Sacramento is the capital of California, and in the county of Sacramento County. It is along the Sacramento River and south of theAmerican River's union in California's Central Valley. In 2007 it had estimated population of 460,242, making it the seventh-largest city in California. Sacramento is the core cultural and economic core of the Sacramento Metropolitan Area which is made up of El Dorado,Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties. The region has also been noted as one of the ten "most livable" regions in America in 2004.
Sacramento became a city due to the labors of John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant, as well as james w marshall. Sutter's Fort, which was established by Sutter in 1839, gave protection to sacramento helping with its fast growth . It was a major hub for for wagon trains,stagecoaches, riverboats, the telegraph, the Pony Express, and the First Transcontinental Railroad.
California State University, Sacramento, is the major local university. It is one of the twenty-three campuses of the California State University system.