Downtown Sacramento

Downtown Sacramento is the central business district of the City of Sacramento. Downtown is generally defined as the area south of the American River, east of the Sacramento River, north of Broadway, and west of 16th Street.^[1] The central business district is generally defined as north of R Street, south of H Street, east of the Sacramento River, and west of 16th Street.^[2] Downtown Sacramento is currently undergoing a major revitalization project.

View of Downtown. Visage point is looking east from West Sacramento.

Politics

• Congress – Doris Matsui
• State Senate- Darrell Steinberg
• State Assembly – Roger Dickinson
• County Supervisor – Roger Dickinson
• City Mayor – Kevin Johnson

Streets

Downtown Sacramento streets use a numbered and lettered grid system, with lettered streets running east/west, and numbered streets oriented north/south. The exceptions to this include Capitol Mall and Capitol Avenue, which are equivalent of M Street; Front Street in Old Sacramento, which is equivalent to 1st Street; Broadway, which is equivalent to Y Street, and Alhambra Boulevard, which is equivalent to 31st Street.

Major features

Included within downtown is the California State Capitol building, the house of California State Government. The major shopping center is the Westfield Downtown Plaza, an outdoor shopping mall that includes Macy's. The recently renovated and expanded Sacramento City Hall is also located downtown. The Sacramento Convention Center Complex is a major events venue downtown. The recently renovated Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament located at 11th and K Streets. It is the largest historical cathedral west of the Mississippi River.

Pedestrian malls

K Street between 13th Street and Westfield Downtown Plaza has been closed to all automobile traffic. The only traffic is the occasional light rail train. The K Street Mall functions as a shopping area.

Another pedestrian mall in downtown is 11th Street between L Street and a little past K Street. However, no light rail runs on the 11th Street Mall.

Transportation

Sacramento Regional Transit provides light rail and bus service through downtown. Interstate 5 separates Old Sacramento State Historic Park from the western edge of downtown. State Route 160 (15th and 16th Streets) borders the eastern edge of downtown on a pair of one-way surface streets. The historic Sacramento Valley Amtrak Station is located downtown just north of Westfield Downtown Plaza, and is serviced by Amtrak Capitol Corridor and three other routes, in addition to being the western terminus of the Gold light rail line. The return of streetcars to downtown is currently being evaluated in a joint effort by both Sacramento and West Sacramento. Interstate 80, Interstate 80 Business (Capital City Freeway), U.S. Route 99 and U.S. Route 50 all intersect in the area.

Hotels

There are many major hotels located in the downtown area. The Hyatt Regency and a Sheraton Grand are located near the State Capitol and the Embassy Suites is located west in the downtown area, closer to the Sacramento River and the Crocker Art Museum. A mid-rise Holiday Inn is located off of Interstate 5, near Old Sacramento. A 230-room 15-story Residence Inn by Marriott is located at 15th and L Streets, which is on the northeast corner of Capitol Park. The Citizen Hotel is a 200-room Sacramento boutique hotel in the old Cal West historic building at 10th and J Streets.

Restaurants

Numerous restaurants are located in the downtown area, including a McCormick & Schmick's recently opened in the restored Elks Lodge building at 11th and J Streets.

Theatres

Near the convention center are the Crest Theatre at 10th and K Streets, and an IMAX theater located at 13th and K Streets. Westfield Downtown Plaza also has a large multiplex cinema. The Sacramento Community Center Theatre is located on 13th and L Streets, and has regular performances by Broadway Sacramento, Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sacramento Opera, and The Sacramento Ballet. The Wells Fargo Pavilion (formerly Music Circus) located on 14th and H Streets provides a unique 'theater in the round' live theater and musical experience. The historic Memorial Auditorium at 16th and J Streets holds many performances from comedy acts, traveling bands, and speakers. The Cosmopolitan Cabaret, located at 10th and K Streets, is a 200-seat venue offering musical comedies in an upscale setting with table service.

Nightlife

Downtown Sacramento has an active nightlife. There is an increasing number of nightclubs in the downtown area, including The Park Ultra Lounge at 15th and L Streets, the Avalon at 15th and H Streets, the Cabana at 12th and K Streets, the Zokku at 4th and J Streets, the Empire Entertainment Center at 14th and R Streets, The Reggae Dancehall at the Capitol Garage (1500 K Street), The Loft at J and 7th Streets, Marilyn's at 9th and K Streets, and the Parlare Euro Lounge at 10th and J Streets.

References

1. ^ Map of Communities in Sacramento County
2. ^ Central City Community Plan Map