transcontinental Railroad (which began construction in Sacramento in 1863 and was financed by "The Big Four" — Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, Collis P. Huntington, and Leland Stanford).

The same rivers that earlier brought death and destruction began to provide increasing levels of transportation and commerce. Both the American and especially Sacramento rivers would be key elements in the economic success of the city. In fact, Sacramento effectively controlled commerce on these rivers, and public works projects were funded though taxes levied on goods unloaded from boats and loaded onto rail cars in the historic Sacramento Rail Yards.

Sacramentans raised the level of the city by landfill. The previous first floors of buildings became the basements, in an effort to control the flooding. Now both rivers are used extensively for recreation. The American River is a 5 mile-per-hour waterway for all power boats (including jet-ski and similar craft) (Source Sacramento County Parks & Recreation) and has become an international attraction for rafters and kayakers. The Sacramento River sees many boaters, who can make day trips to nearby sloughs or continue along the Delta to the Bay Area and San Francisco. The Delta King, a paddlewheel steamboat which for a long time lay on the bottom of the river, was refurbished and is now a hotel and restaurant.

The modern era

The Sacramento-Yolo Port District was created in 1947, and ground was broken on the Port of Sacramento in 1949. On June 29 1963, with 5,000 spectators waiting to welcome her, the Motor Vessel Taipei Victory arrived. The port was open for business. The Nationalist Chinese flag ship, freshly painted for the historic event, was loaded with 5,000 tons of bagged rice for Mitsui Trading Co. bound for Okinawa and 1,000 tons of logs for Japan. She was the first ocean-going vessel in Sacramento since the steamship Harpoon in 1934.

The Port of Sacramento has been plagued with operating losses in recent years and faces bankruptcy. As of 2006, the city of West Sacramento will take full responsibility for the Port of Sacramento. This severe loss in business is due to the heavy competition from the wealthy, healthy, Port of Stockton, which has a larger facility and a deeper channel.

The city's current charter was adopted by voters in 1920, establishing a city council-and-manager form of government, still used today. As a charter city, Sacramento is exempt from many laws and regulations passed by the state legislature.

The city of North Sacramento incorporated in 1924, and merged into the city of Sacramento in 1964.

Sacramento City and County (along with a portion of adjacent Placer County) are served by a customer-owned electric utility, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Sacramento voters approved the creation of SMUD in 1923. In April, 1946, after 12 years of litigation, a judge ordered Pacific Gas & Electric to transfer title of Sacramento's electric distribution system to SMUD. SMUD today is the sixth-largest public electric utility in the U.S., and has a worldwide reputation for innovative programs and services, including the development of clean fuel resources, such as solar power.

Despite a devolution of state government in recent years, the state of California remains by far Sacramento's largest employer. The City of Sacramento expends considerable effort to keep state agencies from moving outside the city limits. In addition, many federal agencies have offices in Sacramento.

In the early 1990s, Mayor Joe Serna attempted to lure the Los Angeles Raiders football team to Sacramento, selling $50 million in bonds as earnest money. When the deal fell through, the bond proceeds were used to construct several large projects, including expanding the Convention Center and refurbishing of the Memorial Auditorium. Serna renamed a city park for controversial farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez. Through his effort, Sacramento became the first major city in the country to have a paid municipal holiday honoring Chavez.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mayor Heather Fargo made several abortive attempts to provide taxpayer financing of a new stadium for the Maloof brothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings NBA basketball franchise. As of 2006, another attempt is in the making.

Mayor Fargo's tenure also saw the passing of a resolution for immediate unilateral withdrawal from the war in Iraq, and a resolution condemning the Patriot Act.

Sacramento has been involved in lengthy litigation as the defendant in lawsuits by disabled activists demanding that all City facilities, especially sidewalks, be made wheelchair accessible. Costs are estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars for these improvements; work is now proceeding on such improvements throughout the city.

In 2003, the City Council required City contractors to pay a "living wage" to all employees.

Recently, the City Council considered adopting a resolution that would regulate the operations of hospitals in the City. Of the proposed resolution, the Chamber of Commerce said it "vigorously opposed the resolution. A municipal resolution seeking to regulate hospital operations is not only redundant vis-a-vis existing federal and state law, it will likely introduce inconsistent standards to be created, applied and interpreted by persons having no particular knowledge or expertise in health care operations."

A proposal for a large city park called Gold Rush Park, that would be large enough to rival great parks in other cities, is being advocated by the Gold Rush Park Foundation.^*

The 1980s and 1990s saw the closure of several local military bases: McClellan Air Force Base, Mather Air Force Base, and Sacramento Army Depot. As a result, the U.S. armed forces have little military presence in the city except for recruiting offices.

