Sacramento County, California

Sacramento County Education, Geography, and History

Sacramento County is a county in the state of California. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 1,418,788. The county seat is Sacramento, the state capital. The county was created February 18, 1850. Sacramento county was named by Captain Moraga after the Sacramento River.

Sacramento County is included in the Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Sacramento County Name

The county was named by Captain Moraga after the Sacramento River. The word Sacramento signifies "Sacrament" or "Lord's Supper."

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Sacramento County History

Sacramento County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.

The county was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western border. The river was named by Spanish cavalry officer Gabriel Moraga for the Santisimo Sacramento (Most Holy Sacrament), referring to the Eucharist.

Native Americans, including the Miwok and Maidu tribes, were the first residents of Sacramento County. The first European to explore the Sacramento area was Gabriel Moraga, an officer in the Spanish Army. He is credited with naming the river and valley Sacramento, from the Spanish phrase Santisimo Sacramento meaning Most Holy Sacrament.

John Sutter, born in Switzerland in 1803, came to California in 1839 and settled in the Sacramento Valley. Sacramento was part of Mexico at the time, and, after becoming a Mexican citizen, Sutter was given a land grant by Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado in the valley. At the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, Sutter built Fort Sutter.

As a result of the Mexican War of 1846-1848, California was ceded to the United States. In 1849, gold was discovered at Sutter's mill in what is now El Dorado County, and the Sacramento Valley was flooded with people coming to find gold. In 1850, California became a state, and Sacramento County was established as one of its original counties. The city of Sacramento was named the state capital in 1854.

One of the largest counties in the state at 1026 square miles. In 1884, the county was noted for agriculture and mining with a population of about 40,000.

The 1900 Sacramento Directory states the county is comprised of 640,000 acres. The city of Sacramento is fourth in population in the state, second in commercial importance. There are four rivers in the county, The Sacramento, American, Comsumnes, and Mokelumne.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 995 square miles (2,578 km²), of which, 966 square miles (2,501 km²) of it is land and 30 square miles (77 km²) of it (3.00%) is water.

 The majority of the county is at an elevation close to sea level, with some areas below sea level. Hills along the eastern boundary rise to several hundred feet. Major watercourses in the county include the American River, Sacramento River and Dry Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Placer County; El Dorado County
• East: Amador County
• South: San Joaquin County
• Southwest: Contra Costa County; Solano County
• Northwest: Yolo County; Sutter County

Education

Colleges and universities

Public schools

• California State University Sacramento
• UC Davis Extension
• UC Davis School of Medicine

Community Colleges

• Los Rios Community College District
• American River College
• Cosumnes River College
• Folsom Lake College
• Sacramento City College
• Sierra College

Private schools

• The Art Institute of California - Sacramento. Branch of The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles.
• Lincoln Law School of Sacramento
• Drexel University Sacramento
• National University Sacramento Regional Campus
• University of San Francisco regional campus
• McGeorge School of Law. Part of the University of the Pacific.
• University of Southern California Extension
• Professional School of Psychology
• Golden Gate University Extension
• Alliant International University
• DeVry University
• Universal Technical Institute
• MTI College
• Sacramento Valley Campus of the University of Phoenix
• Western Seminary
• Epic Bible College
• California Northstate University College of Pharmacy
• San Joaquin Valley College

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