Applegate
The fruit and nut orchards have been replaced with homes on large lots where homeowners enjoy views of the river and canyon. The center of Applegate has a branch library, civic center, post office and a beautiful park with a pond.
The approximately 1900 foot elevation means that once in a while there is a dusting of snow in the winter and summer days that are cooler than the lower Sacramento Valley.
There are old ranches and new hillside homes within this small community. There are winding lanes to hidden homes on tree covered acreage and you can find modest small homes or estate size homes. It is an easy commute out to Highway 80 making it a favorite for those working in the high tech industry in Roseville and Rocklin.
Auburn
Some people just stop in Auburn on their way up Highway 80 to Lake Tahoe but other people are more fortunate -- they live here. People who like foothill living have made Auburn their home. The home styles range from vintage homes near Old Town and Downtown Auburn, to new construction within and just outside the city limits. Size of homes range from small cottages, homes on golf courses, 5 to 10+ acre parcels, custom and semi-custom homes.
Auburn is close enough to downtown Sacramento to allow a commute to work and even closer to the high tech facilities in Roseville, Rocklin and Folsom.
Auburn offers the small town atmosphere so many are looking for nowadays. There is always something happening at the Fairgrounds - The Gold Country Fair in September, Rodeo in April, Auburn Home Shows in May and September; in Old Town -- Antiques and Collectibles Street fairs in May and October; in Downtown -- the Black and White Ball in September and Cruise Nights one Friday a month brings out the old time cars and old time fun. The Farmers Market happens every Saturday in the Court House parking lot. The world famous runs and rides including the legendary Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, the Tevis Cup 100 Mile Horseback Ride, the Cool Mountain Bike Race and the Cool Canyon Crawl give even the most energetic a good workout.
The Auburn State Recreation Area is a wonderful place to get away from it all. Hiking, biking, and riding trails crisscross the area. Two forks of the American River come together a short distance from downtown Auburn and the area has become a favorite place to soak up the sun on hot summer days. There is a boat launching ramp for Folsom Lake just down Auburn-Folsom road at Rattlesnake Bar, lots of river rafting opportunities and of course, the fishing is great. You can be snow skiing in less than two hours or over the hill to Reno, which is only about 100 miles away, for a show in about the same time.
Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital and its affiliated physicians provide residents with full service hospital and medical services.
Colfax
Colfax is the last city with a big choice of restaurants and other services on Interstate 80 on the way to the summit of the Sierra. There are rural retreats, bungalows in town along with some Victorians and at this time, a subdivision called Canyon Creek Village that appears to be more "citified" than the rest of Colfax.
Picnicking, camping, recreational gold panning, boating, rafting are all popular with locals and visitors alike. The unique shops and restaurants appeal to all. When in Colfax, be sure to visit the home town movie theater, Colfax Theater, offering seats from the past and crystal chandelier in the lobby and first run movies.
Located on Interstate 80 between Auburn and Truckee, Colfax offers an Amtrak stop and often receives just enough snow for family fun in the winter. Colfax is one of the oldest cities in Placer County ( Virtual Tour). It is bordered by the north fork of the American River and the Bear River. Just north of town is Rollins Lake.
Foresthill
Foresthill is approximately 15 miles from Highway 80 east of Auburn and offers small town living Virtual Tour of the main street through town; for those seeking tall California pine covered lots and quite times.
The community is surrounded by recreational opportunities of every type.
White water rafting, off-road trails, camping, fishing, and hiking. The choices of home style range from small homes with great room designs on large lots to estate size homes. Foresthill has been discovered and more new homes are being built as the area becomes more popular.
Granite Bay
Granite Bay is on the west side of Folsom Lake which has 75 miles of shoreline, fishing, picnicking and trails for biking, hiking or horseback riding. It is considered the 'Beverly Hills' of the area with many million-dollar + homes with views of the lake. The Granite Bay Golf Club is as upscale as the community itself.
The Granite Bay area offers beautiful homes, some within gated communities. There are "ranchettes" with room for horses for those who enjoy riding.
Granite Bay High School and the Eureka Union School District serve Granite Bay. The major developments within the district, Treelake Johnson Ranch are built out for the most part, but it is expected that smaller subdivisions of custom and semi-custom homes will continue to be developed contributing to the school population.
