1960s: Smart planning pays off
The hard work and smart moves made in the 1950s paid off. By 1961, SMUD had lowered its rates three times. Sacramento's electric rates were among the lowest in the United States, and SMUD customers enjoyed one of the best reliability rates in the country.
Sacramento kept growing throughout the 1960s. The city's central location made it a natural hub for industry. Another attraction: SMUD rates, which were then (and remain to this day) about one-third lower than the rates of surrounding utilities.
By the mid-1960s, agriculture was no longer the Sacramento Valley's biggest business. New "space age" companies such as electronics and missile makers were moving in, changing the face of the city.
Industrial and home construction marched rapidly across what once had been farm fields and orchards. The Sacramento Deep Water Channel accommodated ocean-going shipping. A metropolitan airport was built. A peach orchard near the American River was transformed into California State University, Sacramento. Housing subdivisions and apartment buildings sprang up everywhere as SMUD's customer population surged to 625,000 by 1964.
SMUD's Upper American River Project began providing electricity to the lowlands. The utility kept pace with the continued population growth by expanding its distribution system of poles and wires. By the mid-1960s, 95 percent of the system had been rebuilt or newly constructed.
To improve customer service, SMUD developed a one-stop customer inquiry and transaction center. A modern headquarters building was built at 62nd and S streets.
When they looked ahead at the end of the 1960s, SMUD's Board of Directors expected continued growth for the region. To meet the surging demand for power, they approved the construction of a nuclear power plant. It would be built on 2,100 acres in southeastern Sacramento County and would have a capacity of 913 megawatts of power.
The site was named Rancho Seco -- Spanish for "dry lake."