About West Sacramento
About West Sacramento
About
West Sacramento is better known as “West Sac” to those who live in and around the city. West Sacramento is separated from Sacramento by the Sacramento River. It is its own city, not simply a part of Sacramento. In fact, it is not only its own city, but it is located in a completely seperate county from Sacramento, Yolo County. The city itself is often considered “up and coming”, but is one of the few cities nationwide that actually lives up to the claim. In 2000, the population of West Sacramento was 31,615. Just 10 years later, the population jumped to 48,744 in 2010. In 2014, West Sacramento was named the Most Livable City in America by the US Conference of Mayors.
History
The area where West Sacramento is now located was a part of Mexico in 1844 when John Schwartz settled in. John and his brother George established a fishery along the river and began to farm livestock. The soil, they found was very fertile.
John Schwartz sold 600 acres of his land to James McDowell in 1846. McDowell, his wife, and their three kids settled into the area that is now known as Broderick in West Sacramento. Unfortunately, the time that the family moved into the area was marked by the infamous Gold Rush. During this time there was an influx of violence and unfortunately, James McDowell was shot and killed.
Once John had passed on, Margaret did what any woman would have done at the loss of the main breadwinner in the household: she found a way to make ends meet. In 1849, Margaret had a surveyor mark off 160 acres of the land and divided it into 41 blocks. She marked these blocks off and sold them individually to buyers. She established as the “Town of Washington”.
Even in its first 10 years as a neighborhood, the Town of Washington went through a huge increase of business and population. The California Steam Navigation company set up shop in the Town of Washington because of how close it was to the river. Other businesses that settled into the neighborhood included restaurants, bars (then called saloons), and hotels. It was a town that well catered to travelers.
Eventually, the Town of Washington was renamed to be Broderick after US Senator David C. Broderick. Two other areas were included in the threesome of neighborhoods: Bryte and West Sacramento. They were collectively referred to as “East Yolo”.
In 1987, West Sacramento was officially declared to be a city.
Things to Do
If you’re traveling through West Sacramento, you won’t be at a loss for things to do. One of the top tourist attractions is Raley Field, home of the minor league baseball team, the Sacramento River Cats, the AAA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The ball park also serves as a concert venue and the home of a number of private and community events. Visitors can take a tour of Raley Field as well.
Another popular attraction is the Sierra Mac River where you can take a relaxing trip down the river, or even kick the adventure up a few notches and do some diving from rocks.
Adventure seekers can also camp overnight, and go rafting, kayaking, or boating with Whitewater Adventures.
If you have the family in tow, an inexpensive stop that the kids will enjoy is the Bounce Spot – which is an inflatable play area. You can find a number of deals online for ticket discounts.
Developments
In order for a city to continue a forward momentum of growth, there has to be a level of advancement. There’s something to be said for the fact that West Sacramento was voted as the top city to live in, but at the same time, to keep its title, there has to be continual development.
There are currently 6 projects that are under review by the planning division. They include development of 21 single family homes in the Bridge District, a hotel, and a recycling facility.
In addition, as discussed by El Cajon DUI Attorney, to these proposed developments, 4 projects have recently been approved by the planning division. The city of West Sacramento will soon see “The Barn”, a venue for a number of outdoor events. As well as the development of Hart Monopine Telecommunications Facility, as well as two plans for subdivision.
All in all, West Sacramento surely lives up to its reputation as being a great city to live in. Not only does it have a number of predominant neighborhoods, but also a significant number of businesses and job opportunities which are both important to people who consider moving into the area. When it comes to a city being well established, West Sacramento is doing it right. They even take it a step further by continuing their plans for development. While no one can accurately predict the future, if West Sac keeps going in the direction that it is, there’s a very good chance that it could become one of the most economically sound cities California has seen.