Yuba City, CA

Nestled between Routes 99 and 70, Yuba City, California is located approximately 40 miles north of Sacramento. One of the most striking features of the Yuba City vicinity are the Sutter Buttes, a small mountain range shaped like a rosette circle, located just west of the city limits. The Feather River forms the city's eastern border.

After catastrophic floods in 1851, many Yuba City businesses and residents moved across the river to the town of Marysville. The local population did not surge again until after World War II, when orchards were cleared to make way for residential development. The addition of Beale Air Force Base to the region in the late 1950s has helped revive the local economy.

Today the city, which is also the county seat of Sutter County, is culturally diverse, with a large Punjabi enclave and one of the largest communities of Sikhs outside of India.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

In 2004, the city government revised its General Plan in hopes of giving the city a more village-like feel, with integrated neighborhoods and housing in all price ranges. Local neighborhoods include:

• Downtown Yuba City, a nine-square-block area featuring retail shops, offices, and a town square. Plumas Street is the main shopping district, with nearly 100 businesses and restaurants.
• Teal Hollow, a planned community on the west side, which features new one- and two-story homes.
• La Bella Vita is the first mixed-use development in Yuba City. Located on the northwest side, this area features residential living, offices, and shopping all in one subdivision.

Much of the rest of Yuba City is suburban-style housing. A number of neighborhood parks anchor various neighborhoods throughout the city. Housing stock tends to be older, with only about one-third of the city's homes having been constructed after 1990.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Agriculture is central to Yuba City's economy, as the area is a major fruit producer. Surrounded by farmlands, the city serves as an agricultural trading and service center. Sunsweet Growers, the world's largest processor of dried tree fruits, has its headquarters, along with a massive dried fruit processing plant, in Yuba City.

As the central shopping area for the county, the retail sector employs the most people in Yuba City. The health care sector is also a major employer, and green technology companies are becoming more prevalent.

Nearby Beale Air Force Base, which is home to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, also boosts the Yuba City economy.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The Sutter CountyCommunity Memorial Museum educates the public about Yuba City's local heritage, including the community's ties to the Maidu Indians and the agriculture industry.

Theatergoers can enjoy productions year-round at The Acting Company, a community theater group.

EVENTS

• From mid-April to mid-October, a farmers market takes over Town Center on Saturdays.
• An All You Can Eat Crab and Shrimp feed is held in February.
• Cultural Celebration is a festival of various ethnic arts, food, and music. It is held in September.
• The Spring Home, Garden, and Recreation Show, held in March, features over 400 exhibitions.
• Held in March, the Annual Quilt Show explores all aspects of quilting.
• Annual Italian Night in April features dinner and dancing.
• Punjabi American Festival, held in May, celebrates the Punjabi culture, a nationality that makes up roughly 10 percent of the county's population.
• August's Yuba Sutter Fair is full of agricultural competitions, rides, food, and fun.
• The Brews, Blues, and BBQ festival is held in September.
• Hmong New Year Festival celebrates just that each November.

EDUCATION

Neighboring Marysville is home to Yuba Community College, a two-year institution.

Residents willing to commute further have several other higher education options in the area, including:

• University of California-Davis
• California State University-Sacramento
• California State University-Chico

FAMILY FUN

Yuba City has a nine-hole golf course with a driving range and miniature golf course. The city also features roughly 110 acres of parkland and facilities, including a senior center and a softball complex. A bike trail runs along the Feather River Levee. The city's swimming pool also boasts a 25-foot waterslide.

SPORTS TEAMS

Yuba City sports fans root for the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox, a baseball team that plays in the Horizon Air Summer Series for elite collegiate players.

Nearby Sacramento is home to the River Cats, a triple-A minor league baseball team, as well as the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings and the Women's National Basketball Association's Sacramento Monarchs.

LOCAL MEDIA

Area newspapers that cover Yuba City include:

• Appeal-Democrat
• Territorial Dispatch
• Sacramento Bee

Since Yuba City is in the Sacramento-Stockton media market, residents enjoy all of the Sacramento and Stockton TV and radio stations.