In the 1890s, the Sacramento Electric Power and Light Company extended streetcar tracks eastward, thereby creating a suburban oasis that developers Charles Wright and Howard Kimbrough sold as "just a 15 minute ride from downtown." Today's East Sacramento boasts some of the more desirable real estate in and around California's capital city, including McKinley Park and the "Fabulous Forties," a collection of upscale homes from 40th to 49thStreets—where Ronald Reagan resided when he was governor. Also located in East Sacramento is the campus of California State University, Sacramento, where a young Tom Hanks got his start in The Cherry Orchard.
Editor Lee M.A. Simpson is a professor of United States history at California State University, Sacramento. She previously authored Stearns County, Minnesota and Sacramento's Oak Park for Arcadia. This nostalgic look back at the area's beginnings is a collaborative effort with eight contributing authors, Cal State's history department, and the Sacramento Archives & Museum Collection.