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What Cheer House (Sacramento, California)

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72-697: What Cheer House , also at times called the Sackett Hotel and Grand Hotel , is a historical building in Sacramento, California . What Cheer House is a California Historical Landmark No. 597 listed on May 22, 1957. The What Cheer House was first used as hotel, the Sackett Hotel. The What Cheer House was used for the California State offices in 1855. In the 1870s it was called the Grand Hotel. The What Cheer House

144-715: A 10-acre (4.0 ha) orchard and a herd of 13,000 cattle. Fort Sutter became a regular stop for the increasing number of immigrants coming through the valley. In 1847, Sutter Sr. received 2,000 fruit trees, which started the agriculture industry in the Sacramento Valley. Later that year, Sutter Sr. hired James Marshall to build a sawmill so he could continue to expand his empire, but unbeknownst to many, Sutter Sr.'s "empire" had been built on thin margins of credit. In 1848, when James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma (some 50 mi or 80.5 km northeast of

216-527: A 50,000 acre land grant in the Central Valley from the Mexican governor . The main building of the fort is a two-story adobe structure built between 1841 and 1843 using Indigenous forced labor . This building is the only original surviving structure at the reconstructed Sutter's Fort State Historic Park. It was in here on January 28, 1848, that James Marshall met privately with John Sutter in order to show him

288-1109: A day or two of light rainfall in May or October. The normal annual mean temperature is 61.8 °F (16.6 °C), with the monthly daily average temperature ranging from 47.3 °F (8.5 °C) in December to 75.9 °F (24.4 °C) in July. Summer heat is sometimes moderated by a sea breeze known as the "delta breeze" which comes through the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta from the San Francisco Bay , and temperatures cool down sharply at night. The foggiest months are December and January. Tule fog can be extremely dense, lowering visibility to less than 100 feet (30 m) and making driving conditions extremely hazardous. Chilling tule fog events have been known to last for several consecutive days or weeks. During Tule fog events, temperatures do not exceed 50 °F (10 °C). Snowfall

360-417: A massive adobe structure with walls 18 feet (5.5 m) high and three feet (0.91 m) thick. Representing Mexico, Sutter Sr. called his colony New Helvetia , a Swiss-inspired name, and was the political authority and dispenser of justice in the new settlement. Soon, the colony began to grow as more and more pioneers headed west. Within just a few short years, Sutter Sr. had become a grand success, owning

432-593: A month 761 structures were re-built, many of them in brick. In spite of all these hardships the new city's location just downstream from the Mother Lode in the Sierra Nevada proved irresistible, and it grew rapidly during the early 1850s, attracting a population of 10,000. The Great Flood of 1862 from December 1861 to January 1862 caused the worst flooding in Sacramento's history. In 1861, Governor Leland Stanford , who

504-653: A new store at 12th and K street, the US$ 2 ;million Senator Hotel was opened, Sacramento's drinking water became filtered and treated drinking water, and Sacramento boxer Georgie Lee fought Francisco Guilledo , a Filipino professional boxer known as Pancho Villa, at L Street Auditorium on March 21. Early in World War II, the Sacramento Assembly Center (also known as the Walerga Assembly Center)

576-401: A small Chinatown mall remains as well as a museum dedicated to the history of Sacramento's Chinatown. The Newton Booth Historic District, named for Newton Booth , is located on the southeast corner of Sacramento's original 1848 street grid. The oldest part of the town besides Sutter's Fort is Old Sacramento , which consists of cobbled streets and many historic buildings, several from

648-587: Is at the southeast corner of Front Street and K Street in Old Sacramento . The What Cheer House supported the California Gold Rush Pioneers, it was built near the Sacramento waterfront and Central Pacific Railroad station. A Pioneer greeting was what cheer, partner?! , thus the What Cheer House name. After the California State offices moved out the What Cheer House became a warehouse for

720-511: Is rare in Sacramento, which is only 25 ft (8 m) above sea level . In the downtown area, only three significant snow accumulations have occurred since 1900, the last one being in 1976. During especially cold winter and spring storms, intense showers do occasionally produce a significant amount of hail, which can create hazardous driving conditions. Snowfall in the city often melts upon ground contact, with traceable amounts occurring in some years. Significant annual snow accumulations occur in

