These stories were among Sacramento’s most curious of 2022: Gold icons and a city that isn’t

It’s been nearly a year since we launched Bee Curious, a community-driven series where we answer reader questions about the Sacramento region.

Since our inaugural Bee Curious story about modern-day gold miners and where you can join the 21st-century hunt for riches, The Bee has received thoughtful, fun and unique questions from readers across the region. Questions that span from abstract sculptures and new construction sites to why a long-time neighboring area was never annexed to Sacramento.

I’m Hanh Truong, a service journalism reporter at The Bee, and leading this project where I can talk to readers and the community, and dig into what piques your curiosity, has been a joy. As the year comes to an end, I’m excited to look back at five of the many questions we explored for Bee Curious.

But before I do that, I want to say thank you to all our readers who’ve submitted their questions to us. There are still so many more in our queue and I look forward to diving into your curiosity next year.

Have a question you want us to answer? Submit your questions about the Sacramento region to at beecurious@sacbee.com or in the form below.

Here are your most curious 2022 questions, answered:

Why has Sacramento never annexed Arden Arcade?

Arden Arcade’s unincorporated status has been a topic of discussion for years. The sprawling district, located about 10 miles east of Sacramento’s core, is considered the “most intensely developed areas of unincorporated Sacramento County,” according to Sacramento’s 2035 General Plan, the city’s guide for the future.

Long-time Arden Arcade resident, Arianna Smith, asked Bee Curious: “Why hasn’t the city of Sacramento ever annexed Arden Arcade?”

“I love living here — we have great parks, wonderful libraries, awesome farmers’ markets, cool and unique businesses and restaurants in and near Arden Arcade,” Smith said in an email to The Bee.

But she said there are some things she doesn’t love, including the poor transit options, dangerous roads and a lack of homeless support services.

“I guess my question stems from both my happiness with Arden Arcade and my interest in seeing more help for the people who live in this place I care about,” Smith said.

To answer her question, I dug into The Bee archives, and discovered that debates about Arden Arcade’s annexation to Sacramento and its incorporation trailed to the late 1950s. Conversations about the town’s city hood continued 60 years later when the question of incorporating Arden Arcade was put on the November ballot.

Why is the Tower Bridge gold?

It’s Sacramento’s most known landmark. When you’re crossing West Sacramento on the I-80 or taking a walk by the shores in Old Sacramento, you’ll catch a glimpse of the Tower Bridge.

The gold bridge overlooks the Sacramento River, connecting West Sacramento to the city’s core. It’s a familiar icon for residents and an intriguing sight for tourists.

During a recent trip to Sacramento, Monica Ocon, from San Francisco Bay Area, wondered about Sacramento’s aureate landmark.

“Why is the (Tower Bridge) gold and was it always that color?,” she asked Bee Curious.

During my research into Ocon’s question, I found that the Tower Bridge was not gold initially. In fact, the vertical-lift bridge has been doused in several colors on different occasions, before it landed on its current bright metallic gold.

What is the Delta Breeze?

If you’re from Sacramento, you probably grew up hearing about the Delta breeze. If you’re a transplant — like me — you’ve heard locals raving about it, especially during the city’s scorching hot summers.

“Nature’s air conditioner,” one Sacramento resident called the breeze. “A slice of heaven,” another said.

A reader asked Bee Curious: What is the Delta breeze?

For this story, I talked to three climate and weather experts to break down what causes this “local hero” to come into the region and bring cool relief during the heat. We also talked about when you’re most likely to feel the breeze, how far it reaches in the Sacramento region and whether it’ll survive climate change.

And don’t panic — hot weather and the Delta breeze go hand in hand.

“Heat waves in Sacramento stimulate the Delta breeze,” said Bill Patzert, a climatologist who retired from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena after nearly 35 years. “The Delta breeze is not going to disappear anytime soon.”

What’s going on at Cal Expo?

Do you ever drive around Sacramento, spot an obscure building or see ongoing construction, and wonder “What is that thing?”

As a part of Bee Curious, we launched a mini-series to answer these exact questions.

In just a few weeks after launching the series, we had several readers ask about an ongoing freeway project near the American River on the Capital City Freeway.

“What construction is going on near Cal Expo at the American River?,” one reader asked.

“Those two cranes popping up from the ground as you approach or pass Cal Expo? What are they up or down to?,” another wrote.

For this story, I talked to the California Department of Transportation and an executive associated with the project to find the answer.

What’s up with Sacramento corner stores?

As a Sacramento Bee reporter and reader, this last story came from my own curiosity.

Coming from Southern California, one of the things that stood out to me during my first few months living in Sacramento are its corner stores. Unlike your usual convenience chains, such as 7/11, these Sacramento fixtures clearly had a local charm and I was determined to find out what the story was behind these mom-and-pop stores.

I reached out and visited several of the many convenience stores sprawled across Sacramento’s downtown, midtown and nearby neighborhoods. Families behind three of the stores agreed to share their history and what makes their stores unique.

This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 5:00 AM.