Introduction

Content originally taken from West Sacramento City Webpage.

California’s Golden Dream is thriving in one of its newest cities. Incorporated in 1987, West Sacramento is a city designed and ready for business in the 21st century. Yet its history dates back more than 100 years. Like its neighbor across the river, West Sacramento was first settled during the Gold Rush era. The early settlers soon learned that the real gold in the area was the incredibly rich delta soil deposited over the centuries by the Sacramento and the American Rivers. By the turn of the century the central valley of California was recognized as one of the premiere agricultural areas of the world. As Sacramento grew into a major city, West Sacramento, which was separated by the Sacramento River and a county line, retained its small town character and industrial base.

Today, West Sacramento is at the crossroads of California. Featuring its own deepwater port, two interstate highways, major North/South and East/West rail lines and a commercial airport nearby, West Sacramento is well connected to the Pacific Rim and the rest of the nation. And just a literal stone’s throw away is downtown Sacramento, the seat of the government for the 6th largest economy in the world. Being a part of the Greater Sacramento community, we’re on everyone’s list as one of the fastest growing and most livable areas in the country.

West Sacramento also offers something that can no longer be found in many of California’s cities - affordable land and housing. The average home cost is less than half of what a comparable home costs in metropolitan areas as little as 80 miles away. There is a small town atmosphere in West Sacramento, with traditional values and a healthy respect for business and industry.

Modern West Sacramento

West Sacramento has emerged from its infancy and is growing and maturing in many ways. Previous State of the City reports focused on their long-range planning activities that would establish the framework for a vital new City. As the City prepares to enter its third decade of incorporation, its focus is on realizing the quality growth and development that is envisioned in its now adopted long-range plans.

In the first few years after incorporation, the City developed its first general plan and adopted many of the ordinances and development regulations that are necessary to carry out the day-to-day operations of a city. Several specific plans were adopted to guide the development and redevelopment of various underdeveloped areas, including the West Capitol Action Plan (1992), the Triangle Specific Plan (1993), the Riverfront Master Plan (1994), the Southport Framework Plan (1995), and the Washington Specific Plan (1995). As indicated by these plans, the City is in the unique position of simultaneously having to develop vacant lands and redevelop existing developed areas in its incorporated area. Those general and specific plans set the foundation and standards for new growth that is expected to boom in the next few years.

Meanwhile, the City has attracted high quality residential and nonresidential developments which represent the type of growth that the City seeks to encourage. Large-scale new warehouse construction was initiated in 1998. West Sacramento has become a regional attraction with the opening of beautiful Raley Field, the riverfront home of the River Cats' Triple-A Baseball Team. With crowds of 12,000-14,000 per game, the team is smashing Pacific Coast League attendance records.

Improved access across the Deep Water Ship Channel was achieved with the completion of the four lane Daniel C. Palamidessi Bridge. Prior to this, the lone access route between Southport and the rest of the City was via the narrow Jefferson Boulevard bridge which was inadequate to accommodate the increased traffic envisioned in the City's General Plan and Southport Framework Plan. Completion of the Palamidessi Bridge provides a second link between the north and south halves of the City and has opened the door to major new development in Southport. Several subdivision projects in Southport, which had been awaiting completion of the new bridge, will begin construction in 1999.

The Port of Sacramento continues to play an important role in the development of the City's commercial and industrial base. The Port, also dubbed "California's Capitol Port", is a full-service international port offering geographic advantages with modern, flexible bulk cargo facilities. The Port's facilities handle a wide range of materials, including rice, wheat, logs, wood chips, pipe, housing modules, and mining equipment.

Statistics

Size

  • 23.3 square miles

Average Temperatures

  • January High 54 Low 40
  • April High 72 Low 48
  • July High 93 Low 60
  • October High 78 Low 53

Industrial Sites

  • Riverside Centre: 76 acres
  • Seaway International Trace Center: 274 acres
  • Southport Business Park: 672 acres
  • 382 Available Buildings (over 4,000 square ft)
  • 1,221,005 square ft of Vacant Space
  • 14,544,071 square ft of Total Space

Office Sites

  • Riverside Centre: 86 acres
  • Seaway International Trade Center: 73 acres Business Park

Retail Sites

  • Riverpoint Plaza: 8 acres, 6 Highway Commercial Lots
  • Riverpoint Retail: 92 acres

Transportation Air

  • Sacramento International (12 mi)

Transportation Surface

  • Interstates: I-80, I-5, Business 80
  • Highways: US 99, US 50, State 84 and 275
  • Rail: UP, SP Main Line, Yolo Shortline
  • Shipping: Port of Sacramento
  • Rivers: Sacramento River, American River

Miles to Northern California Cities

  • Oakland 78 miles
  • San Francisco 85 miles
  • San Jose 119 miles
  • Santa Rosa 96 miles
  • Stockton 55 miles
  • Modesto 75 miles
  • Fresno 172 miles
  • Lake Tahoe 106 miles
  • Reno (Nevada) 134 miles
  • Redding 168 miles
  • Sacramento adjacent

Miles to Major Recreation Areas

  • Yosemite National Park 172
  • Point Reyes National Park 115
  • Tahoe Ski Resorts 98
  • San Francisco 85
  • Sierra Nevada Camping/Fishing 65
  • Napa Valley 59
  • Six Flags Marine World 57
  • Sacramento River Boating Local

Major Shopping Areas

  • Country West Center
  • Harbor Central
  • Jefferson Boulevard Central
  • Safeway Marketplace

Population

  • 1980 - 24,521
  • 1990 - 28,650
  • 1996 - 30,250
  • 2000 - 31,615
  • 2001 - 32,250
  • 2020 (projected) - 78,700

Income

  • Median Household 1999 - $31,718
  • Per Capita 1999 - $15,245
  • Mortgage Status of Owner Occupied Housing Units with a Mortgage (2000)
  • Median - $1,070
  • Number of Housing Units
  • 1996 - 11,835
  • 2000 - 12,133
  • Employed (as of March 99)
  • 30,524 Jobs in West Sacramento
  • 13,159 Resident Labor Force
  • 625,319 Local Labor Market (Yolo/Sacramento Counties)

Top 25 Major Area Firms

  • U.S. Post Office
  • United Parcel Service
  • Washington Unified School District
  • Cal Fed Bank
  • Raley's / Bel Air
  • Viking Freight System, Inc.
  • Dade MicroScan
  • Fleming Foods
  • First Health Corporation
  • City of West Sacramento
  • Farmer's Rice Cooperative
  • Treasure Chest Advertising Co.
  • Roadway Express, Inc.
  • Clark Pacific
  • MTS Inc./Tower Records
  • Nor-Cal Beverages
  • Tony's Fine Foods
  • Idexx Veterinary Services, Inc./CVD
  • McKesson Drug Co.
  • Flowmaster
  • KOVR-13
  • Rex Moore Electrical
  • Crum & Crum
  • River City Baseball/Sacramento RiverCats
  • Williams Communication

Average Home Price

  • $112,132 (West Sacramento)
  • $155,000 (median Sacramento County 2001)

Typical Rent For Two-Bedroom Apartment

  • $500 to $800 monthly

Average Cost of Residential Water, Garbage and Sewer

  • $68.02 monthly (Water $29.63, Sewer $22.99, and Refuse $16.60 a month)

Police Personnel

  • 54 sworn police officers
  • 9 sergeants
  • 5 executive sworn officers
  • 35 non-sworn personnel
  • 103 Total

Fire Personnel and Paramedics

  • 56 Total
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