folsom vs. el dorado hills (Woodland, Fair Oaks: for sale, foreclosures, crime rates)

[movintocalifornia]

I will be moving to the area in the near future - have narrowed down the online search to EDH and Folsom (while still looking out for Gold River). Based on recent SALES....EDH seems significantly cheaper than Folsom. Is that accurate? Schools also seem to be rated higher...(I have grade school kids)....I would appreciate any advice or thoughts on these areas. And yes, I have read all the threads.....from my take, Folsom has a little more infrastructure and EDH is a bit newer, less amenities but more home for your $. PS....schools are my top priority, then home size given my fam of 5. Will be working in folsom area, so commute is no issue. Thanks for all the advice....I am moving from houston and it feels like a different country with all the differences!

[Mossy]

I have lived in both areas and I prefer El Dorado Hills (ELDH). The area off of Blue Ravine Road and Francisco is lovely and I would move to the area but I live in Fair Oaks now and like it.

[webdev]

EL Dorado Hill's has more new homes to offer, but I still prefer Folsom. Plus Folsom is SMUD, ElDorado Hills is PG&E for your electricity ugh. You cant really go wrong with either if you can afford it. I just like more of the small town family oriented feel of Folsom (even though its not really a small town anymore). Santa being paraded around the neighborhood during Christmas etc. All that great stuff and your close to old Folsom. You are correct, about Folsom having more infrastructure and EDH being newer. Its kind of funny hearing someone say getting more bang for your buck buying a home in El Dorado Hills. Usually that area is very pricey. I always thought Folsom prices and ElDorado Hills prices were similiar. The difference is that there are probably more people in Folsom trying to resale for an overinflated price whereas ElDorado Hills has more new homes. New Home builders are offering a lot of great incentives.

[Shope]

Either town is a good choice. Each town has its older and newer parts. Folsom will give you closer access to retail and things to do and EDH has a rural feel in a lot of areas. Thats the biggest difference I suppose.

[justducky2]

I used to be a teacher in SoCal, we had some trainers from Sac City Unified come and train us, they told me Buckeye in El Dorado County and San Juan Unified in Sac County were the best in the area. If you go with El Dorado Hills, it's Buckeye for the elementary and middle schools, and the high school is good too (just expect beemers in the parking lot, lots of rich folks).

[NinaN]

I live in El Dorado Hills and love it. I'm from DFW area and I grew up near Houston in The Woodlands so I can appreciate the big difference in areas. I live north of Green Valley, so we are in the Rescue school district. In this area, there are different school districts for K-8 vs. High School. Rescue also has Blue Ribbon schools, and are ranked really high in the state.

Here is just my opinion on Folsom vs. EDH:
- Folsom has more shopping, restaurants, etc. Convenient to access, more traffic due to commercial areas.
- Folsom (at least the East side which is the Parkway and Empire Ranch areas) seem to have more families with young children. Most of the mothers in my moms groups are from folsom.
- There are more areas in Folsom which are part of the school districts that are lower income, which leads to lower school rankings. (No flaming me here, I'm just stating a fact of life).
- El Dorado Hills and Folsom both have a lot to offer in terms of family oriented activities (concerts in the parks, recreational facilities, etc.)
- El Dorado Hills is just a little closer to the foothills, so it seems there are more hills, trees, etc. But even within each city, it depends on where you live. The northern part of EDH is more hilly and treed than the part just south of hwy 50.
- Prices are more affordable right now in EDH than in Folsom for comparable houses. The big boom was in the 2004-2006 time frame and there was a major expansion in EDH then (specifically in Serrano). This means for the newer neighborhoods that almost all the homeowners are under water, and many of the homes for sale in EDH are now in distress with Short Sales and Foreclosures. Prices are great, but chances are that you will live near a vacant home in the next year or two.

Overall, I prefer EDH just because the traffic is lighter and it feels just a little more homey to me. Just my opinion!
Nina

[edwardius]

The advantage that El Dorado Hills has is that its mostly built on hills. There are a lot of homes with views in El Dorado Hills. But Folsom probably means a shorter commute. The other thing that Folsom has over El Dorado Hills is recreation opportunities. There are offstreet bike paths throughout Folsom. That is less true regarding El Dorado Hills. The Sac State Aquatic Center is on Lake Natomas. If your kids want to learn crew or learn how to water ski, they can probably ride there bikes from home in Folsom to classes at the Aquatic Center after school. If you live in El Dorado Hills, you are probably going to be driving them more from place to place.

ASI Aquatic Center

Folsom Website - Bike Map

Both places are nice places to live. Its just a matter of which things you value the most highly.

[NorCal Dude]

LoL I dont know about schools being worse in folsom. Both folsom high school and oakridge high in el dorado hills score in the top 10% of all schools. Oakridge had an 09 api of like 866 to folsom highs 860 I believe. So both places are great for families, good schools, lower crime rates, etc.

Over all id say el dorado hills has alot more of a solid upper middle class vibe where as folsoms upper middle class vibe is much more modest upper middle class.

Both cities have that very typical post 1980's suburban california aesthetic as far as housing stock goes for the most part. Folsom has more shopping and a nice down town. El dorado hills has more of a "town center" on the main drag, much more residential, a lot less retail.

I prefer folsom to el dorado hills personally but both places are just great.

[Rob98LS1]

Originally Posted by webdev

EL Dorado Hill's has more new homes to offer, but I still prefer Folsom. Plus Folsom is SMUD, ElDorado Hills is PG&E for your electricity ugh. You cant really go wrong with either if you can afford it. I just like more of the small town family oriented feel of Folsom (even though its not really a small town anymore). Santa being paraded around the neighborhood during Christmas etc. All that great stuff and your close to old Folsom. You are correct, about Folsom having more infrastructure and EDH being newer. Its kind of funny hearing someone say getting more bang for your buck buying a home in El Dorado Hills. Usually that area is very pricey. I always thought Folsom prices and ElDorado Hills prices were similiar. The difference is that there are probably more people in Folsom trying to resale for an overinflated price whereas ElDorado Hills has more new homes. New Home builders are offering a lot of great incentives.

This is some good info right here, thanks for your input.

[movintocalifornia]

NinaN - I sent you a direct message.....I have a few questions hoping you could help me with....I am moving from the same area you are from.

Thanks!