792-467: Is still possible to view portions of the " Sacramento Underground ". The city's current charter was adopted by voters in 1920. As a charter city , Sacramento is exempt from many laws and regulations passed by the state legislature . The city has expanded continuously over the years. The 1964 merger of the City of North Sacramento with Sacramento substantially increased its population, and large annexations of

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864-527: Is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County . Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California 's Sacramento Valley , Sacramento's 2020 population of 524,943 makes it the fourth-most populous city in Northern California, the sixth-most populous in the state , the ninth-most populous state capital, and

936-530: Is the second most flood-susceptible city in the United States after New Orleans. Sutter%27s Fort Sutter's Fort was a 19th-century agricultural and trade colony in the Mexican Alta California province. Established in 1839, the site of the fort was originally part of a utopian colonial project called New Helvetia ( New Switzerland ) by its builder John Sutter , though construction of

1008-626: The 35th most populous in the United States . Sacramento is the seat of the California Legislature and the governor of California . Sacramento is also the cultural and economic core of the Greater Sacramento area , which at the 2020 census had a population of 2,680,831, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in California. Before the arrival of the Spanish , the area was inhabited by

1080-570: The Natomas area eventually led to significant population growth throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Sacramento County (along with a portion of adjacent Placer County ) is served by a customer-owned electric utility, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). Sacramento voters approved the creation of SMUD in 1923. In April 1946, after 12 years of litigation, a judge ordered Pacific Gas & Electric to transfer

1152-616: The Nisenan , Maidu , and other indigenous peoples of California . In 1808, Spanish cavalryman Gabriel Moraga surveyed and named the Río del Santísimo Sacramento (Sacramento River), after the Blessed Sacrament . In 1839, Juan Bautista Alvarado , Mexican governor of Alta California , granted the responsibility of colonizing the Sacramento Valley to Swiss -born Mexican citizen John Augustus Sutter , who subsequently established Sutter's Fort and

1224-551: The Sacramento Public Library , and K Street , a historic street home to apartments, retail, and historical buildings. In addition, Downtown Sacramento is home to several hotels including the Citizen Hotel, housed in one of the first skyscrapers built in the city. East Sacramento is a neighborhood in between Midtown and Sacramento State. This neighborhood is well known for being home to McKinley Park and Rose Garden and

1296-521: The Sacramento River . Sutter Jr. and Brannan had United States Army Captain William H. Warner assigned to draft the official layout of the city, which included 26 lettered and 31 numbered streets (today's grid from C St. to Broadway and from Front St. to Alhambra Blvd.) Relations between Sutter and his son became embittered after Sacramento became an overnight commercial success. (Sutter's Fort, Mill, and

1368-721: The UC Davis School of Medicine . In 2013, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau stated that the city receives 15.3 million visitors per year, and is home to the California Museum , Crocker Art Museum , California State Railroad Museum , California State Capitol Museum , the Sacramento Convention Center Complex , and Old Sacramento State Historic Park . Nisenan (Southern Maidu ), Modoc , and Plains Miwok American Indians have lived in

1440-1437: The farm-to-fork movement, which promotes the consumption of locally-grown food). After 4,000 displeased citizens signed a petition protesting the change, officials agreed to include both slogans on the water tower. The city groups most of its neighborhoods into four areas: Additional prominent regions and neighborhoods in the region include American River Parkway, Arden-Arcade, Arden Fair, Cal Expo, Capital Avenue, Coffing, College Glen, College Greens, Cordova, Creekside, East Fruitridge, Elder Creek, Elkhorn, Elvas, Erikson Industrial Park, Excelsior Sunrise, Foothill Farms, Franklin, Frates Ranch, Gateway Center, Gateway West, Glenwood Meadows, Hansen Park, Heritage Park, Johnson Business Park, Johnson Heights, Mayhew, Metro Center, Mills, Natomas Corporate Center, Natomas Creek, Natomas Crossing, Natomas Park, Newton Booth, Noralto, Northpointe, Norwood, Oak Knoll, Old North Sacramento, Parker Homes, Point West, Raley Industrial Park, Regency Park, Richardson Village, Richmond Grove, Rosemont, Sierra Oaks, Sports Complex, Strawberry Manor, Sundance Lake, Swanston Palms, Town and Country Village, Upper Land Park, Village 5, Village 7, Village 12, Village 14, Village Green, Walerga, Walsh Station, West Del Paso Heights, Westlake, Willowcreek, Wills Acres, Winn Park, Woodside, and Youngs Heights. Capitol Mall connects West Sacramento and Downtown Sacramento. Some notable landmarks on this road include

