Why is LA California's biggest city?
Why is the state's capital Sacramento, only the 7th biggest city?
Why is SF so important despite being on hills?
Why did San Jose pass it in population?
What's the role of the Central Valley?
How to understand California:
Why is the state's capital Sacramento, only the 7th biggest city?
Why is SF so important despite being on hills?
Why did San Jose pass it in population?
What's the role of the Central Valley?
How to understand California:
Los Angeles is more than 2x more populous than the SF Bay Area, which in turn is more than 2x San Diego's. Sacramento is the 4th metropolitan area and 7th city by population.
So why is it the capital?
So why is it the capital?
This was not the population distribution 170 years ago, when California became a US state.
If you look at the most populous counties then, you might not even recognize 3 of the top 5. Why?
If you look at the most populous counties then, you might not even recognize 3 of the top 5. Why?
The Gold Rush, of course!
The name of El Dorado county betrays it. Indeed, the counties of El Dorado, Calaveras, Yuba, and Tuolomene were all in the Gold Rush region.
To give you a sense of the growth: SF had 1k ppl in early 1848. By the end of 1849, it has 25k
The name of El Dorado county betrays it. Indeed, the counties of El Dorado, Calaveras, Yuba, and Tuolomene were all in the Gold Rush region.
To give you a sense of the growth: SF had 1k ppl in early 1848. By the end of 1849, it has 25k
Gold was first discovered in Sutter's Mill
Why that name?
It was, of course, the Mill of Mr Sutter
Sutter wanted to build a settlement in the region
The best place? The confluence of the biggest rivers, for irrigation and navigability
He chose the Sacramento & American rivers
Why that name?
It was, of course, the Mill of Mr Sutter
Sutter wanted to build a settlement in the region
The best place? The confluence of the biggest rivers, for irrigation and navigability
He chose the Sacramento & American rivers
The settlement was founded as New Helvetia in 1839. It had a farm, ranch, a distillery, hat factory..
Sutter wanted to add timber. What's the best way to achieve that? A water-powered sawmill downstream of mountain trees, at the foot of the hills, where logs can be floated down
Sutter wanted to add timber. What's the best way to achieve that? A water-powered sawmill downstream of mountain trees, at the foot of the hills, where logs can be floated down
The perfect spot was Sutter's Mill, on the South Fork of the American River in Coloma.
Which happened to be in the middle of gold fields.
Which happened to be in the middle of gold fields.
Hundreds of thousands of people rushed for gold;
Sacramento became their capital: the biggest city in the region, and because it was at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers, the perfect transport hub for the gold and timber downstream, products for miners upstream
Sacramento became their capital: the biggest city in the region, and because it was at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers, the perfect transport hub for the gold and timber downstream, products for miners upstream
The US acquired California from Mexico in 1848, CA became a state in 1850, it tried several cities for capital, and settled with Sacramento in 1854 the heart of the state at the time
But then why was San Francisco bigger than Sacramento back then?
The Sacramento River is navigable, but only for river boats. Seafaring ships can't make it that far. They need a transfer. What does such a port need?
The Sacramento River is navigable, but only for river boats. Seafaring ships can't make it that far. They need a transfer. What does such a port need?
• A deep water port
• Protected from the ocean waves & weather
• Defensible from invaders
• Close to the ocean
• Close to the Sacramento River
Many spots in the Bay Area fulfill these needs and have flatter plains. Why did SF win despite its hills (and cold)?
• Protected from the ocean waves & weather
• Defensible from invaders
• Close to the ocean
• Close to the Sacramento River
Many spots in the Bay Area fulfill these needs and have flatter plains. Why did SF win despite its hills (and cold)?
In fact, San Jose is would have been a fantastic place, with a vast floodplain that has made it today a bigger city than SF: more space for agriculture earlier on, more space for cheap construction today
But SF had something that no other spot had on the Bay Area in 1848: a town. It was small—just 1000ppl—but enough to become the default port
So many ships arrived and the crew abandoned the ships to rush for gold, that ships were sunk in the port. We now find them when we dig
So many ships arrived and the crew abandoned the ships to rush for gold, that ships were sunk in the port. We now find them when we dig
The old SF is the city's heart today: FiDi, SoMA, Tenderloin, Russian Hill, Fisherman's Wharf...
