The city of Sacramento started with a nugget of gold in 1839. John Marshall uttered the famous words, "Boys, I believe I found a gold mine" at the confluence of two rivers, the Sacramento and the American.
Attracted by the lure of easy money, thousands flooded into the new American territory in one of the greatest gold rushes in history. Sacramento was established primarily as a city to handle the prospector influx in the mid-1880's, and was a rough and tumble old west mining town.
Today, old shade trees and stately homes, Victorian mansions, and well built bungalows line the peaceful streets of Sacramento. They serve to soften a modern mercantile haven, full of fine dining experiences, and home to the political hotbed that thrives below the tranquil surface in California's state capital.
One of the state's fastest growing areas, Sacramento has a population of around 1.8 million people. It is a robust shipping and processing center for most of the local fruit, vegetables, rice, wheat and dairy goods in the Central Valley. In recent years, the city is seeing more spillover from the high-tech Silicon Valley businesses, and an influx to its suburbs from Bay area residents seeking more affordable housing.