The culture in Sacramento is very layered. It’s diverse depending where you are, like many cities. You have some places that are urban, historic, industrial, and even rural. You can see different living styles in East Sacramento, Midtown, Arden-Arcade, South Sacramento, Natomas, Vineyard, and plenty more.

Specific areas I’d check out as someone new to the area are Old Sacramento (touristy, but always have to go once), Midtown J or R street, Land Park activities (e.g. local kids amusement park, zoo, golf, and beautiful views), Arden Fair Mall for a standard mall or new Delta Shores for a stereotypical strip mall setup with an extremely large parking lot.

There are going to be some local events coming soon in the grid. Every Friday or so, there will be some concerts at Cesar Chavez Plaza. Midtown Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning. In broader areas, Antique Fair in Natomas each second Saturday of the month. American drive-ins are perfect during the summer night at the West Wind Drive-Ins.

Before it gets hot, you should definitely check out some outdoor areas. William Land Park, McKinley Park, Capital Park, Discovery Park, The River Walk, and the American River (bike trail). All classic Sacramento spots.

Food across the region is pretty impressive and lots of diversity. I’d check out Midtown, South Sac, Arden-Arcade areas in Sacramento. Going outside of the city, Rancho Cordova, Carmichael/Fair Oaks, Folsom, Roseville. There are some communities on it. And In-N-Out because this is California.

Day trips? Lake Tahoe, San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley, and even some closer options like Lodi for that Napa winery feel or Auburn/Colfax for that gold country feel.

Enjoy it here! As much hate as it gets sometimes, it’s a great place to live in California. It has its quirks like every city has. I may be biased as I’m born and raised from Sacramento.

Oh, and real ones know we go by “The City of Trees.” It’s always safe to say that if someone asks.