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. The Sacramento metro area is the fourth most populous in California behind the greater
Los Angeles-
Orange County area, the
San Francisco bay area, and the greater
San Diego region. The five aforementioned counties make up the 28th most populous metro area in the
United States.
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.
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
 |
Sacramento in 1855. |
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 county suburbs, such as
Carmichael,
Citrus Heights,
Elk Grove,
Folsom,
Roseville, and
West Sacramento, 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 second oldest incorporated city in California after San Francisco, incorporated 2/27/1850. 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
|
California's State Capitol Building |
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 sports arena for the
Maloof brothers, owners of the
Sacramento Kings NBA basketball franchise. As of 2006, it will be voted on in the November votings.
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.[
1]
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
* 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 fog typically tapers off just a couple miles East of Downtown, where you can find bright and sunny mornings in Roseville & Rocklin (10 miles east of Sacramento), while it is still gloomy and fogged over in Sacramento, Elk Grove & Davis.
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.
Neighborhood Services Area OneAlkali 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 TwoAirport, 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 ThreeAlhambra 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 FourNatomas (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.
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.
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.
 |
Capitol Mall |
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 Big Four Building in Old Sacramento |
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. [
2].
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 and Music Circus which bring many famous directors and performers from New York City and Hollywood to perform in their productions, 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 2005 Champion
Sacramento Monarchs (
WNBA). Both teams play at
ARCO Arena. In addition, Sacramento also has a
minor league baseball team called the
Sacramento River Cats (affiliate of the
Oakland Athletics). The River Cats play at
Raley Field. 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 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, and singers such as
Brie Larson, with ties to Sacramento, see
Sacramento entertainers. Other artists such as Hardcore rap artist
Brotha Lynch Hung are also from Sacramento. Bands originating in Sacramento can also be found under
Sacramento entertainers. For sports figures with ties to Sacramento see
Sacramento sports figures.
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.
Sacramento has seven
sister cities, as designated by
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
*
Hamilton,
New Zealand *
Jinan,
China *
Liestal,
Switzerland*
Manila,
Philippines *
Matsuyama,
Japan *
Yongsan-gu,
South Korea *
Chişinău,
Moldova*
List of mayors of Sacramento*
C. M. Goethe Arboretum*
Official city website*
Official tourism website from the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau
*
Sacramento Metro Chamber Of Commerce*
Sacramento History Online - Historic Sacaramento Photo and Document Archive
*
Old Sacramento - Official website
*
Sacramento State University*
Sacramento Public Library*
Sacramento French Film Festival*
Historic Stereoviews of 19th Century Sacramento, from the Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
*
Sacramento Freeway History, from cahighways.org
*
Sacramento Magazine*
Sacramento Pictures
