20 Facts About Greater Sacramento

Greater Sacramento area refers to a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the US Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined statistical area, the latter of which consists of seven counties, namely Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Sutter, Yuba, and Nevada counties.

Straddling the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada regions of California, Greater Sacramento is anchored by the state capital of Sacramento, the political center of California.

Greater Sacramento contains sites of natural beauty including Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America and numerous ski and nature resorts.

Since the late 20th century, it has been one of the fastest growing urban regions in the United States as Sacramento continues to emerge as a distinct metropolitan area.

Greater Sacramento area is composed of seven counties, two metropolitan statistical areas and one micropolitan area.

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An increasing phenomenon taking shape in Greater Sacramento is growth of urban sprawl as Sacramento and its metropolitan area continue to expand.

Greater Sacramento is the largest city in the metropolitan area, home to approximately 500,000 people, making it the sixth-largest city in California and the 35th largest in the United States.

When gold was discovered in nearby Sutter's Mill in Coloma, Greater Sacramento became a boom town luring in migrants making their way from San Francisco to the gold fields of the Sierras.

Greater Sacramento today continues to be one of the largest rail hubs in North America, and its rail station is one of the busiest in the United States.

The remainder of Greater Sacramento County is suburban in general with most of the working population commuting to Downtown Greater Sacramento and with a smaller proportion commuting all the way to the Bay Area.

El Dorado and Placer Counties form the remainder of the inner core of Greater Sacramento and are composed of the Sierra foothills and mountains.

Western half of Greater Sacramento is centered on the Central Valley, one of the most vital agricultural areas in the country.

The major freeways of the Greater Sacramento area are Interstate 80, US Route 50, Interstate 5, and State Route 99, which serve the northern Tahoe area, southern Tahoe area, and valley areas, respectively, as well as forming the Capital City Corridor along with Interstate 80 Business.

Outside downtown Greater Sacramento, there is only one principal route that serves its respective area and there are smaller state routes as well.

Greater Sacramento is the largest rail hub west of the Mississippi River and was the first terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad before it extended to Oakland.

Main airport servicing Greater Sacramento is the Sacramento International Airport north of downtown while the Sacramento Mather Airport, Sacramento Executive Airport and Minden–Tahoe Airports provide general aviation.

Greater Sacramento is served by extensive bus systems that link the region to the Reno and Bay Area metropolitan areas.

Only major professional sports team based in the Greater Sacramento area are the Sacramento Kings, who play at the Golden 1 Center in Downtown Sacramento.

Greater Sacramento is the only metropolitan area in the West Coast and in California to have ever hosted a Winter Olympic Games when Squaw Valley hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, becoming the smallest city to ever host an Olympic Games, a title it still holds.

Greater Sacramento Republic FC is a soccer team that plays in the USL Championship at Papa Murphy's Park, which is located on the grounds of Cal Expo.