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Sacramento

Sacramento, Calif.

Mayor: Heather Fargo (to March 2008)

City Manager: Ray Kerridge

2000 census population (rank): 407,018 (40); % change: 10.2; Male: 197,784 (48.6%); Female: 209,234 (51.4%); White: 196,549 (48.3%); Black: 62,968 (15.5%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 5,300 (1.3%); Asian: 67,635 (16.6%); Other race: 44,627 (11.0%); Two or more races: 26,078 (6.4%); Hispanic/Latino: 87,974 (21.6%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 72.7%; 65 and over: 11.4%; Median age: 32.8.

2005 population estimate (rank): 456,441 (37)

See additional census data

Land area: 97 sq mi. (251 sq km)

Alt.: 25 ft

Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 45.2° F; July, 75.7° F

City park & recreational facilities: 160+ (2,000+ ac.);

Television stations: 7

Civilian Labor Force (PMSA) April 2006: 1,025,300¹;

Unemployed: 46,900¹,

Percent: 4.6¹;

Per capita personal income (MSA) 2004 $33,338¹

Chamber of Commerce: Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, 917 7th St., Sacramento, CA 95814

1. Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, Calif.

Sacramento is the capital of California and the seat of Sacramento County. It is located in the north-central part of the state at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers.

In 1839, German-born Swiss citizen John Augustus Sutter obtained a grant from the Mexican governor to establish a colony for fellow Swiss emigrants on a large tract of land that he named New Helvetia (New Switzerland). He established Fort Sutter there as a trading post.

After gold was discovered on Sutter's property in 1848, the settlement rapidly expanded as the prominent supply point for gold prospectors coming from the East. Sacramento was laid out in 1848 and named after California's principal river, which ran beside it. The river's name in Spanish honors the Holy Sacrament. It became incorporated as a city in 1849 and was made the state capital in 1854. Sacramento was the terminus of the first railroad in 1856 and the western terminus of the Pony Express in 1860.

The city has always been a hub of river transportation and is a major deep-water port connected to the Pacific Ocean. Sacramento's economy is highly diversified and, along with state government and military installations, its industries include aerospace, high technology, furniture, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, meat packing, and food processing of crops from the Central Valley.

See also Encyclopedia: Sacramento .

Selected famous natives and residents:

Joan Didion author;
Mark Goodson TV producer;
Tom Hanks actor;
Henry Hathaway director;
Anthony M. Kennedy Supreme Court justice;
Molly Ringwald actress.

Portland, Ore.

Profiles of the 50 Largest Cities of the United States

St. Louis, Mo.

Sacramento, Calif.

Selected famous natives and residents:

More on Calif Sacramento from Infoplease:

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