Sacramento became California’s permanent capital in 1854 after the government moved from Benicia.
California’s capital changed locations several times during the early statehood period. The legislature first met in San Jose, then moved to Vallejo, and later used Benicia’s courthouse. In 1854, lawmakers selected Sacramento as the permanent seat of government.
Sacramento’s position on the Sacramento River made it an important transportation and commercial center during the Gold Rush. Its location near the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers also connected the inland mining region with routes toward San Francisco Bay.
A common confusion is that San Francisco served as California’s capital because it was the state’s most famous nineteenth-century city. San Francisco was influential, but Sacramento has been the permanent capital since 1854.