1512-558: The gold that Marshall had found during the construction of Sutter's sawmill along the American River only four days earlier. Sutter built the original fort with walls 2.5 feet (0.76 m) thick and 15 to 18 feet (5.5 m) high. Pioneers took residence at Sutter's Fort around 1841. Following word of the California gold rush , the fort was largely deserted by the 1850s and fell into disrepair. The party led by John Sutter landed on

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1584-446: The 1850s and 1860s. Buildings have been preserved, restored, or reconstructed, and the district is now a substantial tourist attraction, with rides on steam-powered historic trains and horse-drawn carriages. The Poverty Ridge Historic District is within Sacramento's original 1848 street grid and bounded to the west by 21st Street, to the north by S Street, to the east by 23rd Street, to the south by W Street and U.S. Route 50, and includes

1656-696: The Blessed Sacrament.)" The valley and the river were then christened after the "Most Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ," referring to the Catholic sacrament of the Eucharist . John Sutter Sr. first arrived in the area on August 13, 1839, at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers with a Mexican land grant of 50,000 acres (20,000 ha). The next year, he and his party established Sutter's Fort,

1728-614: The Downtown Plaza shopping mall, the district opened in 2016 along with Golden 1 Center . Downtown Commons, otherwise known as DOCO, is home to the Sawyer, a 16-story skyscraper with a 250-room hotel and 45 condominiums, a Macy's anchor store, an IMAX theater, and retail space with a variety of restaurants and shops. Downtown Sacramento is home to the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and Theater , Sacramento City Hall,

1800-557: The Fabulous Forties, home to some of the most expensive, largest, and architecturally unique homes in the city. East Sacramento was home to Ronald Reagan during his term as Governor of California and this neighborhood was prominently featured in Greta Gerwig's film Lady Bird . The Opium Wars of the 1840s and 1850s, along with the California gold rush, brought many Chinese people to California. Most arrived at San Francisco, which

1872-481: The Sacramento River from Yerba Buena at 38°34′54″N 121°27′58″W  /  38.5816°N 121.4660°W  / 38.5816; -121.4660 . After landing, Sutter built a base camp, then Sutter's Fort. The site of the landing is California Historical Landmark #591 that was listed on May 22, 1957. The old Coloma Road opened in 1847, it ran from Sutter's Fort to the city of Coloma . Marshall traveled

1944-508: The Sacramento River. A Spanish writer with the Moraga expedition wrote: Canopies of oaks and cottonwoods, many festooned with grapevines, overhung both sides of the blue current. Birds chattered in the trees and big fish darted through the pellucid depths. The air was like champagne , and ( the Spaniards) drank deep of it, drank in the beauty around them. "¡Es como el sagrado sacramento! (It's like

2016-539: The Sacramento waterfront shipping. Since the What Cheer House has been: Stage Nine Entertainment Store, G.Willikers Toy Emporium, The Vault, California Clothiers, and the Old Fashioned Candy and Confectionery. The City of Sacramento had a 13-year program in the 1860s and 1870s, to raise the buildings and streets in Sacramento to stop the flooding problem in the city, like the Great Flood of 1862 . The What Cheer House

2088-743: The Tower Bridge, Old Sacramento, and the California State Capitol Building. Capitol Mall is considered to be the business district of the city. Skyscrapers such as the Wells Fargo Center and U.S. Bank Tower , two of the tallest buildings in the city, are located on Capitol Mall and are home to several major companies. The street is also home to major festivals such as the annual Farm to Fork Festival. Sacramento's historic Japantown once occupied much of today's Capitol Mall, spanning 4th street from K to P streets. The area suffered from