Lincoln
The small town image of Lincoln, California is being challenged -- Lincoln has earned the title of "fastest growing city in California". A city growing at this pace must constantly focus on keeping the General Plan for Growth updated and that is exactly what the Mayor and City Council Members are doing. The desire to "create a community that establishes an equilibrium between environmental sensitivity, the bottom line and livability." The major growth area is in the Twelve Bridges planned community.
Lincoln is in the Western Placer Unified School District. The school district has an ambitious plan in place to meet the needs of the growing population.
Top business in Lincoln include Solectron, Western Placer School District, Sierra Pacific Industries, Gladding McBean, BZ Plumbing, Twelve Bridges, Safeway, City of Lincoln and RobbJack.
The regional airport is recognized as one of the finest small airports in Northern California with a 6,000 foot runway and is equipped with an Instrument Landing System. Both corporate and general aviation use the airport. The airport has 1,280 acres of commercial development and is a "free trade zone" which helps to attract business to the area.
Sutter Medical Plaza is currently under construction and will house Sutter Hospital physicians and medical services.
Parks are an important part of the community. McBean Memorial Community Park fills its 23 acres with a swimming pool, lighted baseball, football, soccer stadium, basketball and tennis courts, a state of the art skateboard park, horseshoe pits, two children's play areas, picnic area and an open recreation area. Joiner Park's 13 acres include a soccer and a baseball field, basketball court, children's play area and a vernal pool wetlands area. Markham Ravine Park has a picnic area, children's play area and is situated near a protected wetlands. Lincoln has a full range of youth sports teams.
Loomis
Loomis residents are dedicated to slow growth so you won't see sprawling subdivisions. Once dominated by orchards, Loomis is a semi-rural community today. Loomis has a mix of low-density residential areas and light industrial businesses in the downtown core. There is still an old town charm. A bistro with fine food in the heart of downtown is a favorite place for residents to dine.
Loomis offers mostly rural properties on large lots and smaller homes in small subdivisions. Home to the Loomis Basin Horsemen's Association's riding arena, the Loomis Basin Community Park on King Road also has nature trails, sports courts, playing fields, and playgrounds.
Loomis's Del Oro High School is host the annual Cow Chip Bingo fund-raiser each year and there are jazz concerts, library, music and dance studios, and a golf course.
The big event in town is the Annual Eggplant Festival in the fall. Roadside stands still sell the produce grown in this area.
Meadow Vista
Traveling along Placer Hills Road after leaving Highway 80, you will come upon Meadow Vista Community Park. There you may meet the honking gaggle of resident geese enjoying the pond in the park. Plans are for a community center to be built within the park.
Meadow Vista is a residential community has a few commercial services for the convenience of the residents, but is not cluttered with a commercial area. There are new eateries, a library branch, market, post office, two schools, a few offices, and the multipurpose park along Placer Hills Road.
A Municipal Advisory Committee has been formed to allow local residents and county leaders to keep an open forum about the future needs of Meadow Vista and help to retain its rural charm.
With its agriculture heritage, Meadow Vista still has many large parcels with older country homes. You can find homes that range from small homes in close to the community to homes with access to Lake Combie and the newer development of Winchester Country Club with large estate properties on an 18-hold championship golf course.
Newcastle
If you are looking for older homes on large lots in the foothills or newer homes with wonderful views of the Sacramento Valley, Newcastle may be your next hometown. Famous for its mandarin oranges, Newcastle celebrates this special fruit with the Mountain Mandarin Festival each year in November. The event has become so popular, they had to move it to the Gold Country Fairground to allow for the ever increasing crowds.
The fruit packing sheds attest to the long history of growing not only mandarins but also cherries, peaches, pears and strawberries. The old packing sheds now are home to restaurants and the Newcastle Produce Company.
Penryn
Penryn is a community of rural homes with a very small town center with older homes surrounding the post office. Penryn is located along Interstate 80 between Auburn and Roseville about 30 miles from Sacramento.
Rocklin
Rocklin, another fast growing area in Placer County, is home to Stanford Ranch and the Sunset Whitney area. Home to 22 parks, you can find old town Victorians to large homes on golf courses and Active Adult living. The city sponsors an active visual and performing arts program as well as seasonal family-oriented events including the annual Rocklin Jubilee.
Rocklin is 18 miles north-east of the state capitol, Sacramento. Residents are working hard to maintain a small town flavor to their community.
The Rocklin Unified School District currently operates eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and the state-of-the-art Rocklin High School. Sierra College offers a wide range of excellent programs.
Rocklin offers large upscale homes, Springfield retirement living, a small number of condominiums and many subdivisions to choose from.
