Sacramento History, California

 In 1854, the legislature of California moved to Sacramento.  Prior to 1846, Monterey was the capital of California, and in 1849, there was a vote for the capitol of the state to reside in San Jose.  When California was made a state, after 1850, the capitol was located also in Benicia and Vallejo prior to its move to Sacramento.  The Constitutional Convention of 1879 permanently named the capital of the state Sacramento.  In 1874, the capitol building was completed, and in 1861, one session of the legislature was moved to San Francisco because of massive flooding at the capital. 

 With the new strategic location and status of Sacramento, the city prospered quickly, becoming the western side for the Pony Express.  The city's First Transcontinental Railroad began development in 1863, which was financed by Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Collis P. Huntington (known as The Big Four).  Leland Stanford was the one who put the last spike into the railroad, as well as the one who established Stanford University to honor his son who died at the age of 15.

 In both 1850 and 1861, the people of Sacramento faced the town being completely flooded.  Following the devastating flood of 1850, the city went through a flu epidemic and cholera epidemic, which crippled the city for many years.  Then in 1861, flooding was so bad that legend says that Leland Stanford, who was made the city's governor earlier that year, had to get into his house through a window on the second floor.  Sacramento raised the city's level by landfill in 1862, which made the first floors of its buildings into basements that were connected by tunnels later on.  The tunnels turned into an opium den network, which were mostly filled in later on.  However, you can still see some sections of Sacramento's Underground.

 The growth of the city has been major throughout the years, having about 1,352,445 residents by 2004.  The main reason for this increase in population is a huge arrival of residents around the San Francisco Bay who sought lower costs for housing, as well as Asian, Soviet, and Latin American immigrants.  In one decade, 1990 - 2000, the population grew 14.7 percent, and between 2000 and 2004, the population was estimated to have grown by almost 130,000 people.  The city of Sacramento is also continuing to grow from these immigrants and others as well.

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• California Automobile Museum
  travel tip by zsoldicsa posted more then 30 days ago
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  travel tip by tibi60 posted more then 30 days ago
  Built on the image of the Washington Capitol, this imposing marble building is home to the senate and a public museum. Free tours are provided inside the California State Capitol Museum which feature not only art exhibitions but also the...
• Crocker Art Museum
  travel tip by kachou_n posted more then 30 days ago
  For those who art lovers or are fascinated by beautiful architecture, the Crocker Art Museum can provide both. Newly renovated, the museum has already welcomed lots of visitors and with pride. The place is marvelous. A wide variety of...

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