2160-483: The area for perhaps thousands of years. Until the settlers arrived who would eventually make Sacramento their home, these tribes left little evidence of their existence. Their diet was dominated by acorns taken from the plentiful oak trees in the region and by fruits, bulbs, seeds, and roots gathered throughout the year. In 1808, the Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga encountered and named the Sacramento Valley and

2232-415: The area turned out to be a bane. By December 1848, John Sutter Jr., in association with Samuel Brannan , began laying out the City of Sacramento, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of his father's settlement of New Helvetia. This venture was undertaken against the wishes of Sutter Sr., but the father, being deeply in debt, was unable to stop it. For commercial reasons, the new city was named "Sacramento City" after

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2304-676: The assembly center site is now part of the Foothill Farms-North Highlands subdivision. The Sacramento-Yolo Port District was created in 1947, and the ground was broken on the Port of Sacramento in 1949. On June 29, 1963, with 5,000 spectators waiting to welcome her, the Motor Vessel Taipei Victory arrived. The Nationalist Chinese flagship docked at the Port of Sacramento , being the first ocean-going vessel in Sacramento since

2376-602: The bank of the American River in August 1839. The group included three Europeans and a Native American boy, probably to serve as interpreter. Some of the first people brought to the colony were Native Hawaiian workers, called Kanakas . Sutter had entered a contract with the governor of Hawaii to import and use the labor of these eight men and two women for three years. Once the first camp was set up, Sutter used local Miwok , Nisenan , and "missionized" Native Californians to build

2448-448: The block bounded by 20th Street, 21st Street, S Street, and T Street. The Poverty Ridge Historic District was considered to be Sacramento's wealthiest neighborhood from 1868 to 1947. Sacramento has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ), characterized by hot, long, dry summers and cool winters with a decent amount of rainfall. Most of the annual precipitation generally occurs from November to April, though there may be

2520-482: The city. Between October and December 1850, Sacramento was hit with a cholera epidemic that killed 1,000 residents, including Mayor Bigelow and 17 of the city's 40 physicians. Up to 80 percent of the populace left town. On November 2, 1852, a fire known as the Great Conflagration burned more than 80 percent of the structures in the city. It is estimated that the total damage was around six million dollars. Within

2592-505: The construction of a new state capitol building which was finished in 1874. Sacramento is the fastest-growing major city in California, owing to its status as a notable political center on the West Coast and as a major educational hub, home of California State University, Sacramento and UC Davis . Similarly, Sacramento is a major center for the California healthcare industry , as the seat of Sutter Health , UC Davis Medical Center , and

2664-490: The effects of climate change on vegetation in the future. Treepedia , a project run by MIT using Google Maps ' street-view data to calculate tree coverage in cities, ranked Sacramento the greenest city of 15 studied in the US, and third globally, after Vancouver and Singapore . A prominent water tower bore the slogan "City of Trees" until 2017 when it was repainted with the words "America's Farm-to-Fork Capital" (referring to

2736-463: The end of the California and Siskiyou Trails , which it served as a waystation. In modern times, the adobe structure has been restored to its original condition ( 38°34′20″N 121°28′16″W  /  38.5723°N 121.4712°W  / 38.5723; -121.4712 ) and is now administered by California Department of Parks and Recreation . It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961. To build his colony, John Sutter secured

2808-409: The first building, a three-room adobe. Once the fort was built, Sutter established an agricultural colony with labor structures similar to Southern plantations and European feudalism . The colony relied on ranching and growing wheat crops. European colonists oversaw Native Californian and Native Hawaiian workers, who were often gravely mistreated. Sutter employed a caste system to ensure that

2880-477: The foothills 40 mi (64 km) east of the city, which had brief and traceable amounts of snowfall in January 2002, December 2009, and February 2011. The greatest snowfall ever recorded in Sacramento was 3 inches (7.6 cm) on January 5, 1888. On average, there are 76 days with a high of 90 °F (32 °C)+, and 14 days with a high of 100 °F (38 °C)+; On the other extreme, there are 8.5 days where

2952-408: The forced eviction of its Japanese residents during WW2 and never recovered, resulting in the remaining properties taken through eminent domain to create the grand promenade of today's Capitol Mall . The Nisei Memorial Hall at 4th and Q remains the last remaining property associated with Sacramento's former Japantown. One of the newest districts in the city is Downtown Commons . Formerly home to

