Sacramento - A tent city that sprang up in the California state capital of Sacramento and became a symbol of the country's desperate economic plight is to be closed within three weeks, the Sacramento Bee reported Friday.

Mayor Kevin Johnston said the plan was to move hundreds of the tent city residents to "safer, more sanitary" quarters and cordon off the pasture which they had called home.

The makeshift settlement got international attention last month when TV chat queen Oprah Winfrey filmed a segment at the site showing the deplorable conditions, with people living without running water, electricity or toilets.

Though the camp was seen as a stark illustration of the impact of the housing crisis, local reports have noted that most of its occupants have been homeless for years and that only a handful are people who have recently lost their jobs and homes due to the current economic crisis.

Johnson said the city has identified 150 beds that can be used immediately for temporary and permanent housing for tent city residents, while other members of the camp could be housed in modular units at an exhibition center or in subsidized "shared housing" apartments. (dpa)