Onions and Oranges

Onions and Oranges

“Onions and Oranges” takes place in the cities of Citrus Heights and Sacramento.  Both cities are located in Northern California.  Citrus Heights is located in Sacramento County and has a population of more than 87,000. Sacramento is the county seat for Sacramento County and the capital of the State of California. It has a population of more than 530,000. Known as the “River City,” Sacramento sits at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers.

Sacramento dates back to 1839. At that time, Sutter’s Fort was established.  It was intended to develop into an agricultural community. However, in 1848 when gold was discovered in the nearby foothills, Sutter’s Fort was transformed into a trading and mining epicenter of what was to be called the “Gold Rush.”  According to the City of Sacramento’s history, at the time of the gold rush, Sacramento was made up of hastily built wooden structures – many of which had canvas roofs.  A series of fires prompted a citizens group to establish the first volunteer fire department in the western United States.

The California State Legislature officially moved to Sacramento in 1854 and at the 1879 Constitutional Convention, Sacramento was named the permanent State Capital.

The City’s waterfront location made it vulnerable to flooding. After two seasons of severe flooding, a project was proposed to raise the entire downtown.  A third flood made this proposal a reality and thousands of cubic yards of dirt were brought in by wagon to raise the entire city one story.  Throughout Old Sacramento, the original street level can be seen under boardwalks and in some basement.