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Sacramento, California
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History
Indigenous culture Nisenan (Southern Maidu) and Plains Miwok Indians have lived in the area for perhaps thousands of years. Unlike the settlers who would eventually make Sacramento their home, these Indians left little evidence of their existence. Traditionally, 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 1799 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.
Discussion
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Timeline
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1848 California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, near Sacramento.
1860 The Pony Express begins its first run from Saint Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California.
1863 Construction begins on the First Transcontinental Railroad in Sacramento, California
1975 In Sacramento, California, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a follower of incarcerated cult leader Charles Manson, attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford, but is thwarted by a Secret Service agent.
1988 In Sacramento, California, police find a body buried in the lawn of 60-year-old boardinghouse landlady Dorothea Puente (seven bodies were eventually found and Puente was convicted of 3 murders and sentenced to life in prison).
1995 Unabomber bomb kills lobbyist Gilbert Murray in Sacramento, California.
2000 In Sacramento, California, a commercial truck carrying evaporated milk is driven into the State Capitol building, killing the driver.
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Encyclopedia
History
Indigenous culture Nisenan (Southern Maidu) and Plains Miwok Indians have lived in the area for perhaps thousands of years. Unlike the settlers who would eventually make Sacramento their home, these Indians left little evidence of their existence. Traditionally, 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 1799 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. Sutter's Fort was constructed using labor from local Native American tribes. Sutter received 2,000 fruit trees in 1847, which started the agriculture industry in the Sacramento Valley. In 1848, when gold was discovered by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma (located some , 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, in association with Sam Brannan 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 St. to Broadway and from Front St. to Alhambra Blvd.). 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 Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove,
Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Roseville, Rocklin, West Sacramento, Orangevale, and North Highlands 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, incorporated on February 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
The California State Legislature, with the support of Governor John Bigler, moved to Sacramento in 1854. The Capital of California before 1846 was located in Monterey where in 1849 the first Constitutional Convention and state elections were held. In 1849 the State Legislature voted to sit the State Capitol in San Jose. After 1850, when California was ratified as a state, the Capitol was also located in Vallejo, and Benicia before moving to Sacramento. In the 1879 Constitutional Convention, Sacramento was named to be the permanent State Capital.
Begun in 1860 to be reminiscent of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, the Classical Revival style California State Capitol was completed in 1874. In 1861, the legislative session was moved to the Merchants Exchange Building in San Francisco for one session due to massive flooding in Sacramento. The legislative chambers were first occupied in 1869 while construction continued. From 1862-1868, part of the Leland Stanford Mansion was used for the governor's offices during Stanford's tenure as the Governor; and the legislature met in the Sacramento County Courthouse.
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) Leland Stanford is known as the man who hammered in the last (golden) spike into the transcontinental railroad and also, the man who founded Stanford University in honor of his fifteen-year old son, who had died.
In 1850 and again in 1861, Sacramentans were faced with a completely flooded town. After the devastating 1850 flood, Sacramento experienced a cholera epidemic and a flu epidemic, which crippled the town for several years. In 1861, the legend has it that Governor Leland Stanford, who was inaugurated in early January 1861, had to attend his inauguration in a rowboat, which was not too far from his house in town on N street. The flood waters were so bad, the legend says, that when he returned to his house, he had to enter into it through the second floor window. In 1862 Sacramento raised the level of the city by landfill. Thus the previous first floors of buildings became the basements, which were later connected by tunnels under the streets of Old Sacramento. The tunnels became a network of opium dens, which were also mostly filled in. However, it is still possible to view portions of the "Sacramento Underground."
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.
Now both rivers are used extensively for recreation. The American River is a 5-mph (8-km/h) 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 eighteen months lay on the bottom of the San Francisco Bay, was refurbished and now boasts a hotel, a restaurant, and two different theatres for nightlife along the Old Sacramento riverfront.
The modern era 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 has expanded continuously over the years. The 1964 merger of the City of North Sacramento with Sacramento substantially increased its population, and large annexations of the Natomas area eventually led to significant population growth throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
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 (SMUD). 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.
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. This severe loss in business is due to the heavy competition from the Port of Stockton, which has a larger facility and a deeper channel. As of 2006, the city of West Sacramento took responsibility for the Port of Sacramento. During the Viet Nam era, the Port of Sacramento was the major terminus in the supply route for all military parts, hardware and other cargo going into Southeast Asia.
