1. Before the Sacramento Kings were “kings,” they were actually the Royals from Rochester, NY. They became Kings when the basketball team moved to Kansas City, MO. But Kansas City didn’t seem right either, so they packed up and moved again, to Sacramento in 1985.
2. Did you know that Sacramento is actually two cities in one? There’s a large abandoned network of tunnels underneath the foundation of the city. That network was once the actual city of Sacramento, until the new city was raised up to avoid flood damage.
3. Don’t be shocked or worried if you see a real live lion at the Sacramento Kings home games and city events. That’s the team’s mascot, Slamson.
4. At one point in 1866, Sacramento was considered home to one Mark Twain back when the Sacramento Union newspaper was operational. This was actually when Twain began writing long before even considering the adventures of one Huckleberry Finn and one Tom Sawyer.
5. Interestingly enough, the infamous California Gold Rush didn't originate in California. That prestige actually belongs to North Carolina, 50 years before Sutter ever tried to find gold along the rivers of the state.
6. Sacramento is California’s sixth capital since 1854. In fact, Sacramento was the state capital twice in history—it was dropped and then picked up again later.
7. Amusingly enough, the “Screamer,” a death-defying Ferris-wheel-type ride in the Scandia Family Fun Center actually bans real screams for the sake of respecting the neighbors.
8. In 1976 the city took on a huge renovation project on the Capitol building, that was said to be the largest restoration project of its time in the United States, with a reported budget of $68 million.
9. Every year Sacramento hosts a “Trash Film Orgy,” a film festival honoring the absurd, B-movie, trashy horror flick, creature feature, and exploitation genre. Nice.
10. You can visit the grave of Senator Capitol Kitty, a feral cat who lived at the state capitol for 13 years, and who was featured in the children's book, "The Adventures of Capitol Kity: An Almost True Story."
11. Without a doubt, Jerry Brown, former and current governor of California, is the only governor in the nation to have an unusual portrait in Sacramento’s capitol building: the artist did a rendition of him like this.
12. The Pony Express service originated right in Sacramento back in 1860, and stretched as far east as Missouri.
13. There is a giant wood statue of Kevin Costner from the film "Silverado" at the Silverado Building Materials and Nursery.
14. Long are the days gone that you get to go to a bar featuring two pianists playing against each other in good sport. Sacramento has revived that art with greatness in town thanks to the “Dive Bar: Dueling Pianos” off of K Street. They actually do it every Thursday.
15. There’s a timeless quality to art when it comes to Sacramento. The Crocker Art Museum is the longest running establishment for artwork in the entire western United States.
16. Sacramento’s been called many things over the years: Camellia Capital of the World, City of Trees, River City, The Big Tomato (why didn’t that one stick?) and Sactown, just to name a few.
17. Cheese lovers take a very big note: There is a climbable hunk of Swiss Cheese in Sacramento's Fairytale Town.
18. The largest almond processing plant in the world, Blue Diamond, is headquartered right in town and processes 12 million pounds of almonds every day during harvest.
19. There is a working mini version of the city in Sacramento called Safetyville, USA that was created to teach safety awareness to children.
20. While Discovery Park in Sacramento may say that it’s open year round from sunrise to sunset, be careful: The park is actually submerged underwater during the winter. It’s part of the area’s flood control system.
21. The California State Library in Sacramento has an infamous history of hauntings. Watch out for those flying books.
22. Strangely enough, the California Supreme Court isn’t headquartered in the state capitol of Sacramento. It’s based in San Francisco.
23. Old Sacramento (a portion of the city dedicated to restorations and tourist attractions) definitely fits its name—you can traverse that part of town via steam-hauled trains and paddle steamers. Many of the buildings are from the 1850s and 1860s too, and all the streets are made of cobblestone.
24. Sacramento has seven orchestras: The Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sacramento Baroque Soloists, the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra, the Sacramento Youth Symphony, the Sacramento Master Singers, the Sacramento Children’s Chorus, and the Camellia Symphony.
25. Sacramento’s California Railroad Museum is the largest establishment of its kind in the entire country. The museum houses an astounding 21 restored locomotives.
26. Paris currently holds the record in the world for the most trees in one city, but Sacramento comes in at a very close second.
27. The town’s home to arguably the “World’s Oldest Triathlon,” featuring a unique replacement for swimming: kayaking.
28. Metropolitan Sacramento is actually split between two counties. Sacramento is in Sacramento County, but West Sacramento is technically in Yolo County.
29. The Sacramento River is the longest in the entire state of California.
30. Historically, Mr. Leland Stanford was the man driving the infamous “golden spike” into the ground for the great Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. You can experience memories of his life at the Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park where his “house” boasted 44 rooms, and was home to three different California governors back in the 1860s.
31. Sacramento State University happens to love “green energy.” The campus is home to the renowned California Smart Grid Center.
32. Only in Sacramento will you find a national landmark named after its previous title of a once proud music retailer in history: Tower Records. The same building is now known as the Tower Theater, and it’s so popular that within that intersection is Tower Liquors, Tower Books, and Tower Video.
33. Sacramento may actually be quite far from the coast, but the city still boasts a thriving seaport thanks to the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta River.
34. Sacramento is only 17 feet above sea level.
35. You'll find lots and lots and lots of tomatoes in Sacramento’s famous Farmer’s Market. Hopefully you like spaghetti.
What’s your favorite fun Sacramento fact? Tell us in the comments below!
