Sacramento | History, Population, Map, & Facts

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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-12-03T00:00:00CST" >Dec 3, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sacramento-California/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/ronald-reagan-california-governor-sacramento-home-historic-landmark/" rel="nofollow">Ronald Reagan's Sacramento home when he served as California governor designated historic landmark</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Dec. 2, 2024, 2:21 PM ET (CBS) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/515399/7d13583dab8e84ce94f47f266036f4f6" rel="nofollow">White supremacist prison gang leader accused of attacking two California prison officers</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 27, 2024, 4:33 PM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/515399/65f171da7875a052c91b2c3810543e5c" rel="nofollow">Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox drops franchise-record 60 points in Kings' OT loss to Timberwolves</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 16, 2024, 7:54 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/515399/2a9a97ab820d16d284b149b6b0a7469d" rel="nofollow">Emotional Carter acknowledges contentious exit from Toronto as Raptors retire former star's jersey</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 2, 2024, 10:58 PM ET (AP) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref258050"></span>Sacramento</strong>, city, capital of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/California-state" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">California</a>, U.S., and seat (1850) of Sacramento county, in the north-central part of the state. It is situated in the Sacramento Valley (the northern portion of the vast <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Central-Valley-California" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Central Valley</a>) along the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sacramento-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sacramento River</a> at its <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="confluence" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confluence" data-type="MW">confluence</a> with the American River, about 90 miles (145 km) northeast of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Francisco-California" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">San Francisco</a> and 45 miles (72 km) north of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Stockton" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Stockton</a>. The city site itself is flat, but the land gradually rises to the east on the approach to the foothills of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-Nevada-mountains" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sierra Nevada</a>. The area experiences long, hot, dry summers and cool, damp winters with periodic foggy spells.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="279675" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/64425-050-1C4E3970/Sacramento-California.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/515399/279675"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/64425-050-1C4E3970/Sacramento-California.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/64425-050-1C4E3970/Sacramento-California.jpg?w=300" alt="Sacramento, California" data-width="1455" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/64425-050-1C4E3970/Sacramento-California.jpg" data-href="/media/1/515399/279675">Sacramento, California</a><span>Map showing the location of Sacramento, California.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Sacramento, one of the state’s oldest incorporated <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="communities" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communities" data-type="MW">communities</a>, lies at the heart of a four-county <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/metropolitan-area" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">metropolitan area</a>. Suburbs—concentrated largely to the north and east of the city—include Citrus Heights, Folsom, Carmichael, North Highlands, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Roseville-California" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Roseville</a>; other communities include Parkway (south) and West Sacramento (west). Inc. city, 1850. Area city, 99 square miles (256 square km). Pop. (2010) 466,488; Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville Metro Area, 2,149,127; (2020) 524,943; Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom Metro Area, 2,397,382.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref242001"> <h2 class="h1">History</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="13948" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/9558-004-92BB1D59/Sutters-Fort-State-Historic-Park-Sacramento-California.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/515399/13948"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/9558-004-92BB1D59/Sutters-Fort-State-Historic-Park-Sacramento-California.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/9558-004-92BB1D59/Sutters-Fort-State-Historic-Park-Sacramento-California.jpg?w=300" alt="Sutter's Fort State Historic Park" data-width="305" data-height="300" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/9558-004-92BB1D59/Sutters-Fort-State-Historic-Park-Sacramento-California.jpg" data-href="/media/1/515399/13948">Sutter's Fort State Historic Park</a><span>Sutter's Fort State Historic Park, Sacramento, California, U.S.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maidu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Maidu</a> peoples were early inhabitants of the region. In the 1770s the valley was visited by Spanish explorer Pedro Fages, who named the river for the Christian religious sacraments. German-born Swiss pioneer <span id="ref258051"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Sutter" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">John Sutter</a> established the colony of Nueva Helvetia (New Switzerland) in 1839 on the site, a Mexican land grant, and beginning in 1840 built a palisaded trading post known as <span id="ref665699"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sutters-Fort" class="md-crosslink ">Sutter’s Fort</a> (now a state historic park). His <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="community" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community" data-type="MW">community</a>, initially populated by fellow Swiss immigrants, prospered as an agricultural centre and as a refuge for American pioneers until the 1849 <span id="ref258052"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/gold-rush" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gold Rush</a>. It was at a sawmill that Sutter was constructing, about 35 miles (55 km) northeast on the American River, near Coloma, that his chief carpenter, James W. Marshall, found the first gold on January 24, 1848. Hordes of prospectors pillaged Sutter’s property, and, deeply in debt, he deeded his lands to his son, who laid out the present city that year.