This story is part of our December 2025 issue. To get the print version, click here.

Joan Didion, who grew up here, gave the Capital Region a backhanded compliment when she recalled that “Sacramento was the least typical of the Valley towns, and it is — but only because it is bigger and more diverse, only because it has had the rivers and the legislature; its true character remains the Valley character, its virtues the Valley virtues, its sadness the Valley sadness.”

I’m sure there’s some sadness here, but I think it’s elusive and individual — because for most of us who live and work here, Sacramento, the once-called “cow town,” has grown with the region into a thriving but manageable metropolis. I call it a backhanded compliment because the late writer acknowledged (begrudgingly) our impressive diversity, our magnificent rivers and, most of all, our character.

Related: A Towering Figure: Sacramento Historical Society honors author Joan Didion with The Golden Land celebration, statue unveiling and declaration of her own day

If you’ve lived in or spent more than flyover time in some of our country’s other cities and counties, you know that despite our being a cultural melting pot, the people who live in our region exhibit, by and large, a singular welcoming warmth to newcomers. It comes from a genuine willingness to share our varied lives and lifestyles — possibly because we’re not that many generations removed from the ambitious, energetic pioneers and innovators who settled the rough-and-tumble Gold Rush camps.     

Yes, we have problems just like every other city in America — and because we’re the capital of California (now back to being the fifth-largest economy in the world after Japan surpassed us in October), we also have challenges and concerns about the way our state is being run. (I’ve certainly written about many of those challenges in this column.) But that’s not this month’s message. At a time of year when we count our blessings, let’s acknowledge that where and how we live shouldn’t be taken for granted, and our criticism should be constructive.

Related: The Capital Region Is Not Alone in Its Challenges | Opinion

Simply put, our region has it all. We have a marvelously mild climate — even if when you’re reading this, it’s raining. We have a highly trained and superbly educated workforce well-suited to traditional, new and yet-to-be-created jobs. We have an enviable overload of innovation coming from just about every county in our Capital Region, with momentum in our tech sector defining the word exponential development (yes, I’m thinking about AI, but that’s only part of it). We’ve taken computer chip making to far more than intuitive levels.

As you’ll read in this issue, we have health sciences and food sciences. We have UC Davis’ new Aggie Square. In fact, we have many university, community college and professional school campuses within a 50-mile radius, including UC Davis, McGeorge School of Law, Sac State, California Northstate University College of Pharmacy, American River College, Cosumnes River College, Sierra College, Folsom Lake College, Sacramento City College, Jessup University, San Joaquin Delta College, Touro University and University of the Pacific, among other private institutions of learning.

Related: Aggie Square Becomes a Reality for the Capital Region

Our nonprofit community, while currently facing the challenges their cohorts are encountering elsewhere in the nation, continues to demonstrate admirable perseverance: They believe in what they’re doing.

And as those nonprofits know well, we also have a very generous population in our Capital Region — people who are willing to not only show up but step up when there’s a need or a vision needing to be addressed. When I say “generous,” I don’t mean just pocketbook kindness. I’m also talking about hundreds of thousands of volunteers in our region who give their time to causes as varied as elder care, museum docents, nature center guides and helping children and adults with disabilities. Take a look at our Capital Region Cares section in this issue.

We have a lively, pulsating arts scene — the historic, modern-and-traditional Crocker Art Museum (one of the art world’s crown jewels) and dozens of art galleries throughout our 10-county region. We have professional orchestras, ballet companies and theaters — as well as their “amateur” counterparts. (“Amateur” doesn’t mean lesser quality. The word comes from “amare,” Latin for “to love.”)

Related: The Crocker Art Museum’s CEO Wants the World — and People of Sacramento — to Love His Newly Adopted City

We remain the 20th-largest television market in the country, but what many people might not realize is that we’re also the launching pad for many entrepreneurs, innovators and even show-business personalities (think of how many plays, concerts, conferences, star-studded speaker events and festivals come to our region). Fortunes are made here as well as films, commercials and history. I continue to hope a film studio emerges in our region.

Sports, anyone? What better place to have professional sports teams (basketball, baseball, soccer) and enough college sports to keep any fan’s weekend or weeknight roster full.

We’re a region of foodies, and we have a tasty cultural mix of restaurants — from fine dining and Michelin-rated cuisine to taco trucks and a wonderful assortment of ethnic eateries.

So let’s all dive into our region’s deep trove of delights this season, as well as the promising year to come. From all of us at Comstock’s, we wish you and yours a healthy, happy holiday — along with our continued luckiness to live here! This issue is chock-full of great content, so happy reading to all, and to all a good night.

Winnie Comstock-Carlson
President and Publisher

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