Often referred to as "the Big Tomato," Sacramento is a city whose
makeup is significantly more complex than its agriculture-based
sobriquet implies. In "River City and Valley Life, " seventeen
contributors reveal the major transformations to the natural and
built environment that have shaped Sacramento and its suburbs,
residents, politics, and economics throughout its history.
The site that would become Sacramento was settled in 1839, when
Johann Augustus Sutter attempted to convert his Mexican land grant
into New Helvetia (or "New Switzerland"). It was at Sutter's
sawmill fifty miles to the east that gold was first discovered,
leading to the California Gold Rush of 1849. Nearly overnight,
Sacramento became a boomtown, and cityhood followed in 1850.
Ideally situated at the confluence of the American and Sacramento
Rivers, the city was connected by waterway to San Francisco and the
surrounding region. Combined with the area's warm and sunny
climate, the rivers provided the necessary water supply for
agriculture to flourish. The devastation wrought by floods and
cholera, however, took a huge toll on early populations and led to
the construction of an extensive levee system that raised the
downtown street level to combat flooding. Great fortune came when
local entrepreneurs built the Central Pacific Railroad, and in 1869
it connected with the Union Pacific Railroad to form the first
transcontinental passage. Sacramento soon became an industrial hub
and major food-processing center. By 1879, it was named the state
capital and seat of government.
In the twentieth century, the Sacramento area benefitted from the
federal government's major investment in the construction and
operation of three military bases and other regional public works
projects. Rapid suburbanization followed along with the building of
highways, bridges, schools, parks, hydroelectric dams, and the
Rancho Seco nuclear power plant, which activists would later shut
down. Today, several tribal gaming resorts attract patrons to the
area, while "Old Sacramento" revitalizes the original downtown as
it celebrates Sacramento's pioneering past.
This environmental history of Sacramento provides a compelling case
study of urban and suburban development in California and the
American West. As the contributors show, Sacramento has seen its
landscape both ravaged and reborn. As blighted areas, rail yards,
and riverfronts have been reclaimed, and parks and green spaces
created and expanded, Sacramento's identity continues to evolve. As
it moves beyond its Gold Rush, Transcontinental Railroad, and
government-town heritage, Sacramento remains a city and region
deeply rooted in its natural environment.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
