Sacramento

Sacramento, California, has such an abundant urban forest it’s known as the “City of Trees.” John A. Sutter, Jr. founded what is now a 99.7 square-mile city in 1848, when Sacramento was an outgrowth of Sutter’s Fort. Today, it’s California’s capital, with a median age of 34.9 (2022). Most residents work in government, education, healthcare, agriculture, real estate, and clean technology.

Homes in Sacramento come in many styles: Victorian, Neoclassical, Prairie, Tudor Cottage, and Spanish Colonial. There’s also Medieval, Mission, and Colonial Revival styles, as well as bungalows. The typical home value, up 5% over the past year, is $489,931 (Zillow, 2022). The city’s annual events – such as the Earth Day Festival, the First Fest Music Festival, and Sacramento Black Book Fair – are just as varied as its residential architecture.

Among the major thoroughfares serving the city is I-80, the major east–west route. It cuts through West Sacramento, and runs south of downtown and its cluster of bars, restaurants, and parks, and the performing arts district. I-5 heads north, skirting ethnic restaurants and international supermarkets in south Sacramento, and the Land Park neighborhood, with its quaint houses on quiet streets.

Sacramento has been fostering an evolving contemporary culture that has earned it another nickname: the most “hipster city” in California.