Midtown Sacramento (commonly known as Midtown) is a historical district and neighborhood just east of
Downtown Sacramento. Officially, Midtown's borders are R Street on the South, J Street on the North, 16th Street on the West and 30th Street on the East.
However, the streets in Sacramento's original "grid" that are east of 16th Street cover the area commonly called "Midtown". This more general definition covers an area bounded by Broadway on the South, C street and the
Southern Pacific
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...
rail lines on the North, 16th Street on the West and Alhambra Boulevard on the East.
It is a largely residential community with tree-lined streets and old
Victorians. It is also the center of Sacramento's art, music, and cultural scene. Boutiques, bars, clubs, upscale, and casual dining abound. Midtown has the only winery located in the greater Sacramento urban area. Midtown hosts an art walk on the second Saturday of each month which attracts thousands of metropolitan residents. A large historic Asian community resides from S Street south to Broadway with a higher concentration between 3rd Street and 5th Streets, J Street and I Streets.
The Midtown community is diverse in terms of race and income brackets. Many legislators choose to live in various spots in Midtown when the
California legislature
The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
is in session. Increasing in-fill developments consisting largely of upscale lofts have priced out some residents. Historic sites such as
Sutter's Fort
Sutter's Fort was a 19th-century agricultural and trade colony in the Mexican ''Alta California'' province. Established in 1839, the site of the fort was originally part of a utopian colonial project called New Helvetia (''New Switzerland'') ...
, the first European settlement in Sacramento, are located in Midtown. Midtown is known for being pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly with continuous marked bike-lanes throughout the neighborhood and a bike path connecting to the
American River Parkway which extends to
Folsom Folsom may refer to:
People
* Folsom (surname)
Places in the United States
* Folsom, Perry County, Alabama
* Folsom, Randolph County, Alabama
* Folsom, California
* Folsom, Georgia
* Folsom, Louisiana
* Folsom, Missouri
* Folsom, New Jers ...
. Public transit consists of
Sacramento Regional Transit District
The Sacramento Regional Transit District, commonly referred to as SacRT (or simply RT), is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Sacramento, California area. It was established on April 1, 1973, as a result of the acquisition ...
light-rail lines running down R Street connecting the neighborhood to the metropolitan area and bus lines serving the central city area.
A train station is expected to be constructed for
Altamont Corridor Express and ''
San Joaquins'' serviced by 2023.
Lavender Heights
Lavender Heights, Sacramento's gay and lesbian district, is centrally located on K Street and 20th Street.
[Michael Andrew Claussen, ''Lavender Heights: the emerging gay community in downtown Sacramento, California'', California State University, 1998.] The area owes its name to the high number of gay-owned homes and businesses residing there.
Lavender Heights is a name given to the hub of Sacramento's gay and lesbian community with many gay bars and restaurants. It is considered Sacramento's equivalent to
The Castro
The Castro District, commonly referred to as the Castro, is a neighborhood in Eureka Valley in San Francisco. The Castro was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States. Having transformed from a working-class neighborhood throug ...
(San Francisco),
West Hollywood
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757.
History
Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...
(Los Angeles),
Hillcrest (San Diego), and
Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle is a historic roundabout park and Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th St ...
(Washington D.C.) as the city's LGBT district. Community resources for the LGBT community in the area include the Sacramento LGBT Community Center (formerly the Lambda Center) and the Lavender Library. Most of the gay bars in Sacramento are located in the Lavender Heights area.
Hate crimes
Hate crime (also known as bias crime) in criminal law involves a standard offence (such as an assault, murder) with an added element of bias against a victim (individual or group of individuals) because of their Physical appearance#Physiological ...
and gay bashing have been an issue since the early 1990s in the area. A wave of "religious refugees" including "Slavic
evangelicals
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian g ...
" has added to the tensions; many were drawn to immigrate by Sacramento evangelical churches who sponsored them including the
Assemblies of God
The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...
Capital Christian Center.
The area is home to many of the city's music and arts festivals, including the Second Saturday Block Party from May to September. The neighborhood hosts a weekly farmer's market known as the Midtown Farmer's Market with local produce, art vendors and food stands every Saturday morning.
See also
*
Downtown Sacramento
*
East Sacramento
References
{{Sacramento
Neighborhoods in Sacramento, California