Sacramento is the capital city of California and seat of Sacramento County, found in the central part of the state in the rich Sacramento Valley. Sacramento is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and also the American River. The state's seventh-largest city, Sacramento was the gateway towards the mining regions during the California gold rush of 1849 and long has been one of the West's major commercial and transportation centers. The city got its name from the Sacramento River, named by early Spanish explorers in honor of the Christian sacraments.
The Nisenan people, also referred to as the Southern Maidu, have lived for thousands of years in the Sacramento Valley. The very first non-native resident of the area was John A. Sutter, a Swiss immigrant who acquired a land grant from the Mexican government in 1839. Sutter built a fort on the site of present-day Sacramento and called his settlement New Helvetia. In 1848 James Wilson Marshall, a contractor at Sutter's lumber mill, discovered gold at the mill, which was situated in Coloma, northeast of New Helvetia. Despite attempts by Sutter and Marshall to keep the discovery a secret, the area was soon overrun by gold seekers.
The town of Sacramento established as being a commercial and transportation center over the California gold rush. The city incorporated in 1850 and became the state capital in 1854. Six years later Sacramento became the western terminus of the Pony Express. Construction of the first transcontinental railroad started within the city in 1863.
The city grew even larger during the entire early 20th century. Its top industry was the processing and canning of agricultural products. During and after World War II (1939-1945), Sacramento's economy grew to be more diverse. The downtown area was revitalized in the 1960s and 1970s by a huge urban-renewal project.
Sacramento was hit hard by the national recession of the 1990s, which was made worse for the region by the closure of several local military bases. The gradual conversion of these facilities to peacetime use and also the growth and development of high-technology industries have helped the city recover.
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