Sacramento - Rails and Rivers

[plinko]

Downtown Sacramento is a bit of an enigma. 20 years ago, it felt similar in scale and liveliness to Austin. While the state government has driven large parts of the growth of downtown since, overall the growth and development seems to have lagged the pace of other mid-sized cities such as Salt Lake City, Nashville, and particularly Austin. The metro area itself generally grows faster than the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, and yet downtown has still been a bit sleepy.

One area where Sacramento seems to be doing quite well in terms of construction is infrastructure. New lite rail lines radiating from downtown, an entirely new street grid through formerly industrial railyards, and creating mass opportunities for a general reimagination of the riverfront and a whole section of the downtown area.

I’ve been coming here all my life to visit family. I lived in downtown in 2002-2003. I’ve been coming back regularly ever since. There were good bones to work with here. Now they are finally seeming to be activated.

I was last there in April and I did manage to find a couple of hours to roam…

The new street grid feels a bit empty as of now. But things are in the works: www.railyards.com. I personally think the plan is much too divided in terms of uses, but it’s nice to see something going on instead of the abandoned yards that sat there for decades.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0001 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


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One thing I always have noticed about Sacramento is that even in most of the burbs, there are trees everywhere. I’m hoping the Railyards will someday look like this.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0004 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

A new 20+ story Sacramento County Courthouse is under construction and will site directly in front of the Federal Courthouse from this view.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0005 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


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The distant State Government Richards Boulevard Office Complex under construction. I think the tallest building will be about 12 floors.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0023 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0024 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

West Sacramento has come a long way. When I lived downtown I used to think of West Sac as a long lost junkie uncle who suddenly moved to town, got clean, got a job, and for all intents seems to be doing well. Nearly 20 years later, West Sac is finally getting there. Developments all over (mostly of the 4-5 story variety), a fledgling riverfront district which could be quite amazing, and a place that I probably would look at for investment if I lived up there.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0025 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


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This interesting little structure is called The Barn. I've not been here when it's open, but it's quite the instagram spot in town from what I understand. Unique piece of architecture.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0030 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


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In 2002, the City polled residents on what color to paint the Tower Bridge. I voted for white, hoping that the bridge could be lit up different colors for events. Gold won out, and in the right light, really sparkles.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0041 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


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Creepy, if I had to walk past this everyday…yikes!

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The new Department of Natural Resources Building is quite nice, with some interesting façade articulations. It may not look it, but it’s actually taller than its bulk would suggest. I believe it’s the 10th tallest building in the city.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0056 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


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These days when we are up there, we stay way out in the burbs. You can get a fairly nice distant view of the city from the foothills.

210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0073 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


210403-0411 SACRAMENTO_0074 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

[OhioGuy]

I finally visited Sacramento for the first time last April and I really appreciated the awesome street grid and tree canopy throughout much of Midtown (extending north & south) and East Sacramento. The Capitol grounds were lovely too! I hate heat (and strong summer sun) so it would be a challenge for me to live there but I was definitely impressed after my visit this past spring.

[sopas ej]

Great photos! I've been driving *through* Sacramento like once or twice a year since about 2012 or 2013 when my sister and her family moved to Chico, but I haven't actually stopped in/explored Sacramento since about the mid-two thousand aughts. My sister's in-laws also live in a "suburb" of Sacramento, if Granite Bay counts as a Sacramento suburb.

Sacramento is nice. Great food scene as I recall. Brutally hot summers though, just like Chico and Granite Bay. Sacramento summer heat is somehow not the same as say, Palm Springs summer heat, though both seem equally hot, yet somehow Palm Springs is more comfortable (only slightly more). Dryer desert heat, maybe?

[Evo5Boise]

I was just in Sacramento two years ago. Lovely city. I really enjoyed it, albeit, my visit was brief. It reminds me of Boise in a lot of ways in how the area is shaped. Downtown is off-center to the long metro area. Obviously Sacramento has taller buildings, but, they both seemingly have been victim to squatty, very even leveled skylines. In no way does that detract from the great downtown core, just an observation.

[Pistola916]

I'm a Sac native. Nice photos. Aside from JKL corridors, Downtown still feels sleepy but it's gotten better over the years since the arena opened and more residential housing have been built. There are more housing and hotels under construction, which will liven the area.

Sac will probably never see the 20+ residential towers or the 40 story office towers that have popped up in similar markets. I wish the State could have built Sac's tallest when they constructed the Natural Resource building. They could have cut the bulkness by adding height to the structure, resulting in a slimmer tower. I don't know whether we will see a new tallest for the city. Everything that gets built here is under 400 feet, considering there isn't any height restrictions like Phoenix or San Jose.

[EastSideHBG]

Nice!

[202_Cyclist]

Great photos! I lived in Sacramento (midtown) from 2001 - 2002. It took some time but I came to like the city. There was fun nightlight (Tower Club) and great outdoor activities like the American River bike trail and the proximity to fantastic mountain biking around Auburn.

The city, itself, however, does feel a little sleepy.

[LAsam]

Been visiting Sacramento on and off for the last 15 years since I have family there. Certainly a sleepy, primarily suburban metro area, but not without it charms! Midtown and East Sacramento are lovely lower density urban areas, the new arena is nice and has K Street's pedestrian mall moving in the right direction, the railyards could be interesting, and I really like what they are doing down on R Street. Curtis Park and Land Park are some really charming older suburbs. I'm also a sucker for the Railroad Museum

[homebucket]

Great tour! Sacramento definitely has a lot of potential. Hopefully it continues growing in the right direction. Will have to check it out myself one of these days. Perhaps fall or spring would be better times to avoid the heat.

