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West Sacramento, California
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West Sacramento is a city in Yolo County, California. It is contiguous with Sacramento, but is separated by the Sacramento River which is also the county line, so West Sacramento is in a different county than Sacramento. It is a fast growing community; the population was 31,615 at the 2000 census but the Census Bureau estimated the population to be 44,162 as of 2006.
West Sacramento is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of approximately 1,796,857.
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Encyclopedia
West Sacramento is a city in Yolo County, California. It is contiguous with Sacramento, but is separated by the Sacramento River which is also the county line, so West Sacramento is in a different county than Sacramento. It is a fast growing community; the population was 31,615 at the 2000 census but the Census Bureau estimated the population to be 44,162 as of 2006.
West Sacramento is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of approximately 1,796,857. Major industries to the region include agriculture and transportation.
History
Gold Rush era
In 1844, John Schwartz, a Flemish traveler, was the first Euro-American to permanently settle in the area of West Sacramento. He built a shack on the west bank of the Sacramento River six miles south of its connection with the American River. John, with the help of his brother George, founded a salmon fishery along the river. In addition to the fishery, they also found the soil to be fertile and began farming and raising livestock. The announcement of the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 brought a multitude of miners to the region.
In 1846, a man named James McDowell bought from John Schwartz. With his wife, Margaret, and their three daughters, McDowell settled in the area we know today as Broderick. The McDowell family experienced first-hand the violence that the gold rush era brought with it. In May of 1849, James McDowell was shot and killed in a barroom argument that he had supposedly started. With the loss of the sole supporter of the McDowell family, Margaret needed to find a way to provide for her family.
In October 1849, Margaret hired a land surveyor to map out , which was then divided into forty one blocks. She sold individual lots within this platted area which she named the "Town of Washington". The first lot was sold to August W. Kaye for $500. During its first ten years, the rural Town of Washington went through a significant increase in business development and shipping activity. One of the first businesses to be established in the town was the California Steam Navigation Company, which was attracted to the area in 1859 by how close the Sacramento River is to it. Other businesses in early Washington included hotels, saloons, and restaurants catering to the needs of people passing through. Many of the travelers making the treacherous journey through the marshlands on their way to Sacramento were appreciative of the rest stop at the Town of Washington.
While Sacramento began to urbanize on the other side of the river, early West Sacramento found its hand at agricultural development. Salmon, sturgeon, catfish, eel, crayfish, and clams proved to be lucrative in this region as fisherman soon found. The river settlement was flourishing, stocking fish markets not only in Sacramento, but in San Francisco as well. In addition, the rich soil of the valley produced abundant crops of com, melons, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes The dairy industry also established roots in West Sacramento around this time.
One of the area's most well known dairy farmers was Mike Bryte. Bryte came to California in 1849 to try his hand at gold mining. He didn't make a fortune in gold, but was able to purchase a dairy farm with his findings. When the California Steam Navigation Company came to Washington, Bryte used the steamships to carry his dairy products to various markets within the region. Profits from this allowed Bryte to expand his holdings. Bryte was able to own several thousand acres of land in the area to farm on, as well as raise his many livestock on. Mike Bryte's influence in the community was marked by his election to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and later as sheriff. During the 20th century, Mike Bryte's property was divided and became known as the community of Bryte.
Developing a city
In time, the region began to develop. The Town of Washington was renamed Broderick in honor of U. S. Senator David C. Broderick. After 1900, the three communities known as Bryte, Broderick, and West Sacramento were cumulatively known as "East Yolo". From 1900 to 1920, the population of this area doubled from 1,398 to 2,638.
Officially incorporated as a city in 1987, these communities are what the City of West Sacramento is based upon.
In June 1963, the Port of Sacramento was opened to deep sea traffic with the completion of the Deep Water Ship Channel. The project had been authorized by Congress in 1946 and construction commenced in 1949.
Geography
West Sacramento is located at (38.571105, -121.539170).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.9 square miles (59.2 kmē), of which, 20.9 square miles (54.2 kmē) of it is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 kmē) of it (8.36%) is water.
West Sacramento, which lies in Yolo County, is separated from the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County by the Sacramento River. West Sacramento, incorporated in 1987, consists of 3 communities that were originally distinct towns, Broderick, Bryte, and West Sacramento (originally just the community north of the port canal and south of the railroads), as well as the Southport area.
The Southwest community originally consisted of few homes, but now has a considerable population that resulted from a housing boom in the early 1990s. After the housing boom of the early 2000s, however Southport can now be broken into 5 areas: Linden, Gateway, Arlington Oaks, Bridgeway, and the Country, with Bridgeway and Gateway being the newest additions to the city.
Businesses
Retail
In March, 2006, IKEA opened a store in West Sacramento near Reed Avenue and Interstate 80 in the Riverpoint Shopping Center. On November 15, 2007 a Home Depot opened in the Riverpoint Shopping Center, next to IKEA. Target opened a new store at the Southport Shopping Center directly across from Nugget Market, an upscale grocery store headquartered in Woodland, California. A Lowe's Home Improvement Center just west of Target, behind Arlington Oaks was completed in February 2008.
TV stations
West Sacramento is home to Sacramento area CBS television station KOVR and The CW station KMAX-TV. Both stations, under a duopoly, are housed on KOVR Drive.
Sports
The Sacramento Rivercats play in West Sacramento at Raley Field
California Highway Patrol
West Sacramento is the home of the California Highway Patrol Academy and Museum.
Also, there are efforts to move the California Highway Patrol official headquarters from Sacramento (in Sacramento County) to West Sacramento (in Yolo County).
Hotels
A brand new Holiday Inn Express is located on Evergreen Avenue between West Capitol Avenue and US 50. An Extended Stay America Inn is located off the Reed Avenue exit off of Interstate 80. There is also a Best Western and a Motel 6 in town. For many years West Sacramento boasted that it had over 1000 hotel rooms; most of them less than classy. West Sacramento is also home to Wag Hotel, an exclusive pet hotel which caters to dogs and cats in an upscale boarding facility located on Enterprise Blvd.
Other businesses
Raley's, a major grocery store chain in Northern and Central California, has its corporate headquarters in West Sacramento.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,615 people, 11,404 households, and 7,595 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,509.5 people per square mile (582.9/kmē). There were 12,133 housing units at an average density of 579.3/sq mi (223.7/kmē). The racial makeup of the city was 64.99% White, 2.57% African American, 1.76% Native American, 7.22% Asian, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 15.99% from other races, and 6.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29.95% of the population.
There were 11,404 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,718, and the median income for a family was $36,371. Males had a median income of $31,176 versus $30,183 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,245. About 17.2% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Famous residents
External links
- – The community wiki for West Sacramento
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