Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California.

It serves as the county seat for Sacramento County. The city is located in the Sacramento Valley. Specifically, it sits at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers.

As a major urban center, it is the sixth-most populous city in California. The city itself had 524,943 residents according to the 2020 census. The broader Sacramento metropolitan area is much larger. It contains 2.46 million residents and is the 27th-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Before European explorers arrived, indigenous peoples inhabited the region. The Nisenan, Maidu, and Plains Miwok lived in this area for thousands of years.

These tribes relied on the local ecosystem for survival. Their diet was dominated by acorns gathered from plentiful oak trees. They also collected various fruits, bulbs, seeds, and roots throughout the year. In 1808, Spanish cavalryman Gabriel Moraga surveyed the area. He named the river the Río del Santísimo Sacramento. This name refers to the Catholic sacrament of the Eucharist, or the Blessed Sacrament. A Spanish writer described the scene as having blue currents and trees festooned with grapevines.

In 1839, John Augustus Sutter began a significant era of colonization. Sutter was a Swiss-born Mexican citizen.

In 1841, Mexican Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado officially granted him the land. Sutter established a massive adobe structure known as Sutter's Fort. He also founded a settlement called Rancho Nueva Helvetia. His colony grew as pioneers moved west. Sutter managed a large orchard and a herd of 13,000 cattle. In 1847, he received 2,000 fruit trees, which helped start the local agriculture industry. However, his empire was built on thin margins of credit.

Economic shifts occurred rapidly after the discovery of gold in 1848. James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma. This discovery brought thousands of gold-seekers to the region.

While Sutter Sr. struggled with debt, his son, John Sutter Jr., began laying out the City of Sacramento. This was done in association with Samuel Brannan. They planned the city south of the original New Helvetia settlement. Captain William H. Warner drafted an official grid for the streets. This layout included 26 lettered and 31 numbered streets. Sacramento became an overnight commercial success, though it caused bitter relations between father and son.

The early years of the city were marked by extreme hardship. Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California, incorporated on February 27, 1850.

In January 1850, a devastating flood uprooted homes and drowned livestock. Later that year, a cholera epidemic killed 1,000 residents. On November 2, 1852, the Great Conflagration destroyed 80 percent of the city's structures. This fire caused approximately six million dollars in damage. Despite these disasters, the city grew to 10,000 people by the early 1850s. The city even raised its downtown level by building brick walls and filling the space with dirt. This created the "Sacramento Underground," where former first floors became basements.

Sacramento eventually secured its role as the permanent state capital. The state legislature moved to the city in 1854.

Before this, the capital moved between Monterey, San Jose, Vallejo, and Benicia. The current California State Capitol is a Classical Revival-style building. Construction began in 1860 and was finished in 1874.

The city also became a vital transportation hub. It was the western terminus of the Pony Express. It also served as a terminus for the First transcontinental railroad. This railroad project began in Sacramento in 1863. It was financed by a group known as "The Big Four."

Today, Sacramento is a major center for the California healthcare industry. It is the home of Sutter Health and the UC Davis Medical Center.

The city also hosts the UC Davis School of Medicine. Tourism is a significant part of the local economy. The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau reported 15.3 million visitors in 2013. Visitors can explore many cultural sites. These include the California Museum, the Crocker Art Museum, and the California State Railroad Museum.

Old Sacramento State Historic Park also draws many people to the riverfront. The city continues to expand through various annexations and mergers.