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/us-state-capitals-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/217490-131-CEE12385/Texas-state-capitol-building-Austin-Texas.jpg" alt="Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas. United States" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">U.S. State Capitals Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="181009" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="166572"><a data-id="166572" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/discussion-history-railroad-impact-documentary-Binding-Ties/-181009"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/72/166572-138-1080B711/discussion-history-railroad-impact-documentary-Binding-Ties.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Learn about the American railroad history and the California State Railroad Museum" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/Pr7P6vf3.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/72/166572-138-1080B711/discussion-history-railroad-impact-documentary-Binding-Ties.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/MTby4ZR8", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/BU8bmlFy.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="166572">Learn about the American railroad history and the California State Railroad Museum</span><span>A discussion concerning the history and the impact of the railroad, from the documentary <em>Binding Ties: The California State Railroad Museum</em>.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/place/Sacramento-California/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Profiting from the mining trade, Sacramento grew rapidly and was the scene of an armed squatter’s riot over the legality of Sutter’s grant. With a population of more than 10,000 in 1854, it was chosen the state capital. In its early decades Sacramento suffered several devastating floods and fires; subsequent measures (levees and masonry construction) <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="alleviated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alleviated" data-type="MW">alleviated</a> these problems. A hub of river transportation since Sutter started a steamer service, Sacramento was the western terminus of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pony-Express" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pony Express</a> and the first California railroad (1856; the Sacramento Valley Railroad to Folsom). More significantly, four Sacramento merchants—<a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Charles-Crocker" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Charles Crocker</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Mark-Hopkins-American-businessman" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mark Hopkins</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Collis-P-Huntington" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Collis P. Huntington</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leland-Stanford" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Leland Stanford</a>—financed the construction of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Central-Pacific-Railroad" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Central Pacific Railroad</a>. Stretching eastward from the city, it completed the country’s first transcontinental rail link when it was joined to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Union-Pacific-Railroad-Company" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Union Pacific Railroad</a> at Promontory Point, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Utah" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Utah</a>, in May 1869.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1862 the Central Pacific Railroad Central Shops were located in Sacramento, and they were until the 1950s the largest employer in the city, with employment peaking around 5,000 persons during <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a>. The shops were one of the largest industrial sites west of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mississippi River</a>, and, until they closed in 1993, virtually every piece of Central (later Southern) Pacific rolling stock was either built or serviced in these shops. Today the 245-acre (100-hectare) site is one of the country’s largest urban infill projects, planned to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="accommodate" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/accommodate" data-type="EB">accommodate</a> a mixed-use development around a core of historic shop buildings, the oldest of which dates from 1869. </p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <span id="ref843143"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sacramento-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sacramento River</a> was dredged in the early 20th century, which provided ships seasonal access to the sea; a newer canal, opened in 1963 to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Francisco-Bay" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">San Francisco Bay</a>, made Sacramento a year-round deepwater port.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">After the Gold Rush heyday, Sacramento’s population grew steadily until the first decades of the 20th century, when it began to increase more rapidly. People were drawn to the region’s expanding agriculture-related industries and, from the 1940s, its military installations (now closed). The city began annexing much of the land surrounding it (including the city of North Sacramento in 1964), increasing its area sevenfold between 1940 and 2000; in that same period Sacramento’s population nearly quadrupled. Citizens of European ancestry, long the great majority of the city’s population, now <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constitute" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constitute" data-type="MW">constitute</a> less than half. <span id="ref843144"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hispanic-American" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hispanics</a> represent the fastest-growing component, accounting for more than one-fifth the total; there are also significant groups of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/African-American" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">African Americans</a> and people of Asian ancestry.