California’s Farm-to-Fork Capital is writing its most ambitious chapter yet. UC Davis’s $1.15-billion Aggie Square has opened its wet labs and classrooms and is on track to bringing 3,200 permanent life-science jobs to the East Sacramento corridor. Right in the Railyards, Sacramento Republic FC broke ground in mid 2025 on a privately financed $175-million, 12,000-seat soccer stadium – backed by the Wilton Rancheria tribe – targeting a 2027 opening as the anchor of a planned entertainment district of a hotel, concert venue, residences, and retail. Kaiser Permanente’s 310-bed hospital is also rising there. The biggest January 2026 headline arrived from Capitol Mall, where Governor Newsom, Sacramento State, and Meta announced a $50-million investment from Mark Zuckerberg to transform three underused state buildings into a mixed-use Downtown Capital Campus – student housing, a School of Public Affairs, an AI Center, and a performing arts venue steps from the State Capitol. Master planning is now underway.
Sacramento International’s $1.4-billion SMForward expansion – Terminal A upgrades, a pedestrian skybridge and 5,500-space parking garage – with its federal TIFIA loan advancing, cementing the airport’s gateway role for 2.5 million metro residents. Midtown’s #30-ranked restaurant scene keeps feeding the #29 Instagram moment. With a #23 ranking for Biking and a #42 for Nature & Parks, Sacramento’s quality-of-life story remains one of California’s most underpriced assets.