Thanks to the proximity of Old Sacramento and the numerous shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues available there as well as in Midtown the central downtown neighborhood is one of the most walkable in all of Sacramento. Parking can be scarce in downtown making this the perfect neighborhood for those who dont want or need to drive a car. Alkali Flat and Mansion Flats are to the North of downtown, and provide a more residential haven of quieter tree lined streets, as well as more parking. The downtown neighborhoods are some of Sacramento's oldest neighborhoods and as a result there are a number of historic buildings including grand Victorian's and several large mansions, and most of the structures were built around the 1910’s and 1920’s. The original Governor's Mansion is also located here.

The downtown area has recently benefited from a series of developments to revitalize and rebuild parts of downtown that were forgotten. The creation of the Golden One Center has sparked many redevelopments of abandoned shops and restaurants on adjacent parcels. Several vacant lots around midtown are in the process of being redeveloped into high-rise apartment buildings. And the redevelopment of the old Railyards in North Sacramento promises to bring a wealth of additional development opportunities to the table.

On the other side of downtown is Southside Park and Richmond Grove. Home to the largest park in Sacramento's central grid, and which contains a large man made lake, this neighborhood is similar to Alkali Flat and Mansion Flat in that it is filled with primarily residential structures, though they are for the most part more modest than some of the grander mansions found North of the downtown core. Mostly older and historic single family and 2-4 unit homes built in the 1910’s and 1920’s, and apartment buildings which sprouted up in the 1970’s are all evenly dispersed along tree lined streets throughout this neighborhood. A weekly farmers market takes place underneath the highway 50/80 overpass around 8th Street every Sunday morning which is easily walked to from the neighborhood here, and an antique fair takes place on the second Sunday of each month which is also located under the freeway, further East at 21st Street.