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3024-602: The fort proper would not begin until 1841. The fort was the first non-Indigenous community in the California Central Valley , and saw grave mistreatment of Indigenous laborers in plantation or feudal style conditions. The fort is famous for its association with the Donner Party , the California Gold Rush , and the formation of the city of Sacramento , surrounding the fort. It is notable for its proximity to

3096-467: The fort), numerous gold-seekers came to the area, increasing the population. In August 1848, Sutter Sr.'s son, John Sutter Jr. , arrived to assist his father in reducing his debt . The Sutters struggled to contain the effects of thousands of new gold miners and prospectors in the area, many of whom squatted on unwatched portions of the vast Sutter lands or stole various unattended Sutter properties or belongings. For Sutter, his employee's discovery of gold in

3168-472: The help of the city, agreed to build a new arena in the downtown area. With a final estimated cost of $ 558.2 million, Sacramento's Golden 1 Center opened on September 30, 2016. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city covers 100.1 square miles (259 km ). 97.81% of it is land, and 2.19% of it is water. Depth to groundwater is typically about 30 feet (9 m). Much of

3240-507: The historic Sacramento Rail Yards . From 1862 until the mid-1870s, Sacramento raised the level of its downtown by building reinforced brick walls on its downtown streets and filling the resulting street walls with dirt. The previous first floors of buildings became basements , with open space between the street and the building, previously the sidewalk , now at the basement level. Over the years, many of these underground spaces have been filled or destroyed by subsequent development. However, it

3312-527: The land to the west of the city (in Yolo County ) is permanently reserved for a vast flood control basin (the Yolo Bypass ), due to the city's historical vulnerability to floods. As a result, the contiguous urban area sprawls only four miles (6.4 km) west of downtown (as West Sacramento, California ) but 30 miles (48 km) northeast and east, into the Sierra Nevada foothills, and 10 miles (16 km) to

3384-609: The landmarks of California's pioneer days, purchased and rehabilitated Sutter's Fort when the City of Sacramento sought to demolish it. Repair efforts were completed in 1893 and the fort was given by the Native Sons of the Golden West to the State of California. In 1947, the fort was transferred to the authority of California State Parks as Sutter's Fort State Historic Park . Most of the original neighborhood structures were initially built in

3456-510: The late 1910s. It was the first US city to be designated a City of Trees by the Arbor Day Foundation in 1978. In the early 21st century, the tree cover is well above that of the average tree cover of other major cities in the United States and the rest of the world, with the main species being the London plane . Other species are being introduced to increase diversity and to help cope with

3528-442: The late 1930s as residences, many of which have been converted to commercial uses such as private medical practices. The history of the neighborhood is largely residential. Sutter's Fort is located on level ground at an elevation of approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) above mean sea datum. The slope elevation decreases northward toward the American River and westward toward the Sacramento River . Slope elevation gradually increases to

3600-470: The minority European settlers maintained control over the colony. Although some of the laborers worked voluntarily, many were subjected to brutal conditions that resembled enslavement or serfdom . After gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill (also owned by John Sutter) in Coloma on January 24, 1848, the fort was abandoned. In 1891, the Native Sons of the Golden West , who sought to safeguard many of

3672-907: The national Capitol, was started in 1860 and completed in 1874. In 1861, the legislative session was moved to the Merchants Exchange Building in San Francisco for one session because of the massive flooding in Sacramento. From 1862 to 1868, part of the Leland Stanford Mansion was used for the governor's offices during Stanford's tenure as the Governor; and the legislature met in the Sacramento County Courthouse. The legislative chambers were first occupied in 1869, while construction continued around them. With its new status and strategic location, Sacramento quickly prospered. It

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3744-603: The nearby San Francisco Bay Area , as well as immigration from Asia and Latin America. In 1985, Hugh Scrutton, a 38-year-old Sacramento, California, computer store owner, was killed by a nail-and-splinter-loaded bomb placed in the parking lot of his store. In 1996, his death was attributed to the Unabomber, Theodore Kaczynski . After acquiring the majority stake in the Sacramento Kings , the team's new owner, Vivek Ranadivé , with

