Friendship Force of Sacramento

Click here to watch a YouTube video we created about Sacramento.

The following videos were made by members of our club's photography group:

Visit Sacramento: Sacramento, California's Capitol City, is a "goldmine" of activities, nature, and history.

Inbound Sacramento:  Hosting photos from some of the 70 inbound Journeys to Sacramento.

About Sacramento 

Sacramento, at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in the northern portion of California's Central Valley, is the Capital of California.  With a population around 500,000 it is the 6th largest city in California. The metropolitan area contains a population of about 2.5 million and includes parts of 7 counties.  Our lively immigrant communities make Sacramento one of the most diverse cities in the US.  This area enjoys a Mediterranean climate with very warm summers, and mild weather the rest of the year.  The rainy season is usually November through March.  

City History

A Swiss immigrant, John Sutter, established Fort Sutter in 1839 to begin European settlement of the area.  His employee, James Marshall, discovered gold in 1848 in a nearby river.  Sacramento grew quickly becoming a major distribution point for the California Gold Rush.  As the population grew, Sacramento was became the terminus for the Pony Express and the Trans-Continental Railroad. In 1860s, the city became the Capital of California where the state built a beautiful Greek Revival Capital building.

California State Capitol

A Journey to Sacramento

There is much to see and do in and around the Sacramento area.  These are just some examples of all there is to offer.  You can expect to see historic sites in Sacramento's Old Town and busy governmental center.  The world-class Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento is a possible destination. Other oft-visited sites are the nearby wineries of El Dorado and Amador Counties, the giant Sequoias at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, and the former gold mining sites in the Sierra foothills such as the Empire Mine and Coloma Gold Discovery Site.  A day long excursion to Lake Tahoe, visiting historical and vista points along the way, is an optional activity. Another possibility is a trip into San Francisco, about 2 hours away.

You can expect a home hosted dinner or brunch party during your stay.  A visit to one of the myriad of ethnic restaurants is another possibility.  We also take advantage of local festivals and events if they occur during your visit.

Club History

Our club, founded by Helmut Schroeder, started in 1988 with an exchange to Bogota, Colombia. Since then some of the countries we have had exchanges with, both outbound and inbound, include Australia, Brazil, Chile, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Italy, Kyrgystan, Moldova, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, and Turkey.  

Dallas FF at Railroad Museum

We are a very active club with over 100 involved members. Our members come not just from Sacramento but also from nearby communities such as Folsom, Carmichael, Davis, Roseville, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Elk Grove, El Dorado Hills, Auburn, Vacaville and beyond. Each year we host 2-4 clubs, both international and domestic.  We also journey to 2-3 clubs each year.  In addition many of our members join with other clubs to travel and to participate in global journeys. 

Open World Delegates from Moscow

Our club is also involved with hosting visitors from the U.S. Congress’ Open World program, introducing delegates from former Communist countries to various aspects of United States culture. We also are members of the Sacramento Sister Cities organization and often host guests from the International Visitors Leadership Program.

  
Calaveras Big Trees