Roseville
The City of Roseville is the largest metropolitan area in Placer County. A bedroom community of Sacramento with a commute of 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic. Roseville offers big city conveniences. It has its own electric company, telephone company and hometown newspaper.
Roseville is home to the 90 acre Roseville Auto Mall, the new Galleria Roseville Mall, Roseville Arts Center, Denio's Family Market and much more. Bicycling on the many bike trails throughout Roseville is another amenity that residents like.
Roseville is a city that combines the old town feeling along Vernon Street with everything that is new.
There are homes on golf courses, smaller homes in well established older neighborhoods with parks, gated communities, subdivisions of every size and age to fill your every wish for a new home.
Springfield
Springfield is a gated retirement development with wonderful amenities such as a community center, tennis courts, sports courts and a feeling of community.
Springfield is within the city of Rocklin and its residents enjoy all the areas new shopping areas, parks and the surrounding gently slopping hillside ambience.
The surrounding area of Sacramento Valley and the Sierra's are within a short drive so that residents can be in the mountains enjoying all that the outdoors offers including Lake Tahoe, or off the 'big city' of Sacramento to enjoy the theater.
Sun City Lincoln Hills
Situated within the Twelve Bridges development, Sun City Lincoln Hills is proving to be just as popular as Sun City Roseville. Both locations offer retirement living with a golf course, club house, and organized activities.
There are clubs to join for arts and crafts, cards and games, educational pursuits, social clubs, and recreational clubs. At the Orchard Creek Lodge, you can take special classes, training, and health seminars. The focus is on a healthy lifestyle.
The Lincoln Hills Golf Club is an 18-hole daily fee championship golf course designed by Casper/Nash and Associates. will challenge and thrill players of all abilities.
The area around Sun City Lincoln Hills is developing quickly and there are new services being added every day
Sun City Roseville
Sun City Roseville has become one of the most popular retirement areas in the nation.
The 27 hole Billy Casper Signature golf course in Sun City Roseville has many oak trees and Kaseberg Creek flowing through the course.
The Timber Creek Recreation Lodge with its 52,000 square feet is the community's center of activity. There is a sewing center, ceramics studio, art studio, up-to-date computer technology center, a Wall Street Room, library, ballroom with a stage and becomes the site of banquets, stage productions and social events.
The Lifestyle Fitness Center provides a variety of exercise machines and trained fitness personnel. There is also a dance and aerobics studio, a 25-meter indoor swimming pool for aquacize classes, indoor walking track, water polo and lap swimming. There is also a resort-style pool. If you are a tennis buff, there are six lighted tennis courts, two paddle tennis courts, a basketball half-court, bocci courts, and horseshoe pits.
Twelve Bridges
Twelve Bridges is a new master planned community on just over 3,000 acres in Placer County, Northern California. The Twelve Bridges Golf Club is the center of the community with the 72 par, 18 hole championship course designed by Richard Phelps.
Many builders are participating in the development of this area including Del Web Sun City Lincoln Hills. The builders will be presenting homes of all sizes. Some of the new homes will have views. The new homeowners will be able to enjoy 1,300 acres of preserved open land. Five miles of nature trails with interpretive exhibits will create a buffer within the community.
Twelve Bridges is located in the Western Placer Unified School District. The school district has a six-year school expansion plan in place for Twelve Bridges that includes two elementary schools, one middle and one high school. The first elementary school is slated to open in 2004, the middle school 2006 and the high school in 2005. Call the Western Placer Unified School District to find out which school your child/children will attend until the new schools open. (916) 645-6350
The Lincoln Regional Airport is city owned and has a 6,000' runway. It is used by private, corporate and commercial aircraft. Lincoln/Twelve Bridges is in the heart of the high tech corridor with Oracle, NEC and Hewlett-Packard Company nearby. Sutter Medical Plaza is currently under construction and will house Sutter Hospital physicians and medical services.
Weimar
Located at 2,200' elevation in the Sierra Nevada foothills and covered with Ponderosa Pines, Weimar offers a place to retreat from the hectic pace of life. An hour from California’s capital of Sacramento and one and half-hours from Lake Tahoe, Weimar sits just off I-80.
Many homeowners have enjoyed the area for years and lately many new folks have purchased or built homes on large parcels. Some of the homes have wonderful views of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. If you enjoy outdoor living but still want to be close to the amenities of a larger city, Weimar may be the place for you.
