Sacramento Tech Recruitment: is California's capital city on the rise?

technology marketing recruitment — David Holton

By David Holton, Director of Americas, Marketing Moves

When we think of tech recruitment on the west coast of the US, our minds automatically jump to Silicon Valley where the headquarters of nearly all the big software, SaaS and CyberSecurity players are. But Sacramento – California’s capital city – is slowly playing catch up when it comes to tech companies having offices in the city. And with that comes increased recruitment, which is where myself and Marketing Moves can help.

Sacramento tech recruitment: there’s gold in them there hills

To offer some background, Sacramento is the seat of both the California Legislature and the Governor of California, making it the state’s political center and a hub for lobbying and think tanks. This is due to the California Gold Rush of the 1840s, when it became a major commercial center and distribution point for Northern California, serving as the terminus for the Pony Express and the First Transcontinental Railroad.

But Sacramento has long played catch-up to it’s bigger Californian city siblings when it comes to enterprise, business, jobs and recruitment.

The reasons are various, but are probably due to the fact that Sacramento is only the sixth biggest city in the state with a population of just over half a million. And the main ingredient in any economy is simple: it’s people.

Sacramento as a military port

During the Vietnam War era, the Port of Sacramento was the major terminus in the supply route for all military parts, hardware and other cargo going to Southeast Asia. Since then, it has suffered a severe loss in business due to the heavy competition from the Port of Stockton, which has a larger facility and a deeper channel. To the extent that operating losses in recent years meant that as of 2006, the city of West Sacramento took over responsibility for the port.

The further decline of military activity also played a part in the decades after the Vietnam war era. The 1980s and 1990s heralded the closure of local military bases McClellan Air Force Base, Mather Air Force Base and Sacramento Army Depot. Such an exodus of people and investment further deprived the city of a vital proportion of its population.

But things are changing.

Start-up city

Sacramento is now the fastest-growing major city in California, owing to its status as a notable financial center on the West Coast and as a major educational hub, home of California State University, Sacramento and University of California, Davis.

Primary sources of population growth are an influx of residents from the nearby San Francisco Bay Area, as well as immigration from Asia and Latin America.

Similarly, Sacramento is a major center for the California healthcare industry, as the seat of Sutter Health, the world-renowned UC Davis Medical Center, and the UC Davis School of Medicine. Blue Diamond Growers, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Teichert, and The McClatchy Company are among the other companies based in Sacramento.

Tech is also now coming in, with many using the city for research and development labs, warehousing, distribution, sales, and customer service positions. Indeed, the city was ranked by CBRE as one of the top tech markets for growth.

Counter Culture

Sacramento is known for its evolving contemporary culture, dubbed the most “hipster city” in California. It is now a notable tourist destination in California, as the site of The California Museum, the Crocker Art Museum, the California State Railroad Museum, the California Hall of Fame, the California State Capitol Museum, and the Old Sacramento State Historic Park. In 2002, the Harvard University Civil Rights Project conducted for Time magazine named Sacramento “America’s Most Diverse City”.