Sacramento is California’s capital, a riverside city of about 525,000 people (metro roughly 2.4 million) founded in 1848 and shaped by the Gold Rush, when it became a key boomtown at the meeting of the Sacramento and American rivers. It’s best known for its government core around the State Capitol and for Old Sacramento Waterfront, where restored 19th-century streets, museums and riverboats give the city a strong “frontier-era” feel. Other highlights include the California State Railroad Museum, the farm-to-fork food scene, and leafy neighbourhoods like Midtown with breweries, bars and live venues. Outdoors is built in: the American River Parkway runs for miles with cycling and walking trails, and weekend trips reach Napa, the Delta, or the Sierra foothills. Getting in and around is straightforward via Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Amtrak at Sacramento Valley Station, and light rail plus buses for local hops.

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