Sacramento, City (pop., 2020: 524,943), capital of California, U.S. It is located in the Central Valley, where the Sacramento and American rivers meet. First settled in 1839 as New Helvetia by John Sutter, it became an important trading centre during the gold rush. The present city was laid out in 1848 and named for the river. It became the state capital in 1854 and prospered as a transportation and agricultural centre. It was the terminus of the first California railroad in 1856 and the western terminus of the Pony Express in 1860. A ship canal completed in 1963 made the city a deepwater port. The city’s main industries, in addition to government services, include food processing, printing, and aerospace products. It is the site of several institutions of higher learning.
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