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref242002"> <h2 class="h1">The contemporary city</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="182102" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/93159-050-49623C2B/Capitol-Sacramento-California.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/515399/182102"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/93159-050-49623C2B/Capitol-Sacramento-California.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/93159-050-49623C2B/Capitol-Sacramento-California.jpg?w=300" alt="State Capitol, Sacramento, California" data-width="1600" data-height="1057" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/93159-050-49623C2B/Capitol-Sacramento-California.jpg" data-href="/media/1/515399/182102">State Capitol, Sacramento, California</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Sacramento is the centre of the region’s extensive agricultural production—primarily dairy products, poultry, beef cattle, fruits and vegetables (especially grapes, pears, and tomatoes), wheat, rice, and corn (maize). The city’s traditional economic base of government and other services and agriculture has been expanded to include electronics manufacturing, computer software production, tourism, and the manufacture of metal products and scientific instruments. Other industries include <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/food-processing" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">food processing</a> (especially almonds), printing and publishing, aerospace, and the manufacture of wood products. Sacramento has an international <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/airport" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">airport</a> located just northwest of the city.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="168562" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/159809-050-AEC1C7C4/library-campus-Sacramento-California-State-University.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/515399/168562"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/159809-050-AEC1C7C4/library-campus-Sacramento-California-State-University.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/159809-050-AEC1C7C4/library-campus-Sacramento-California-State-University.jpg?w=300" alt="California State University, Sacramento library" data-width="800" data-height="600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/159809-050-AEC1C7C4/library-campus-Sacramento-California-State-University.jpg" data-href="/media/1/515399/168562">California State University, Sacramento library</a><span>The library on the campus of California State University, Sacramento, in Sacramento, California.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The Roman golden-domed Corinthian <span id="ref1297536"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/State-Capitol-building-Sacramento-California" class="md-crosslink ">State Capitol</a> (constructed 1860–74), in the heart of the city, is surrounded by 40 acres (15 hectares) of parkland and includes a museum. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/California-State-University-system-California" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">California State University</a>, <span id="ref1297537"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/California-State-University-Sacramento-California" class="md-crosslink ">Sacramento</a>, was established in 1947, Sacramento City College in 1916, American River College in 1955, and Cosumnes River College in 1970. Cultural institutions include professional ballet and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="opera" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/opera" data-type="EB">opera</a> companies and several music and theatre groups. Old Sacramento, the city’s revitalized historic district along the river, contains the California State Railroad Museum and a variety of shops and restaurants. The <em>Delta King</em>, a paddle-wheel steamboat, has been converted to a hotel moored at the riverfront. Nearby are the Crocker Art Museum and the Leland Stanford Mansion (1857), now a state historic park.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="154299" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/06/148306-050-C80E1FF5/Wetlands-area-Sacramento-Valley-National-Wildlife-Refuge.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/515399/154299"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/06/148306-050-C80E1FF5/Wetlands-area-Sacramento-Valley-National-Wildlife-Refuge.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/06/148306-050-C80E1FF5/Wetlands-area-Sacramento-Valley-National-Wildlife-Refuge.jpg?w=300" alt="Central Valley" data-width="800" data-height="409" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/06/148306-050-C80E1FF5/Wetlands-area-Sacramento-Valley-National-Wildlife-Refuge.jpg" data-href="/media/1/515399/154299">Central Valley</a><span>Wetlands area in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Sacramento Valley, northern Central Valley, northern California, U.S.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Notable annual events are the Camellia Festival (March), the Sacramento Music Festival (May), the California State Fair (July), and Gold Rush Days (September). Sleep Train (formerly Arco) Arena (1988), north of downtown, was the home of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sacramento-Kings" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kings</a> (men’s) professional basketball team before the Golden 1 Center opened in 2016. Folsom Lake, northeast of the city (formed in 1955 by damming the American River), supplies the region with water and is a popular state recreation area. <span id="ref1297538"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sacramento-National-Wildlife-Refuge-Complex" class="md-crosslink ">Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="comprises" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprises" data-type="MW">comprises</a> a collection of several refuge areas spread out to the northwest of the city. In addition, the Sacramento region is a gateway to the Sierra Nevada and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Tahoe" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lake Tahoe</a> areas to the east.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> </section><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Michele-Metych/9760897">Michele Metych</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":515399,"pageLength":1046,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Sacramento | History, Population, Map, & Facts | Britannica