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 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. Also, in 1980, there was another flood. It actually flooded the Boat Section of Interstate 5. The problem was: A faulty valve and also a series of storms.
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 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.
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. In November 2006, Sacramento voters soundly defeated a proposed sales tax hike to finance this, due in part to competing plans for the new arena and its location.
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.
The California Supreme Court normally sits in San Francisco.
Geography and climate
Geography - Elevation: 25 feet (8 m) above mean sea level.
- Latitude: 38° 31' N; Longitude: -121° 30' W
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 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 approximately 454,330. Depth to groundwater is typically about . 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.
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 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.
Climate Sacramento has a Mediterranean climate that is characterized by mild winters and dry hot summers. The area usually has low humidity. Rain typically 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). 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 (32 °C), with the highest temperature on record being 115 °F (46 °C) on July 25, 2006, 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 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, 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 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 some of the greatest snowfall in the lower 48 states, and the mountain range's immense snowpack is a vital source of water for the entire state of California.
City neighborhoods
The city groups its neighborhoods into four areas:
Area one (Central/Eastern)
Alkali Flat, Boulevard Park, Campus Commons, Sacramento State, 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.
Area two (Southwestern)
Airport, Freeport Manor, Golf Course Terrace, Greenhaven, Curtis Park, Hollywood Park, Land Park, Little Pocket, Mangan Park, Meadowview, Parkway, Pocket, Sacramento City College, South Land Park, Valley Hi / North Laguna, Z'Berg Park
Area three (Southeastern)
Alhambra Triangle, Avondale, Brentwood, Carleton Tract, College/Glen, Colonial Heights, Colonial Village, Colonial Village North, Curtis Park, Elmhurst, Fairgrounds, Florin-Fruitridge, Industrial Park, Fruitridge Manor, Glen Elder, Granite Regional Park, Lawrence Park, Med Center, North City Farms, Oak Park, Packard Bell, South City Farms, Southeast Village, Tahoe Park, Tahoe Park East, Tahoe Park South, Tallac Village, Woodbine
Area four (North of the American River)
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.
Unincorporated neighborhoods
Antelope is an unincorporated area located approximately northeast of downtown Sacramento. Established in the mid-1800s by Chinese immigrants who worked for the railroad, Antelope began as, and remains, a bedroom community. By 1973, Antelope still consisted of little more than a general store and a half-dozen homes. As the surrounding areas grew in the 1980s and 1990s, so did Antelope. By 1993 the residents of the area voted to be recognized as a community by the county and with their own ZIP code (95843) which became effective July 1, 1994. By the 2000 Census the population had grown to more than 36,000.
Arden Arcade is a community immediately east of the city of Sacramento and north of the American River that includes a relatively affluent area called Arden Park. People living in Arden-Arcade have a Sacramento postal address. Its population was once listed at over 90,000 people and boasted 42,987 households. However, after the census of 2000, the borders of the community were changed and the population was listed at a revised total of 83,000. It is located only minutes from downtown and offers many shopping and entertainment venues. There are over 2,000 businesses in the area, employing over 40,000 people. Access to outdoor recreation is also nearby because Arden is bordered by the American River Parkway, a 26-mile (42-kilometer) hike and bike trail that follows the American River to Folsom Lake. Golf, swimming and city parks are also close by. A group of citizens has collected sufficient signatures to place an incorporation measure on the ballot, but efforts to allow citizens to vote are being thwarted by the State Local Area Formation Committee (LAFCO) and Sacramento County. These incorporation efforts revived some talk of a long-dormant effort by the city of Sacramento to annex Arden-Arcade, but no official actions were initiated by the City.
Carmichael is located northeast of downtown Sacramento and is a historic community that dates back to the early 1900s. It was founded by Dan Carmichael, who was mayor of Sacramento in 1917-1919. Some of the remaining signs of the early Carmichael days are the palm trees along Palm Drive, planted around 1913. The current population is 49,742; there are 20,631 total households, 64% are family households, and the median age is 40. Carmichael is home to the beautiful Ancil Hoffman Park which houses the 77 acre Effie Yeaw Nature Center, a sprawling pristine nature preserve along the banks of the American River. Golf can also be played in the park under the shade of native oaks trees.
Fair Oaks, located east of downtown Sacramento and, with a population of 28,808, is an affluent, well-established community. It consists of suburban and semi-rural neighborhoods. The area is home to rolling hills and numerous native oaks that add to the area's quality of life. The views of the American River bluffs and nearby Nimbus Hatchery and Folsom Dam add to the distinctive character of Fair Oaks.
