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Introduction The City of Sacramento, Sacramento County, California, was founded in 1849, and is the oldest incorporated city in California. In 1920, Sacramento City voters adopted a City Charter (municipal constitution) and a City Council-City Manager form of government, which are still used today.
The community name derives from a Spanish term for "holy sacrament".
Sacramento, the capital of the state of California, began its life as a Gold Rush city when thousands of prospectors descended upon Captain John Sutter's settlement, New Helvetia, in hopes of striking the mother lode. Today Sacramento is a city of gracious tree-lined streets and, famous for flowers that bloom all year, it is known as the "Camellia Capital of the World." A significant percentage of the food that America consumes is produced in Sacramento, which is at the center of the fruitful Sacramento Valley. Since the nineteenth century the city has been a major transportation hub for the West Coast.
Geography & ClimateSacramento lies in the center of California's broad and fruitful Sacramento Valley, 72 miles northeast of San Francisco. Shielded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east, the California Coast ranges to the west, and the Siskiyou Mountains to the north, the city enjoys a mild climate for most of the year. In the summer, however, "northers" blow from the Siskiyou Mountains, bearing pollens and heat. This is mitigated by Sacramento's extremely low humidity and the cool ocean breezes. The winters are rainy.
Elevation: 30 feet above sea level
Average Temperatures: January, 45.0° F; July 73.0° F; annual average, 59.0° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 17.18 inches
Land area: 97.2 square miles
Latitude: 38.56 N,
Longitude: 121.47 W
Population: 456,441 (as on July 2005)
Local festivals include:· California State Fair - Aug. 11-Sept. 4, 2006
Sacramento attractions: Sacramento Zoo, Old Sacramento, Fairytale Town