Sacramento is steadily growing as families and businesses alike make the move to California's state capital.

It's evident that Sacramento is growing by leaps and bounds, but exactly why are families, businesses, and others flocking to California's capital city? It turns out that there isn't a single answer to that question simply because Sacramento has so much to offer.

Why is Sacramento the best place to live?

1. Housing

Sacramento's population of over 500,000 is growing by approximately 1.5% every year.

In order to meet the demand for housing, Sacramento is stepping up with plenty of emerging housing projects.

At The Railyards, a mixed-use residential project is underway, combining approximately 277 residential units (studio, 1-bed, and 2-bed) with 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Dozens of other emerging projects are also either proposed or under construction to meet the high demand for housing in Sacramento.

2. Jobs and Economy

As the State Capital, Sacramento is known as a "government" town. Sure, Sacramento's economic base includes significant contributions from the governmental sector and its related services. However, the city also enjoys a broad range of other industries that make up the city's healthy economy.

Sacramento is a major financial, educational and medical hub for the state.

In fact, healthcare is one of the fastest-growing industries in the nation and provides approximately 20% of the total payroll for the Sacramento Region's workforce. Over $18 billion has been invested in new facilities for Kaiser Permanente, Mercy, Sutter, and UC Davis expansion projects in recent years.

3. Smart City

Sacramento is one smart city.

As the State Capital of California, Sacramento is the state's eighth-largest city and uniquely positioned to test, advance, and use emerging technologies to better understand and serve the needs of its citizens.

Sacramento was one of the first cities chosen by Verizon to debut 5G small cell infrastructure and bring free wifi to parks throughout the City. The City has also partnered with Deepen AI and Foresight AI to further autonomous vehicle testing and has had immense success in the launch of its electric scooter program.

These are just a few of the ways that Sacramento is embracing emerging technologies to create a smarter, more connected place to live.

4. Culture

Sacramento is a historical city, a city of trees, a farm-to-fork agricultural destination, a foodie's paradise, a sporting event mecca, and an outdoor enthusiast's dream.

No matter what your interests are or which new hobby you want to pursue, Sacramento has the culture to satisfy and support it.

Performing arts venues (Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and Sacramento Ballet, for example), museums (Crocker Art Museum and California Railroad Museum -- to name just two!) and the Powerhouse Science Center offer plenty of cultural resources for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Old Sacramento allows you to delve into the city's history while the Old Sacramento Waterfront is getting a facelift thanks to a $42-million plan announced by the mayor in 2019.

The Golden 1 Center, named Sports Facility of the Year, attracts approximately 1.6 million visitors to downtown Sacramento each year for Kings games, concerts, and other events. In 2019, Major League Soccer announced a Sacramento expansion, greenlighting the construction of a 426,000 square foot MLS stadium in the up-and-coming The Railyards neighborhood.

5. Sustainability

Sacramento is home to some of the greatest think tanks in the state. It's not surprising that its primary focus for the city, outlined in the Sacramento 2035 General Plan, is to become a model of sustainable development.

Today's project planning is accomplished while looking to the future by utilizing measures that reduce the consumption of natural resources and activities that contribute to the city being an urban heat island.

Sacramento is growing -- and for good reason! It offers almost endless opportunities for families and businesses to grow and thrive. It’s no wonder that Sacramento is one of the best places to live in California.