Fair Oaks’ uniqueness also stems from its existing business core and town center, known as the Fair Oaks Village. The village is home to narrow winding roads, rolling hills, an open-air amphitheatre, and a historic plaza of historic buildings full of unique galleries and shops. The Village has a charming small town atmosphere. The Plaza Park Amphitheatre, located in the Village, is the main site of the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, one of the many outdoor community theatres in the area. Fair Oaks Village is also the site of the annual Fiesta Days, an event celebrating the residents of Fair Oaks.
Gold River is an affluent suburb east of downtown Sacramento in Rancho Cordova, an incorporated city in Sacramento County, California. The population was 8,023 at the 2000 census. The Gold River Community Association is the master association for the 25 separate "villages" that make up the community. Each village has its own sub associations as well.
La Riviera is a suburban community, east of downtown Sacramento. The population was 10,273 at the 2000 census. La Riviera is a primarily residential neighborhood located between the American River and Highway 50. It's popular place to live for college students attending California State University Sacramento, or Sacramento State. The community is sub-divided by La Riviera Drive into the areas of College Greens and Glenbrook.
Orangevale is a semi-rural suburb in the northeastern area of the county (north of Fair Oaks, east of Citrus Heights, west of Folsom and south of the Placer County city of Roseville and community of Granite Bay). The population was 26,705 at the 2000 census. Along with horses, the unincorporated area is known for its abundance of concert venues, including The Boardwalk, Club Retro, and VFW.
Rio Linda, Spanish for "Beautiful River", is a community located southwest of Sacramento city and is home to over 10,000 people. There are approximately 3,500 households, 77% of which are family households and the median age is 34. This rural working-class community offers an escape from the busy city life. Rio Linda/Elverta has its roots as a small farming community established in the early 1900s. The Gibson Ranch and Cherry Island Golf Course are a couple of the places this area offers for horseback riding and outdoor recreation. There is currently a campaign to incorporate the Rio Linda and Elverta communities to form a single township which would then be governed independently from surrounding areas.
North Highlands is a community of 44,000 residents that is located approximately northeast of downtown Sacramento. The community was formally established with the opening of the North Highlands post office in July 1952 and this unincorporated area grew with the development of the McClellan Air Force Base. North Highlands is mostly a middle-class residential housing area. With some commercial and industrial regions around the McClellan Air Force Base, now a civilian airport, called McClellan Business Park.
Vineyard is a new suburban neighborhood in Sacramento County approximately southeast of downtown Sacramento. The population was 10,109 at the 2000 census, however, plans have been announced to add as many as 20,000 new homes to Vineyard. This could add as many as 60,000 new people to the area. Along with the houses would come new shopping centers, parks, and schools. However, some have been critical of the expansion and one California State University, Sacramento professor referred to it as "car-oriented sprawl development." However, there are plans to extend some sort of public transportation to Vineyard and to build around the train tracks that go through the town.
Demographics Sacramento
Population by year | | 1860 | 13,785 | | 1870 | 16,283 | | 1880 | 21,420 | | 1890-1910 | N/A | | 1920 | 65,908 | | 1930 | 93,750 | | 1940 | 105,958 | | 1950 | 137,572 | | 1960 | 191,667 | | 1970 | 254,413 | | 1980 | 275,741 | | 1990 | 369,365 | | 2000 | 407,018 | | 2007 | 467,343 |
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 4,189.2 people per square mile (1,617.4/km²). There are 163,957 housing units at an average density of 1,687.5/sq mi (651.5/km²). 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 homeless people.
Sacramento is notably diverse racially, ethnically, and by household income, and has a notable lack of inter-racial disharmony. In 2002, Time magazine and the Civil Rights Project of Harvard University identified Sacramento as the most racially/ethnically integrated major city in America. The U.S. Census Bureau also groups Sacramento with other U.S. cities having a "High Diversity" rating of the diversity index.
PoliticsIn the state legislature Sacramento is located in the 6th Senate District, represented by Democrat Darrell Steinberg,, and in the 5th, 9th, and 10th Assembly Districts, represented by Republican Roger Niello, Democrat Dave Jones, and Republican Alan Nakanishi respectively. Federally, Sacramento is located in California's 5th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +14 and is represented by Democrat Doris Matsui.
Education
Colleges and universitiesSacramento 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. National University of California maintains a campus in the city. A satellite campus of Alliant International University also offers graduate and undergraduate programs of study.