[craigs]

Plinko, you have a great eye. Love the photos.

Sacramento is not everyone's cup of tea, but the older parts of the city are filled with Victorian, Edwardian, and Craftsman (and modern) buildings, a lot of good restaurants, fun and random bars, a lush tree canopy, and top notch bike trails. It's California's only major 'river city' (two rivers, actually), with a more mellow pace and lower population densities than the state's coastal cities. Up until recently it was also relatively affordable. I can't really explain why it hasn't grown bigger than it already is.

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures! I like that building with the Asian roof! I always notice that ziggurat building, too!

[MplsTodd]

Nice tour and captions! I drove through Sacramento last summer and spent a little time driving around downtown. I liked the Capitol area and the very distinctive bridge plus enjoyed seeing several 1920's vintage buildings (along J & K Streets). But other wise it was hard to get a good feel for it. Although the tall buildings do vary in design from one another, somehow the Sacramento skyline reminds me of a suburban office area outside Chicago or someplace like Roslyn or Ballston, VA.

Hopefully, someday they can place I-5 in a tunnel so it won't create such a wedge between downtown and the river/Old Sacramento.

I saw the photo with Amtrak--do they run regular commuter-style trains to the Bay Area. I would think that would do well and, if it could be upgraded to bullet-train speed, could attract residents to dwtn Sacramento who work in the Bay Area.

[ChrisLA]

Nice I like the last two photos overlooking the city from the foothills. It’s not exactly a place I want to live but I definitely can see how it is a nice area to live. I did interview for a state job there and the wife and I was looking around just in case we had to relocate, we decided mid-town Sacramento would be our choice of neighborhoods to live in. It reminded us most of something like the Bay Area or even an LA neighborhood.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

Nice tour and captions! I drove through Sacramento last summer and spent a little time driving around downtown. I liked the Capitol area and the very distinctive bridge plus enjoyed seeing several 1920's vintage buildings (along J & K Streets). But other wise it was hard to get a good feel for it. Although the tall buildings do vary in design from one another, somehow the Sacramento skyline reminds me of a suburban office area outside Chicago or someplace like Roslyn or Ballston, VA.

Hopefully, someday they can place I-5 in a tunnel so it won't create such a wedge between downtown and the river/Old Sacramento.

I saw the photo with Amtrak--do they run regular commuter-style trains to the Bay Area. I would think that would do well and, if it could be upgraded to bullet-train speed, could attract residents to dwtn Sacramento who work in the Bay Area.

The highrise district west of the Capitol might feel like an office park due to a misguided "urban renewal" crusade in the mid-20th century that wiped out a lot of the city's historic core. The area was reconstructed to be more "modern," including a big shopping mall and office towers along widened roads. That's especially noticeable along the Capitol Mall. The historic urban fabric was fortunately retained in Old Sacramento along the riverfront and the part of downtown north of the Capitol complex, as well as the residential districts around downtown.

And yes, those are Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor commuter trains, which ran 15 round trips each workday, pre-COVID, between Sacramento and the Bay Area.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

Sacramento got the vibes from a combination of Stockton CA and Austin TX, and I wonder why Sacramento didn't go developing and booming like Austin.

[LAsam]

Originally Posted by Murphy de la Sucre

Sacramento got the vibes from a combination of Stockton CA and Austin TX, and I wonder why Sacramento didn't go developing and booming like Austin.

If you look at the "City Discussion" forum conversation currently going about Nashville, I think you can extrapolate that poor (or lack) of marketing may be a significant contributing factor. Sacramento also doesn't have the state capital + leading state university combination Austin has... it has Sacramento State but that's nothing compared to University of Texas.

[ozone]

It’s fairly early to explain Sacramento relative slow grow compared to say Austin and other cities- it’s proximity to San Francisco and the Bay Area sucks up the energy and attention. It’s not far enough away to be regarded as the chief city of a major region. But it’s also not close enough to the Bay Area to benefit from it’s expansion.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by LAsam

If you look at the "City Discussion" forum conversation currently going about Nashville, I think you can extrapolate that poor (or lack) of marketing may be a significant contributing factor. Sacramento also doesn't have the state capital + leading state university combination Austin has... it has Sacramento State but that's nothing compared to University of Texas.

While UC Davis ranks higher than UT Austin and is only a 15 minute drive from downtown Sacramento, it's a fact that Sacramento doesn't have that same kind of 'college town' vibe that Austin does, because Davis isn't right downtown like UT is.

[LAsam]

Originally Posted by craigs

While UC Davis ranks higher than UT Austin and is only a 15 minute drive from downtown Sacramento, it's a fact that Sacramento doesn't have that same kind of 'college town' vibe that Austin does, because Davis isn't right downtown like UT is.

Agreed. Davis is a nice college town.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

Nice I like the last two photos overlooking the city from the foothills. It’s not exactly a place I want to live but I definitely can see how it is a nice area to live. I did interview for a state job there and the wife and I was looking around just in case we had to relocate, we decided mid-town Sacramento would be our choice of neighborhoods to live in. It reminded us most of something like the Bay Area or even an LA neighborhood.

I lived in midtown when I was in Sacramento and it is a very pleasant neighborhood. Midtown has a very nice tree canopy. The 40s neighborhood to the east is also as nice of a neighborhood as you will find anywhere.