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At the urging of Governor John Bigler, the Californian Legislature was relocated to Sacramento in 1854. Why? It provided a more inland location that could only be reached by river, which made it very defensible and was the Pacific-most terminal of the Transcontinental Railroad. Another boon was the number of Sacramento hotels that could be used by the legislature. Given this vital infrastructure, it became the unofficial capital until the state's Constitutional Convention opted to make Sacramento the official capital in 1879.
Why wasn't the capital simply moved to San Francisco? Well, for a brief legislative session in 1861, the capital was located in grand old San Francisco. This is interesting as there was a considerable movement to make the only true city in the Golden State the capital. San Francisco had access to rail and an incredibly defensible harbor. Indeed the Presidio was now the home of the US 6th Army.
That question has never been satisfactorily answered. Because of that, rumors have swirled that Bigler was "encouraged" to steer the legislature to Sacramento at the behest of John Sutter, Jr., who was instrumental in transforming the town into a cosmopolitan city. Whether or not that is true is up for debate, but given the prestige and infrastructure already in place in San Francisco, it does make for interesting conspiratorial fodder.
One other problem that is often added to the conspiracy mix was how often Sacaramento flooded. In 1850 and 1861, the city was flooded by the Sacramento River. These floods led to subsequent cholera and flu outbreaks that decimated the local population and seriously hampered commerce.
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Whether you're visiting for a day or for a month, Sacramento hotels have everything you need to feel comfortable, care-free, and welcome.
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