Sacramento is home to an unaccredited private institution, University of Sacramento, a Roman Catholic university run by the Legionaries of Christ. Currently, the university offers course work in graduate programs. Nearby Rocklin, CA is home to William Jessup University, an evangelical Christian college.
The University of California has a campus, UC Davis, in nearby Davis and also has a graduate center in downtown Sacramento. The UC Davis Graduate School of Management (GSM) is located in downtown Sacramento on One Capital Mall. Many students, about 400 out of 517, at the UC Davis GSM are working professionals and are completing their MBA part-time. The part-time program is ranked in the top-20 and is well-known for its small class size, world class faculty, and involvement in the business community. UC also maitains the for undergraduate and graduate studies. Similar to the UC's Washington DC program, "Scholar Interns" engage in both academic studies and as well as internships, often with the state government.
Also, the UC Davis School of Medicine is located at the UC Davis Medical Center between the neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Tahoe Park, and Oak Park.
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, a top 100 law school according to U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings of U.S. law schools (2006, 2007 & 2008), is located in the Oak Park section of Sacramento.
The private University of Southern California has an extension in downtown Sacramento, called the State Capital Center. The campus, taught by main campus professors, Sacramento-based professors, and practitioners in the State Capitol and state agencies, offers Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Health degrees.
The Los Rios Community College District consists of several two-year colleges in the Sacramento area – American River College, Cosumnes River College, Sacramento City College, Folsom Lake College, plus a large number of outreach centers for those colleges.
Universal Technical Institute (UTI), a nationwide provider of technical education training for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians has a campus located in Sacramento.
Sacramento has a number of private vocational schools as well.
In the PBS KVIE building, there is also an extension of San Francisco's Golden Gate University.
Public schoolsSeveral 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, Twin Rivers Unified School District ( the North Sacramento School District, the Del Paso Heights School District, the Rio Linda Union School District, and the Grant Joint Union High School District), and Robla School District.
The Valley Hi/North Laguna area is served by the Elk Grove Unified School District, despite being in the city limits of Sacramento and not in Elk Grove.
Private schools
Continuing an educational history that began in the Sacramento region at the time of the Gold Rush, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento operates 1 diocesan high school within the city and surrounding suburbs, St. Francis High School. Various Roman Catholic religious congregations operate four additional Catholic "private" (i.e., non-diocesan) high schools in the city and suburbs: Loretto High School (sponsored by the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary), Christian Brothers High School (sponsored by the Brothers of Christian Schools), Jesuit High School (the Society of Jesus, or "Jesuits"), and, as of the Fall of 2006, Cristo Rey High School Sacramento (co-sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Jesuits). Sacramento is one of 12 cities in the United States with a Cristo Rey Network High School, the first of which was founded by the Jesuits in Chicago in 1996 on a reduced tuition model designed to be accessible to those otherwise unable to afford conventionally-priced private education.
Additionally within the city and surrounding suburbs are 30 "parochial" schools – i.e., schools attached to a parish. These range from the oldest still operating, St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School (1895), to the newest, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (2000), to the recently consolidated, John Paul II School (2005), combining All Hallows (1948) and St. Peter (1955) Schools at the All Hallows Parish site.
In 1857, almost immediately upon their arrival from Ireland, the Sisters of Mercy opened the first school of any kind in Sacramento. Open to all regardless of religious denomination, St. Joseph Academy continued operation through the late 1960s. The final school site is now a city of Sacramento parking garage. The "St. Joseph Garage" honors the name of the school that marked the arrival of formal education in Sacramento.
While Catholic institutions still dominate the independent school scene in the Sacramento area, in 1964, Sacramento Country Day School opened and offered Sacramentans an independent school that is affiliated with the California Association of Independent Schools. SCDS has grown to its present day status as a learning community for students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.
There is one Islamic school in Sacramento, founded in 1998. Shalom School is the only Jewish day school in Sacramento.
Culture and arts
The primary newspaper is The Sacramento Bee, founded in 1857 by James McClatchy. Its rival, the Sacramento Union, started publishing six years earlier in 1851; it closed its doors in 1994. 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. In 2006, The McClatchy Company purchased Knight Ridder Inc. to become the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States. The Sacramento Bee has won five Pulitzer Prizes in its history. It has won numerous other awards, including many for its progressive public service campaigns promoting free speech (the Bee often criticized government policy, and uncovered many scandals hurting Californians), anti-racism (the Bee supported the Union during the American Civil War and publicly denounced the | |
