The capital of California, the U.S. state known for Los Angeles and San Francisco, is Sacramento.
Sacramento became California’s permanent capital in 1854, after the capital moved among several locations during the Gold Rush era. Its position near the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers helped make it an important transportation and commercial center.
The city grew rapidly after gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in 1848. Sacramento served as a major supply point for miners traveling into the Sierra Nevada. It was also an early western terminus of the Pony Express and an important railroad city.
A common mix-up is choosing Los Angeles, California’s largest city, or San Francisco, a famous historic and cultural center. Neither is the state capital. Sacramento is in the Central Valley, inland from both cities and close to the state’s major river system.