Sacramento is the capital city of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census, it is the sixth-largest city in California. Sacramento is the core cultural and economic center of the Sacramento metropolitan area which includes seven counties; with an estimated population of 2,527,123. Its metropolitan area is the fourth largest in California after the Greater Los Angeles Area, San Francisco Bay Area, and the San Diego metropolitan area as well as the 22nd largest in the United States. A city attaining global status, Sacramento was cited by Time magazine as America's most ethnically and racially integrated city in 2002.

 The Sacramento River sees many boaters, who can make day trips to nearby sloughs or continue along the Delta to the Bay Area and San Francisco. The Delta King, a paddlewheel steamboat which for eighteen months lay on the bottom of the San Francisco Bay, was refurbished and now boasts a hotel, a restaurant, and two different theaters for nightlife along the Old Sacramento riverfront

California State University, Sacramento, more commonly known as Sacramento State or Sac State, is the major local university. It is one of the twenty-three campuses of the California State University system. In addition, the University of California, Davis, is located in nearby Davis, 15 miles (24 km) west of the capital. The UC Davis Medical Center, a world-renowned research hospital, is located in the city of Sacramento.

Sacramento has a Mediterranean climate characterized by damp to wet, mild winters and hot, dry summers. The wet season is generally October through April, though there may be a day or two of light rainfall in June or September. The mean annual temperature is 61.1 °F, with monthly means ranging from 45.8 °F in December to 75.4 °F in July. Summer heat is often moderated by a sea breeze known as the "delta breeze" which comes through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta from the San Francisco Bay.

On average, 96 days in the year experience some degree of fog, which usually occurs in the morning (tule fog). The foggiest months are December and January. Tule fog can be extremely dense, lowering visibility to less than 100 feet  and making driving conditions extremely hazardous. Chilling tule fog events have been known to last for several consecutive days or weeks. During Tule fog events, temperatures do not exceed 50 degrees.

The average annual precipitation is 17.93 inches. On average, precipitation falls on 62 days each year in Sacramento, and nearly all of this falls during the winter months.

Sacramento has a growing food culture that has been publicized in many magazines such as Sactown and Sacramento magazine's "Best of" list. Food Network's own Guy Fieri owns a fusion-style restaurant called Tex Wasabi's in the neighboring suburb of Arden-Arcade. Many Sacramento eateries have also been featured on Guy's show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The growing list of Sacramento restaurants featured on this program includes the well-known Squeeze Inn and Cafe Rolle, which is known for its French cuisine. Sacramento is also home to well-known cookbook author, chef and owner of Biba's Restaurant, Biba Caggiano.

Sacramento is home to the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. In 2000, AAA minor league baseball returned to Sacramento with the Sacramento River Cats, an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The River Cats play in the recently constructed Raley Field, located in West Sacramento.

Incorporated areas of Sacramento include Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, and Isleton.

Unincorporated census-designated areas of Sacramento include Antelope, Arden Arcade, Carmichael, Del Paso Heights, Elverta, Fair Oaks, Florin, Foothill Farms, Gold River, Hagginwood, Herald, La Riviera, Laguna, Locke, Natomas, North Highlands, Orangevale, Parkway-South Sacramento, Rancho Murieta, Rio Linda, Rosemont, Vineyard, Walnut Grove, and Wilton.