In 1967, Governor Ronald Reagan became the last Governor of California to live permanently in the city. A new executive mansion, constructed by private funds in a Sacramento suburb for Reagan, remained vacant for nearly forty years and was recently sold by the state. The California Supreme Court normally sits in San Francisco.

In spite of major military base closures and the decline of agricultural food processing, Sacramento continued to experience massive population growth in the 1990s and early 2000s. Primary sources of population growth are people migrating from the San Francisco Bay Area seeking lower housing costs, as well as immigration from Asia, Central America, Mexico, Ukraine and the rest of the former Soviet Union. From 1990 to 2000, the population grew 14.7%. The Census Bureau estimates that in four years (2000-2004), the population of Sacramento County increased from 1,223,499 to 1,352,445.

Geography and climate

Geography

Elevation: 25 feet (8 m).
Latitude: 38° 31' N. – Longitude: 121° 30' W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 257.0 km² (99.2 mi²). 251.6 km² (97.2 mi²) of it is land and 5.4 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is water; 2.1% of the area is water. The population in 2000 was 407,018; the 1980 population was 275,741. The city's current estimated population is around 454,330.

The city is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River, and has a deepwater port connected to the San Francisco Bay by a channel through Suisun Bay and the Sacramento River Delta. It is the shipping and rail center for the Sacramento Valley, fruit, vegetables, rice, wheat, dairy goods and beef. Food processing is among the major industries in the area.

Much of the land to the west of the city (in Yolo County) is a flood control basin. As a result, the greater metropolitan area sprawls only four miles (6 km) west of downtown (as West Sacramento, California) but 30 miles (50 km) northeast and east, into the Sierra Nevada foothills, and 10 miles (16 km) to the south into valley farmland.

Climate

Sacramento has a Mediterranean climate that is characterized by mild winters and dry summers. The area usually has low humidity. Rain generally falls only between November and March, with the rainy season tapering off almost completely by the end of April. The average temperature throughout the year is 61 °F (16 °C), with the daily average ranging from 46 °F (8 °C) in December and January to 76 °F (24 °C) in July. Average daily high temperatures range from 53 °F (12 °C) in December and January to 93 °F (34 °C) in July (with many days of over 100 °F (38 °C) highs). Daily low temperatures range from 38 to 58 °F (3 to 14 °C). The average year has 73 days with a high over 90 °F (34 °C), with the highest temperature on record being 114 °F (45 °C) on July 17, 1925, and 18 days when the low drops below 32 °F (0 °C), with the coldest day on record being December 11, 1932, at 17 °F (-8 °C). Average yearly precipitation is 17.4" (442 mm), with almost no rain during the summer months, to an average rainfall of 3.7" (94 mm) in January. It rains, on average, 58 days of the year. In February of 1992, Sacramento had 16 consecutive days of rain (6.41" or 163 mm). A record 7.24" (184 mm) of rain fell on April 20, 1880.

On average, 96 days in the year have fog, mostly in the morning (tule fog), primarily in December and January. The fog can get extremely dense, lowering visibility to less than 100 feet (30 m) and making driving conditions hazardous.

The record snowfall was recorded on January 4, 1888, at 9 cm (3.5 in). Snowfall is rare in Sacramento (with an elevation of only 52 feet or 16 m above sea level), with a dusting of snow every eight to ten years. Forty miles (65 km) east of Sacramento, in the foothills, snow accumulation is an annual occurrence. Further east, the Lake Tahoe recreation area is home to a number of world famous ski areas which have accumulation greater than 90" (230 cm) nearly every year during the peak season. Spots in the Sierra Nevada mountains east of Sacramento annually receive the most snowfall of any spot in the lower 48 states, and the mountain range's immense snowpack is a vital source of water for the entire state of California.

Neighborhoods

Neighborhood Services Area One
Alkali Flat, Boulevard Park, Campus Commons, Sacramento State University, Dos Rios Triangle, Downtown, East Sacramento, Mansion Flats, Marshall School, Midtown, New Era Park, Newton Booth, Old Sacramento, Poverty Ridge, Richards, Richmond Grove, River Park, Sierra Oaks, Southside Park

Neighborhood Services Area Two
Airport, Freeport Manor, Golf Course Terrace, Greenhaven, Land Park, Little Pocket, Mangan Park, Meadowview, Parkway, Pocket, Sacramento City College, South Land Park, Upper Land Park, Valley Hi / North Laguna, Z'Berg Park

Neighborhood Services Area Three
Alhambra Triangle, Avondale, Brentwood, Carleton Tract, Central Oak Park, College/Glen, Colonial Heights, Colonial Village, Colonial Village North, Curtis Park, Elmhurst, Fairgrounds, Florin-Fruitridge, Industrial Park, Fruitridge Manor, Glen Elder, Granite Regional Park, Hollywood Park, Lawrence Park, Med Center, North City Farms, North Oak Park, Packard Bell, South City Farms, South East, South Oak Park, Tahoe Park, Tahoe Park East, Tahoe Park South, Tallac Village, Woodbine

Neighborhood Services Area Four
Natomas (north, south, west), Valley View Acres, Gardenland, Northgate, Woodlake, North Sacramento, Terrace Manor, Hagginwood, Del Paso Heights, Robla, McClellan Heights West, Ben Ali, and Swanston Estates.