3816-651: The new state's capital. From California's statehood beginning September 9, 1850 through 1851, the legislature met in San Jose. It moved to Vallejo in 1852 and Benicia in 1853, before ending up in Sacramento in 1854. During the 1850s the city was consolidated with the County of Sacramento. In the Sacramento Constitutional Convention of 1879 , Sacramento was named the permanent state capital. The Classical Revival -style California State Capitol , similar to

3888-413: The population of 4,739 was transferred to the Tule Lake concentration camp. The site was then turned over to the Army Signal Corps and dedicated as Camp Kohler . After the war and the end of the incarceration program, returning Japanese Americans were often unable to find housing and so 234 families temporarily lived at the former assembly center. Camp Kohler was destroyed by a fire in December 1947, and

3960-543: The road to tell of his gold find to Captain John A. Sutter. During the 49ers gold rush thousands of miners traveled the road heading out to look for gold and claims. Coloma Road at Sutter's Fort is a California Historical Landmark No. 745. There are two other Coloma Road California Historical Landmarks: Coloma Road, Rescue California Historical Landmark, No. 748, in Coloma and California Historical Landmark No. 747 at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park . California's first stage line, California Stage Company , traveled

4032-439: The settlement at the Rancho Nueva Helvetia . Following the American Conquest of California and the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo , the waterfront developed by Sutter began to be developed and incorporated in 1850 as the City of Sacramento. In 1852, the city offered its county courthouse to the state of California to house the state legislature, resulting in the city becoming the permanent state capital in 1854 and ushering in

4104-426: The south and east, away from the rivers. All surface drainage flows toward the Sacramento River. Groundwater in the vicinity flows south-southwest toward the Sacramento Delta . However, after peak rainfall, the Sacramento River swells and the groundwater flow can actually reverse away from the river. Sutter's Landing is the spot the Captain John A. Sutter landed in August 1839 at the American River after coming up

4176-457: The south into valley farmland. The city is at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River and has a deep-water port connected to the San Francisco Bay by a channel through the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta . It is the shipping and rail center for the Sacramento Valley . Sacramento has long been known as the "City of Trees" owing to its abundant urban forest . The city has more trees per capita than any other city in

4248-539: The steamship Harpoon in 1934. In 1967, Ronald Reagan became the last Governor of California to live permanently in the city. The 1980s and 1990s saw the closure of several local military bases: McClellan Air Force Base , Mather Air Force Base , and Sacramento Army Depot. In 1980, there was another flood. Despite military base closures and the decline of agricultural food processing, Sacramento has continued to experience population growth in recent years. Primary sources of population growth are an influx of residents from

4320-526: The temperature remains below 50 °F (10 °C), and 15 freezing nights per year. Official temperature extremes range from 18 °F (−7.8 °C) on December 22, 1990, to 116 °F (46.7 °C) on September 6, 2022; a station around 5 mi (8.0 km) east-southeast of the city dipped to 17 °F (−8.3 °C) on December 11, 1932. The average annual precipitation is 18.14 inches (461 mm). On average, precipitation falls on 58 days each year in Sacramento, and nearly all of this falls during

4392-483: The title of Sacramento's electric distribution system to SMUD. Today SMUD is the sixth-largest public electric utility in the U.S. and is a leader in innovative programs and services, including the development of clean fuel resources, such as solar power . The year following the creation of SMUD, 1924, brought several events in Sacramento: Standard Oil executive Verne McGeorge established McGeorge School of Law , American department store Weinstock & Lubin opened

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4464-421: The town of Sutterville , all founded by John Sutter Sr., eventually failed). Residents of Sacramento adopted a city charter in 1849, which was recognized by the state legislature in 1850. Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California, incorporated on February 27, 1850. On January 10, 1850, a flood occurred that devastated the city. The rushing waters uprooted homes and drowned livestock. The city

