Galt highlight
Historic downtown
Founded in 1869 as a Central Pacific Railroad station, Galt's downtown retains historic structures including the Brewster House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Galt was established in 1869 when the Central Pacific Railroad extended its tracks through Sacramento County as part of the first transcontinental railroad project. The town was named by John McFarland, a local rancher, after his hometown of Galt, Ontario. The railroad brought commerce, settlement, and the businesses that clustered around the depot and along the main street—a pattern repeated across dozens of towns in the Central Valley as rail service opened the region to regional and national markets.
The city's downtown preserves elements of that history. The Brewster House, built during the city's early decades, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and stands as a reminder of the residential architecture of the period. The Galt Herald, a weekly newspaper, has been published continuously since 1904, serving as a living record of the city's community life, business, and civic events across more than a century. These institutions reflect the stability and continuity that allowed the town to grow from a railroad station into a city.
Communities with deep histories often attract families who value stability and local connection. Homeownership, long-term employment with local employers, multigenerational family ties, and investment in local institutions are all indicators that people are building their lives here. Those roots also suggest that families should take stock of what they have built and protect it. Term life insurance is a straightforward way to ensure that the people who depend on your income and your presence in the community are not left in jeopardy.