WELCOME TO THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY
With its tree-canopied streets, rolling rivers, and lovely holiday camellias, the Sacramento Valley still harbors a “golden” quality of life to newcomers. Home to California’s Capital City, Sacramento County blends with the counties of El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba in a truly eclectic environment. Here, you can find everything from the alpine beauty of the high Sierra Nevadas to gleaming high-rises silhouetted against the Sacramento skyline.
The vast area of the Sacramento Valley brings together leading biomedical research centers, military bases, rice fields, vineyards, horse ranches, Gold Rush history, international corporations, top universities—and the California State Legislature in action. This overwhelming medley of contrasts creates a wealth of diversity, which is one of the most attractive attributes within the panoramic Sacramento Valley.
Once a land dotted with rowdy 1800 gold mining towns and railroad centers, the Sacramento Valley today sprawls over several counties that boast diverse strengths and assets. Yuba and Sutter counties are primarily agricultural, although farming and lumber industries are also active in El Dorado, Nevada, and Yolo Counties. The lion’s share of Yolo County remains dedicated to crop production, while El Dorado County adds considerable tourism revenue to its wine-making industry, service sector, retail trade, and high-tech business base. Nevada County is another traditionally agricultural region that has been opening its doors to an influx of electronic companies. The city of Sacramento remains the focal point for business, government, and industry. However, domestic and international corporations continue to select land-rich suburban sites like Folsom, Roseville, and Rocklin as centers of development.
Services
Residents of this region enjoy a well-developed network of transportation facilities and services from ground to sky. The Sacramento International Airport is available just 15 minutes from downtown Sacramento, while municipal and county airports offer convenient runways for private, charter, and corporate aircraft. Since the valley is ideally situated at the crossroads of central California, Interstates 5 and 80 combine with major state and federal highways for a strong network of surface travel options. Light rail, buses, and ride-sharing assistance through transportation authority organizations ensure that valley residents have alternatives to private-car travel.
Outstanding healthcare and educational services all play an integral role in the allure to the Gold Country, where the University of California-Davis allows the region to claim a position of leadership in research, diagnostics and treatment through its UC Davis Medical Center.
Excellent healthcare systems such as Sutter, Mercy, Kaiser Permanente, and Davis Health ensure that a network of major hospitals, community clinics, advanced specialists, and supportive services are available to meet every need.
Quality public and private schools serve the region, enhanced by a network of vocational and career institutions, community colleges, law schools, and major universities. Near the Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento lies the tree-shaded campus of the California State University-Sacramento, placing students within easy reach of opportunities for governmental research and internships. Not far from Sacramento in Davis, the University of California-Davis includes professional schools for Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Law, and Management. Respected as one of the premier advanced science and engineering schools in the nation, UC Davis was ranked by Money magazine as one of the top ten “best buys” in a public colleges and universities for in-state students. A number of quality colleges and universities also offer extensions in the Sacramento area, many of them providing the working adult with a convenient path toward an undergraduate or graduate degree.