Demographics

Sacramento Population by year
1860	13,785
1870	16,283
1880	21,420
1890-1920	N/A
1930	93,750
1940	105,958
1950	137,572
1960	191,667
1970	254,413
1980	275,741
1990	369,365
2000	407,018
2005	456,441

As of the census of 2000, there are 407,018 people (2004 Est. 454,330), 154,581 households, and 91,202 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,617.4/km² (4,189.2/mi²). There are 163,957 housing units at an average density of 651.5/km² (1,687.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 48.29% White, 15.47% African American, 1.30% Native American, 16.62% Asian, 0.95% Pacific Islander, 10.96% from other races, and 6.41% from two or more races. 21.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 154,581 households out of which 30.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% are married couples living together, 15.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% are non-families. 32.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.35.

In the city the population is spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $37,049, and the median income for a family is $42,051. Males have a median income of $35,946 versus $31,318 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,721. 20.0% of the population and 15.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.5% of those under the age of 18 and 9.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Factors such as mild climate, a location at the crossroads of major interstate highways and railroads, and the availability of campsites along the rivers, as well as an outlook of tolerance, attract some homeless people.

Education

Colleges and universities

Sacramento is home to Sacramento State (California State University, Sacramento) , founded as Sacramento State College in 1947. In 2004, enrollment was 22,555 undergraduates and 5,417 graduate students in the university's eight colleges. The university's mascot is the hornet, and the school colors are green and gold. The 300 acre (1.2 km²) campus is located along the American River Parkway a few miles east of downtown. A satellite campus of Alliant International University also serves the city with a number of graduate programs.

Sacramento is home to an unaccredited private institution, University of Sacramento is a Roman Catholic university run by the Legionaries of Christ. Currently, the university offers course work in graduate programs.

The University of California has a campus, UC Davis, in nearby Davis.

The Los Rios Community College District consists of several two-year colleges--American River College, Cosumnes River College, Sacramento City College, Folsom Lake College, plus a large number of outreach centers for those colleges. Sacramento has a number of private vocational schools as well.

McGeorge School of Law in Oak Park is the University of the Pacific's law school.

In the PBS KVIE building, there is also an extension of San Francisco's Golden Gate University.

Public schools

Several public school districts serve Sacramento. Sacramento City Unified School District serves most of Sacramento. Other portions are served by the Center Unified School District, Natomas Unified School District, San Juan Unified School District, Grant Joint Union High School District, Rio Linda Elementary School District, North Sacramento Elementary School District, Del Paso Elementary School District, and Robla Elementary School District.

Culture

The primary newspaper is The Sacramento Bee, founded in 1857. Its rival, the Sacramento Union, started publishing six years earlier in 1851. Before it closed its doors in 1994, the Union was the oldest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi. Writer and journalist Mark Twain wrote for the Union in 1866. In late 2004, a new Sacramento Union returned with bimonthly magazines and in May 2005 began monthly publication, but does not intend to return as a daily newspaper.

The oldest part of the town besides Sutter's Fort is Old Sacramento, which consists of cobbled streets and some historic buildings, some from the 1860s. Buildings have been preserved, restored or reconstructed, and the district is now a substantial tourist attraction, with rides on steam-hauled historic trains and paddle steamers.

The "Big Four Building", built in 1852, was home to the offices of Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Charles Crocker. The Central Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad were founded there. The original building was destroyed in 1963 for the construction of Interstate 5, but was re-created using original elements in 1965. It is now a National Historic Landmark.

Sacramento is notably diverse racially, ethnically, and by household income, and has a notable lack of inter-racial disharmony. In 2002, Time magazine (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,340694,00.html) and the Civil Rights Project of Harvard University identified Sacramento as the most racially/ethnically integrated major city in America. ^*.

Arts

The major theater venues for Sacramento include the Sacramento Convention Center which governs the Community Center Theatre, and the Memorial Auditorium. It is also the home of the Crocker Art Museum, which is the oldest public art museum west of the Mississippi River. The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento has historical exhibits and live steam locomotives that patrons may ride.

