Today marks 25 years since September 11, 2001. It's not a market update or a buyer's tip — just a moment I wanted to take to reflect, and to acknowledge how our own region carries a piece of that history.
A Piece of the World Trade Center, Right Here in Sacramento
Not everyone realizes that California's capital has its own physical connection to that day. The state's memorial at Cal Expo includes an I-beam that served as horizontal support for the World Trade Center's North Tower, transported here by train the year after the attacks. Alongside it sits a granite sphere containing the names of the victims, and individual memorials to American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93.
In West Sacramento, a quieter but equally moving tradition has played out for over two decades: volunteer John Vinson began planting flags in remembrance at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Locks Drive back in 2003, starting with just 14. That tradition has grown into thousands of flags each year — a striking, deeply personal way for one community member to make sure the day isn't forgotten.
The Sacramento Area Firefighters Benevolent Fund also holds an annual memorial stair climb, honoring the 343 firefighters who died responding to the World Trade Center — climbing the equivalent of 110 stories in their memory.
Why I Wanted to Share This
I moved around quite a bit before settling here — Chicago, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and now Greater Sacramento — and one thing I've come to appreciate about this region is how it holds onto memory without making a spectacle of it. A beam quietly on display at Cal Expo. A volunteer who's shown up with flags for over 20 years. That's the character of the place I get to call home now, and it's worth naming today.
A Day With a Deeper Purpose
Congress designated September 11 as Patriot Day back in 2001, and in 2009 it also became the National Day of Service and Remembrance — one of only two federally recognized days of service in the entire country, alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The intent is meaningful: honor the day through service and community, not only through silence.
If you're able, take a moment today. Visit the memorial at Cal Expo, thank a first responder, or simply pause wherever you are. Twenty-five years later, it still matters.
— Melissa