Why is Sacramento the capital?

When people talk about the state of California, most would think that the big cities of Los Angeles or San Francisco are the capital city.  These people would be surprised to know that the city of Sacramento is the state capital.  Although Sacramento is also a large city, it’s just not one of the most popular cities to be considered as the state capital.

Back in 1849, the original capital city for the state of California was Monterey.  During this time, the first ever Constitutional Convention and state elections were held in this city.  It was also agreed upon during the said convention that San Jose will be the new capital city after Monterey.  It stayed this way until 1851, and a year after the state capital was moved again to the city of Vallejo.  After another year, Benicia became California’s state capital.  Only after this city did Sacramento became the official capital of the state of California. By 1879, it was resolved by the Constitutional Convention to make Sacramento the permanent capital city of California.

Back in those times, Sacramento was the obvious choice for the state capital.  During the Gold Rush period, people from across different states would pass through Sacramento for their activities.  Sacramento back then attracted many people which stimulated and boosted the city’s economic and business climate.  Most of the powerful politicians of the time were based in Sacramento making it an obvious choice for the state’s capital.  The location of Sacramento was also a perfect choice back then against possible invasion from foreigners because it was not near the ocean. But with major rivers nearby and its proximity to other major cities like San Francisco, Sacramento thrived to become a bustling city in those times. With all these factors involved, the city of Sacramento became the state capital of California.