Folsom neighborhood information and details? Specific questions for people who really know Folsom (Sacramento: for sale, real estate)

[Ludachris]

We're looking at Folsom as an alternative to East Roseville/Granite Bay. We like Granite Bay due to the natural landscapes, mature areas, quiet neighborhoods, and proximity to the lake and trails. We like Roseville for its shopping, dining options, and conveniences. Folsom looks like it's a good mix of those two places when looking at maps and satellite images. And the housing prices look comparable, if not lower than Granite Bay.

We would like a larger lot, from about a 1/4 acre to 1/3 acre or so (larger if possible), but we'd really like something in an area that has mature trees and yet, is considered a little more "high end" - meaning, neighborhoods where you can really see the pride of ownership. We don't mind newer developments, so long as they have plenty of mature trees mixed in with the new ones. A good example of this in Granite Bay is the Ashley Woods and Johnson Ranch area, where they built newer homes among lots of mature trees (I'm a huge fan of the Hidden Lakes area in Granite Bay, very lush). We'd prefer some spacing between the houses if possible, but it's not critical. What's most important is that we're in the best school districts, and freeway access isn't all that important. Ideally, we'd like to find a home in need of some TLC in a good area that we can get a deal on and fix up over time - something in the $350-450k range if possible. Can anyone recommend some neighborhoods and point out where they can be found on a map?

[cncsmomndad]

Look at American River Canyon in Folsom. There is a single story for sale on Amer. Rvr Canyon Dr in your price range on a 1/4 acre lot. When we lived in CA, we lived on Amer Rvr Cnyn Dr and really liked the mature trees, custom home neighborhood and larger lots. The neighborhood is off Oak Ave between Folsom Auburn Rd and Santa Juanita Rd (which gives quick access to Douglas Rd.) There is another in the American River Canyon south section that is $450k on 1/3 acre and another at $450 on 1/4 acre. Another home on Baldwin Lake Rd is $425k on 1/2 acre. We loved that area and if we had to move back to Sacramento, we'd choose to live there without hesitation.

[NinaN]

I agree with cncsmomndad. West of the river near American River Canyon is your best bet for larger lots and mature trees. There are some areas near Briggs Ranch and Lexington Parkway that have mature trees and the occasional large lot. The problem is that not all the lots are that big and you might still feel very cramped if your neighbors have smaller lots. Of course, at a much higher budget you can certainly find larger lots with lots of trees. But not so much at the lower end.

If you want to move further out, you can probably find houses in Rescue and Cameron Park in that price range. They will either be older or smaller houses, but it's not quite as dense out there.

[NewToCA]

Clearly American River Canyon would be your area,

North of Oak Ave Parkway, and between Santa Juanita and Auburn Folsom Rd.

It is just to the south of Granite Bay.

[Ludachris]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

Clearly American River Canyon would be your area,

North of Oak Ave Parkway, and between Santa Juanita and Auburn Folsom Rd.

It is just to the south of Granite Bay.

I'm noticing that. But is that part of Folsom still in the top school districts? It's tough to tell when looking at the school maps.

[CityGirl72]

Originally Posted by Ludachris

I'm noticing that. But is that part of Folsom still in the top school districts? It's tough to tell when looking at the school maps.

YOU FIGURED IT OUT! We love American River Canyon area of Folsom too, but guess what? It feeds to Sutter Middle and the OLD Folsom High - if you will the "bad" school of the district.

You have to live on the East portion of Folsom to get the good NEW High School and middle schools.

We see lots we like in American River Canyon but aren't there because of the schools,

[RelocateCA]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

YOU FIGURED IT OUT! We love American River Canyon area of Folsom too, but guess what? It feeds to Sutter Middle and the OLD Folsom High - if you will the "bad" school of the district.

You have to live on the East portion of Folsom to get the good NEW High School and middle schools.

We see lots we like in American River Canyon but aren't there because of the schools,

Is Sutter Middle so bad? I'm looking at Prairie Oaks/Willow Springs/Los Cerros neighborhoods.

[Ludachris]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

YOU FIGURED IT OUT! We love American River Canyon area of Folsom too, but guess what? It feeds to Sutter Middle and the OLD Folsom High - if you will the "bad" school of the district.

You have to live on the East portion of Folsom to get the good NEW High School and middle schools.

We see lots we like in American River Canyon but aren't there because of the schools,

I could only find one school in that area -Carl H. Sundahl Elementary, and it looks like it's been rated very high the past few years. Sutter Middle does as well. It doesn't look like the schools are bad at all, but I'm not sure what the district lines look like. We'd probably have to go do some scouting before we start worrying about that though.

[canativegirl]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

YOU FIGURED IT OUT! We love American River Canyon area of Folsom too, but guess what? It feeds to Sutter Middle and the OLD Folsom High - if you will the "bad" school of the district.

You have to live on the East portion of Folsom to get the good NEW High School and middle schools.

We see lots we like in American River Canyon but aren't there because of the schools,

If Folsom High School is "bad", then I'll take "bad". It ranks a 10 over the 9 that Vista gets on greatschools.org. You can also read parent reviews on that site. Too many people equate new with "good". If you know anything about real estate, that's just plain silly.

I would recommend American River Canyon North (has association fees), Briggs Ranch, The Parkway (has assoc. fees) or Willow Creek if you like larger lots w/mature trees. The Parkway and Briggs Ranch feed into the same, top-rated elementary school (Folsom Hills).

To look up which neighborhoods feed into which schools (you'll need addresses) look at [url=http://www.schoolsiteonline.com/schoolsitelocator/?districtCode=91603]SchoolSite Locator by Davis Demographics[/url]

[caligirlz]

I'm really surprised how many large lots are hidden throughout the various Folsom neighborhoods. In addition to ARC, Briggs Ranch & Lexington Hills that have already been mentioned, I'd suggest you try these:

Willow Creek (older, well treed, between E Natomas Rd, Blue Ravine & Willow Creek Drive).

There's also an area, and I don't know what it's called, maybe Los Cerros, on & around Woodsmoke Drive which is bordered by E Bidwell, Oak Ave Parkway & Riley.

Natoma Station is also an older, well treed area. Newer areas with lots of oak trees are Prairie Oaks & Willow Creek. I lived in this area for a year, and loved walking the nature trails.

The newest neighorhoods, but without mature trees are Empire Ranch, and Hillside.