Sacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County, California. It is the 6th largest city in California. It was founded in December, 1848 by John Sutter. Sacramento grew from Sutter's Fort, which was established by Sutter in 1839, and the city is now a quickly growing metropolis. During the gold rush, Sacramento was a major distribution point, a commercial and agricultural center, and a terminus for wagon trains, stagecoaches, riverboats, the telegraph, the Pony Express and the First Transcontinental Railroad.