When it comes to Sacramento, you may think that you know everything there is to know about it, but you may be surprised to learn some new facts that were not so obvious. I thought it would be fun to tell you some interesting facts about Sacramento that I thought you might find interesting.
Sacramento was not always state’s capital.
San Jose was the first state capital from November 13, 1849 to May 1, 1851.
Then it was Vallejo’s turn: January 5, 1852 to February 4, 1853.
Temporarily, Sacramento became the third state capital from January 16, 1852 to May 4, 1852.
Then it was Benicia’s turn: February 4, 1853 to February 25, 1854.
And lastly, it was Sacramento’s turn again: February 25, 1854 to present.
The Crocker Art Museum, in Sacramento, is the oldest art museum in the Western United States.
It was founded in 1885, by Edwin B. Crocker, a wealthy California lawyer and his wife.
General admission is only $15 can can be purchased here.
Sacramento’s nickname is “City of Trees”.
It has the most trees per capita of any other city in the world, except Paris. Lots of elms, oaks and sycamores not only help beautify our city, but they also lower the ground temperatures by 36 degrees on a hot day. (Be careful when parking your vehicle under the trees on hot days as their sap may damage your cars’ paint.)
The original city is actually underground.
In 1862, Sacramento was hit by a massive storm. The subsequent flooding was so intense that it created a temporary inland sea. Some left the city but those who stayed behind, persevered and worked on raising the streets and ultimately saved the city. Sacramento History Museum takes visitors down into the tunnels to share stories of those times.
It’s home to “the world’s oldest” and only non-swim triathlon.
Eppie’s Great Race was founded by restauranteur/entrepreneur Eppie G. Johnson in 1974. It features a 5.82-mile run, 12.5-mile bike and 6.35-mile paddle held along the scenic American Parkway. In 2018, after 45 years, Eppie’s had its last run and the name was changed to Great American Triathlon.
Mark Twain lived in Sacramento circa 1866.
This is when Sacramento Union newspaper was operational. This is way before he even considered writing the adventures of one Huckleberry Finn and one Tom Sawyer.
The Golden 1 Center, is the first fully solar-powered venue in the world.
Not only is it home to the Kings and a venue for some of the best acts in the world (Paul McCartney, Pentatonix and Stevie Nicks, to name a few), but owners of the venue are also trying to keep at least 90 percent of the food and drinks locally sourced.
The largest almond processing plant in the world, Blue Diamond, is headquartered in downtown Sacramento and processes 12 million pounds of almonds every day during harvest. They produce four products: Snack Almonds, Almond Breeze (almond milk), Nut-Thins and Almond Flour.
Discovery Park is actually a part of the area’s flood control system and sometimes floods. Even though it is officially open year around from sunrise to sunset.
Sam Eliot, (1883, Tombstone, Road House) was born in Sacramento in 1944.
Some other famous stars born in Sacramento are:
Brie Larson (Room, The Marvels), Jessica Chastain (The Help, Molly’s Game, Ava), Greta Gerwig (writer and director of Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie) and Colin Hanks (Orange County, Band of Brothers)
To see a complete list of “Sac-born” stars click here.
