Modern history of the land that now makes up Sacramento began in 1808 when a group of Spanish soldiers under the command of Gabriel Morago came across the American and Sacramento Rivers. The land was claimed by Spain. However it wasn't until 1839, with Spain's permission, that the one-time Swiss debtor, John Sutter, built a 76-acre outpost and settlement on the land. He called it New Helvetia or New Switzerland. Next, Sutter decided a Fort was necessary, and he built what would later be named Sutter's Fort. After the completion of the fort, Sutter decided to build a landing on Sacramento River that he would call Embarcadero.
Sutter hired millwright James Marshall to help him construct the new Embarcadero project. In 1848, it was actually Marshall who discovered the first gold nugget while working on the land. This was the catalyst for the California Gold Rush of 1849. John Sutter's Embarcadero quickly turned into the gateway to the goldmines. Things never really worked out for Sutter, however. Greedy miners and prospectors trampled his settlement. Sutter's own employees fled his settlement and set out on their own in hopes of finding their fortunes. In an attempt to salvage his land, Sutter filed claims with the national government, but his attempts came too late and were not expedited quickly enough by the government. Sutter lost all claims to any land or gold that could have been his.
During the peak of the gold rush in 1849, the name Sacramento was taken from the nearby river and applied to the developing settlement. The area was a boisterous and at times dangerous place to live. Miners, by nature of their work, were generally risk-taking and hard-living country folk. The area sprung up with dance halls and saloons. Gambling and fighting were rampant in town. Aside from the successful - yet sometimes disruptive - miners, Sacramento was flooded twice and caught fire in its first three years of existence. The city survived those rough years and in 1854 paid the state of California $1 million or the chance to be the state capital.
The 1850s and 1860s saw the make-up of Sacramento undergo great change. In early 1856, Sacramento became the terminus of the early Sacramento Valley Railroad. The railroad had been funded by Sacramento shopkeepers known as the Big Four: Collis P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker and Leland Stanford. The 1860s brought with it the Pony Express, transcontinental telegraph and, most importantly for Sacramento, the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad that connected the east and west coasts. A trip across the country that once took six months could now be traveled in six days. This quick travel along with improved communication brought new exposure that opened Sacramento up to a whole new economy. The once-mighty gold mining industry was quickly replaced by the fast-growing agriculture industry. Sacramento agriculture boomed, and produce could be shipped back across the country in a short time. Sacramento took full advantage of this new possibility.
The next change in Sacramento's economy came with the construction of several air fields and other military installations during World War I. Mather Field was first constructed as a site for training pilots for combat in World War I. Next, McClellan Air Force Base was constructed in 1937. The influx of military personnel greatly encouraged Sacramento's economy. After World War II, many of the military personnel decided to stay and plant roots in the area. This helped to further the private sector of the economy. However, at the same time national trends in the 1950's also affected the city. Returning veterans from World War II all sought out homes for their families outside of the city limits all around the country. Sacramento was no different and saw the widespread migration of its people to the suburbs.
The 1980s and 1990s saw the closing of many military institutions in the area. This included Mather and McClellan Air Force Bases as well as the Sacramento Army Depot. Due to these closures, the presence of U.S. military forces greatly decreased in Sacramento for the first time since the 1930s. Sacramento's other major industry, agriculture, had also gradually slowed over time. Many citizens sought out new jobs with the state of California in the capital. Additionally, despite the military closings Sacramento's population grew by 20 percent between 1990 and 2000. Experts have estimated that the city's growth was due to a large migration of people from the San Francisco Bay area, who were attracted to Sacramento by its comparatively lower cost of living.
- Present day Sacramento had actually been populated for more than 10,000 years before the first white explorers set foot on the land. A group of Native Americans referred to as the Nisenan had actually lived peacefully in the area until their population was shattered by pestilence brought by European travelers. The Native Americans were later further persecuted and forced off the land which they had called home for hundreds of generations.
- When gold was discovered in 1848, the rush of people to Sacramento and its surrounding areas was recorded as the largest human migration in history.
- Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California.
- Sacramento is Spanish for "Holy Sacrament."
- Stanford University is named after Leland Stanford, one of the original "Big Four" financial backers of Sacramento.
- The first suburban shopping mall was established in northern Sacramento and opened its doors to the public in 1945.
- Sacramento has many nicknames, including Capital City, River City, The Big Tomato, and the City of Trees. The nicknames most used by those living in Sacramento are Sac, Sactown, Macramento or Sacto. The area where Sacramento was originally developed is simply named Old Sacramento.
- Sacramento's adopted 1920 charter is still in use today. It established a city council and manager form of government. As a charter city, Sacramento is exempt from many laws and regulations passed by the state legislature.
- To help prevent against flooding, Sacramento used landfill to raise the level of their city with first floors becoming basements and so on.
- The State of California is Sacramento's largest employer.
Sources:
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,340694,00.html
http://www.saccounty.net/
http://www.10best.com