4536-579: The winter months. Average January rainfall is 3.66 in (93 mm), and measurable precipitation is rare during the summer months. In February 1992, Sacramento had 16 consecutive days of rain, resulting in an accumulation of 6.41 in (163 mm) for the period. On rare occasions, monsoonal moisture surges from the Desert Southwest can bring upper-level moisture to the Sacramento region, leading to increased summer cloudiness, humidity, and even light showers and thunderstorms. Monsoon clouds do occur, usually during late June through early September. Sacramento

4608-443: The world. The first recorded use of the term was in 1855, and it was popular by the early 20th century. It was not always so: it was at first called the "City of Plains" because of the lack of trees, but soon afterward there were cottonwood trees planted, and eucalyptus varieties were imported to dry out swampland . Later, locust trees , and willows were planted along streets, then elms , then palm trees , then fruit trees in

4680-418: Was almost destroyed. Due to the efforts of Hardin Bigelow , Sacramento's first elected mayor, the construction of the city's first levee was completed in early 1852 (the city became known as "The Levee City"). However, a month after it was completed, it was breached during the first major storm of the season and the city flooded again. A new levee was built for $ 50,000, but it also broke, causing more flooding of

4752-579: Was designated as the western terminus of the Pony Express . Later it became a terminus of the First transcontinental railroad , which began construction in Sacramento in 1863 and was financed by " The Big Four "— Mark Hopkins , Charles Crocker , Collis P. Huntington , and Leland Stanford . Both the American and especially Sacramento rivers were key elements in the economic success of the city. Sacramento effectively controlled commerce on these rivers, and public works projects were funded through taxes levied on goods unloaded from boats and loaded onto rail cars in

4824-553: Was established to house Japanese Americans forcibly "evacuated" from the West Coast under Executive Order 9066 . The camp was one of fifteen temporary detention facilities where over 110,000 Japanese Americans , two-thirds of them U.S. citizens, were held while construction on the more permanent War Relocation Authority camps was completed. The assembly center was built on the site of a former migrant labor camp, and inmates began arriving from Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties on May 6, 1942. It closed after only 52 days, on June 26, and

4896-415: Was inaugurated in early January 1862, traveled to his inauguration in a rowboat. The California State Legislature , with the support of Governor John Bigler , moved to Sacramento in 1854. The capital of California under Spanish (and, subsequently, Mexican) rule had been Monterey , where, in 1849, the first Constitutional Convention and state elections were held. The convention decided San Jose would be

4968-470: Was not repealed until 1943. The mysterious fires were thought to be set off by those who resented the Chinese working class. Ordinances on what was viable building material were set into place to try to get the Chinese to move out. Newspapers such as The Sacramento Union wrote stories at the time that portrayed the Chinese in an unfavorable light to inspire ethnic discrimination and drive the Chinese away. While most of Sacramento's Chinatown has now been razed,

5040-411: Was on "I" Street from Second to Sixth Streets, called the China Slough . At the time, this area of "I" Street was considered a health hazard because, lying within a levee zone, it was lower than other parts of the city, which were situated on higher land. Throughout Sacramento's Chinatown history, there were fires, acts of discrimination, and prejudicial legislation such as the Chinese Exclusion Act that

5112-587: Was raised 15 feet, stopping flooding by the Sacramento River and American River . By the later 1940s and early 1950s What Cheer House was showing her age due to lack of renovation. By 1965 the City of Sacramento set up a plan to renovated and modernize not only the What Cheer House, but much of Old Sacramento. Stage Nine Entertainment, Inc. purchased the What Cheer House in the 1990s. Sacramento, California Sacramento ( / ˌ s æ k r ə ˈ m ɛ n t oʊ / SAK -rə- MEN -toh ; Spanish: [sakɾaˈmento] ; Spanish for ' sacrament ')

5184-535: Was then the largest city in California and known as "Daai Fau" ( Chinese : 大埠 ; Jyutping : daai fau ; Cantonese Yale : Daaihfauh ). Some eventually came to Sacramento, then the second-largest city in California and consequently called "Yee Fow" (Chinese: 二埠 ; Jyutping: ji fau ). Today the city is known as " 萨克拉门托 " ( pinyin : Sàkèlāméntuō ) by mainland Chinese and as " 沙加緬度 " Sāgāmíhndouh and Shājiāmiǎnduó by Cantonese speakers and Taiwanese respectively. Sacramento's Chinatown

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