Capital Color

Vishal and Seema Mishra returned to Sacramento on Thanksgiving Day, where fall color is peak to past peak.

Areas of peak color include: Capitol Park, Southside Park and William Land Regional Park. Though, beautiful fall color is also found in the Fabulous Forties (Avenues in the 40s), Curtis Park and in mid-town (east of the State Capitol between J and Q, 15th and 25th).

Many of the tallest trees along Sacramento’s streets are London Plane Trees (Platanus occidentalis), though also look for Chinese elm, Autumn blaze maple, Liquidambar, hickory and Gingko biloba.

The first reference to Sacramento being the City of Trees dates back to 1855. Prior to that, the city was known as “The City of Plains.” Then, a gold miner planted 12 cottonwoods. Soon after, it became a community effort to plant shade trees to make life in Sacramento more tolerable during its hot summers, Capital public radio reports.

By the 1930s, residents were planting one tree for every two residents. Paris had a ratio of one for every ten residents, but also many more trees in total that did Sacramento. Nevertheless, Sacramentans couldn’t withhold claiming more trees per capita than Paris, in a feat of civic boosterism. 

A 2018 study found 87,234 trees growing in Sacramento, with the Land Park neighborhood having the densest canopy. However, that figure only includes trees that grow along streets and in parks. An authority estimates that about one million trees grow in Sacramento, two for every resident.

With good reason, it has earned the sobriquet, “City of Trees.”