Why there?
Because these areas were protected, flatter, and close to the 2 original SF settlements: Presidio and Mission
Why there?
Because these areas were protected, flatter, and close to the 2 original SF settlements: Presidio and Mission
When the Spanish discovered the San Francisco Bay, they realized its strategic value, and ordered the construction of the Dolores Mission and Presidio in 1776, to evangelize Catholicism to the natives and control shipping through the Bay
By the time of the Gold Rush, 75 years later, the little town was big enough to become the default stop for ships coming in. The more ships came in, the more ppl settled, and it became the capital of the Bay Area
As the capital of the west in the late 1800s, Sacramento (and soon after SF) received the 1st railroads from the East, which cemented their lead
As the Gold Rush died out over time, Sacramento's importance shrunk, and San Francisco became the gate to the West Coast
As the Gold Rush died out over time, Sacramento's importance shrunk, and San Francisco became the gate to the West Coast
But then why is LA bigger than the SF Bay Area? Why not Monterey, or Santa Barbara, or San Diego?
For the same reason why LA is so polluted today: it's the biggest coastal plain on the Pacific US
For the same reason why LA is so polluted today: it's the biggest coastal plain on the Pacific US
LA is not a usual coastal city:
• No deep water port—but Long Beach was deep enough at the time, and is close enough to LA
• No long navigable river to trade with a hinterland—but there was no hinterland to trade with anyway. The valley just needed to trade with the world
• No deep water port—but Long Beach was deep enough at the time, and is close enough to LA
• No long navigable river to trade with a hinterland—but there was no hinterland to trade with anyway. The valley just needed to trade with the world
Early on, LA was just a little ranch at the confluence of the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco. This made water abundant and soil fertile from water and its floods.
If you add the sun, it was the most productive farming region in CA in the early 20th C
If you add the sun, it was the most productive farming region in CA in the early 20th C
You can tell where the old LA pueblo was because it's today's downtown with some of the few skyscrapers in the region
The only thing the valley needed to develop was fast transport, and it got it through railways:
•With the San Pedro Port in 1869, to connect to the world
•Later with SF/Santa Fe Railroads, to connect with the rest of the US
•And with internal valley railways
•With the San Pedro Port in 1869, to connect to the world
•Later with SF/Santa Fe Railroads, to connect with the rest of the US
•And with internal valley railways
And then, LA lucked out:
• It discovered oil in 1892
• The movie industry moved there in the early 20th C because it needed to escape the East Coast and Edison's film patents (which it enforced), and LA was ideal because it was far, scenic, & always sunny (great for filming)
• It discovered oil in 1892
• The movie industry moved there in the early 20th C because it needed to escape the East Coast and Edison's film patents (which it enforced), and LA was ideal because it was far, scenic, & always sunny (great for filming)
What about the Central Valley? A simple look tells you what you need to know:
•Sunny
•With an old massive lake
•Flattened & irrigated by all the rivers coming from the mountains
•Which brought silts from their floods
➡️Perfect for agriculture
•Sunny
•With an old massive lake
•Flattened & irrigated by all the rivers coming from the mountains
•Which brought silts from their floods
➡️Perfect for agriculture
So this is why CA is the way it is:
•Central Valley, with high agro fertility
•Gold in the mountains
•Sacramento, the Gold+Central Valley capital, at the confluence of rivers
•SF, the gateway between them and the world
•The massive, sunny LA floodplain
•Central Valley, with high agro fertility
•Gold in the mountains
•Sacramento, the Gold+Central Valley capital, at the confluence of rivers
•SF, the gateway between them and the world
•The massive, sunny LA floodplain
What did I miss about CA?
What other regions should I cover?
What other fun facts do you know about either?
I'll soon publish a series on big US cities. Follow to receive it. Or better, subscribe to the newsletter, it's free!
unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com
What other regions should I cover?
What other fun facts do you know about either?
I'll soon publish a series on big US cities. Follow to receive it. Or better, subscribe to the newsletter, it's free!
unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com
Here's a thread about Chicago
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