The Sacramento Ballet performs in the Community Center Theatre. The Deane Dance Center is the company's official dance school. The Russian-American Music Academy of Roseville regularly offers community productions of operas and operettas. Theater companies with professional stature include California Musical Theatre, the Sacramento Theatre Company, and the B Street Theatre.

Sacramento has a reputation as a center for Dixieland jazz, because of the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee which is held every Memorial Day weekend. Events and performances are held in multiple locations throughout the city. Each year thousands of jazz fans from all over the world visit for this one weekend. Sacramento is also home to the Sacramento French Film Festival, a cultural event held every year in July that features U.S. premiers of French films and classic masterpieces of French cinema. In addition, Sacramento is home to the Trash Film Orgy, a summer film festival celebrating the absurd, B-movies, horror, monster, exploitation.

Sports and recreation

Sacramento hosts two professional basketball teams: the Sacramento Kings (NBA) and the Sacramento Monarchs 2005 Champions (WNBA). In addition, Sacramento also has a minor league baseball team called the Sacramento River Cats (affiliate of the Oakland Athletics). In the past, the city hosted two professional football teams, the Sacramento Surge of the WLAF and the Sacramento Gold Miners of the CFL. At one time, it was also home to an indoor soccer team, the Sacramento Knights of the CISL and later WISL. The Sacramento Solons, a Pacific Coast League professional baseball team, played in Sacramento from 1903 - 1961 (originally the Sacramento Senators, they changed their name in 1935).

Sacramento has frequently hosted the NCAA Track and Field Championships.

Sacramento residents play softball more than any city except Detroit, Michigan.

The Sacramento Mile is a national flat-track motorcycle racing event.

The Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, that runs between Old Sacramento and Folsom Lake, attracts cyclists and equestrians from across the State.

The California State Fair is held in Sacramento each year at the end of the summer, ending on Labor Day. Over one million people attended this fair in 2001.

Notable residents

Notable people with ties to Sacramento include the painter Wayne Thiebaud, photographer Michael Williamson, astronaut Stephen Robinson, U.S. Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy, and writer Joan Didion. In addition to Huntington, Hopkins, Stanford, and Crocker, the city's more successful entrepreneurs have included Russ Solomon (Tower Records) and Sherwood "Shakey" Johnson (Shakey's Pizza). For actors, such as Sam Elliott, with ties to Sacramento, see Sacramento entertainers. Bands originating in Sacramento can also be found under Sacramento entertainers. For sports figures with ties to Sacramento see Sacramento sports figures.

Transportation

Amtrak service

Amtrak provides passenger rail service to the city of Sacramento. The main passenger rail station is located on the corner of 5th and I streets near the historic Old Town Sacramento.

Amtrak California operates the Capitol Corridor, a multiple-frequency service providing service from the capital city to its northeastern suburbs and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sacramento is also the northern terminus of the Amtrak San Joaquins route which provide direct multiple-frequency passenger rail service to California's Central Valley as far as Bakersfield; Thruway Motorcoach connections are available from the trains at Bakersfield to Southern California and Southern Nevada.

Sacramento is also a stop along Amtrak's Coast Starlight route which provides scenic, luxurious service to Seattle via Klamath Falls and Portland to the north and to Los Angeles via San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara to the south.

Amtrak's California Zephyr also serves Sacramento daily and provides service to the east serving Reno, Salt Lake, Denver, Omaha, Chicago and intermediate cities.

The Sacramento Valley Station also provides numerous Thruway Motorcoach routes. One route serves the cities of Marysville, Oroville, Chico, Corning, Red Bluff and Redding with additional service to Yreka and even Medford, OR. A second serves the cities of Roseville, Rocklin, Auburn, Colfax, Truckee, Reno and Sparks. The third and final thruway motorcoach route serves Placerville, Lake Tahoe, Stateline Casinos, and Carson City. Each of these routes provides multiple frequencies each day.

Other transportation options

Sacramento Regional Transit's bus and light-rail system provides service within the city and nearby suburbs.

The Sacramento International Airport handles flights to and from various United States destinations (including Hawaii) as well as Mexico.

The Sacramento region is served by freeways (notably I-5, I-80, Business Loop 80 (Capital City Freeway), U.S. Highway 50, and Hwy 99). No new freeways have been built since the mid 1970s, despite a near-doubling of population in the metropolitan area since that time. Some Sacramento neighborhoods, particularly the central downtown and midtown areas, are pedestrian friendly. And as a result of litigation, Sacramento has undertaken to make all city facilities and sidewalks wheelchair accessible. In an effort to preserve its urban neighborhoods, Sacramento has constructed traffic-calming obstacles in several areas.

Sister cities

Sacramento has seven sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

External links

Cities in California | Cities in Sacramento County | Sacramento, California

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