Sacramento is the capital of the State of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. Located in California's expansive Central Valley, it is the seventh most populous city in California. As of 2006, Sacramento had a population of 457,514. The city is the core cultural and economic center of its four-county metropolitan area (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties). With a population of 2,042,283, the Sacramento metropolitan area is the largest in the Central Valley, and is the fourth-largest in California, behind the Los Angeles-Orange County area, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the San Diego area. Greater Sacramento has been cited as one of the five "most livable" regions in America, and the city was cited by Time magazine as America's most integrated.
California became a state of the United States in December 1848 by the efforts of John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant and John Bidwell. There were settlers in the area before this time. The Dutch came in the 1820s. Sacramento grew faster due to the protection of Sutter's Fort, which was established by Sutter in 1839. During the California Gold Rush, Sacramento was a major distribution point, a commercial and agricultural center, and a terminus for wagon trains, stagecoaches, riverboats, the telegraph, the Pony Express, and the First Transcontinental Railroad.
Typical of California informality, Sacramento is referred to by many nicknames. The most common names are Capital City, River City (after the Sacramento River and American River), The Big Tomato, and the City of Trees (due to Arbor Day recognition as a Tree City USA for 29 years[3]). The nicknames most used by those living in Sacramento are Sac, Sactown, Sack of Tomatoes, or Sacto. The area where Sacramento was originally developed is still in existence as a tourist venue, and is simply named Old Sacramento.
California State University, Sacramento, also known as Sac State, is the major local university. It is one of the twenty-three campuses of the California State University system.
Sacramento has a Mediterranean climate that is characterized by mild winters and dry 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) in July. 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 (34 °C), with the highest temperature on record being 115 °F (45 °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 of 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 (tule fog), 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 52 feet 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.
Sacramento, California Mortgage, Home Loan for Refinance or Purchase
