20 Things you didn’t know about our State Capitol in Sacramento.

If you’re a Sacramento resident, then you’ve certainly driven past the California State Capitol building downtown, as well as meandered through its grounds and maybe even taken a tour inside. While you certainly know that it’s home to the bicameral state legislature and the office of the governor of California, here are 20 things that you probably didn’t know about the Capitol:

1. The California State Capitol building is located at the west end of Capitol Park, an approximately 4-acre area between L Street to the north, N Street to the south, 10th Street to the west, and 15th Street to the east.

2. You may have know that, but you probably didn't realize that the Capitol sits at the exact coordinates 38.576572°N, 121.493411°W.

3. The Capitol was built to easily be the highest building in the City of Sacramento at that time. In fact, the 6-floor building is 210 feet high at the roof but reaches 247 feet high with its antenna spire.

4. With the population of California swelling with the Gold Rush, California was admitted as the 31st state in the Union in 1850, creating a need for a state capital.

5. The building was designed and constructed by architect M. Frederic Butler, who used a Neo-classical style with Classical Revival elements.

6. He planned the layout and aesthetic of the new California capitol in the likeness of the White House in Washington, D.C., including with its iconic white dome.

7. But Sacramento didn’t become the permanent seat of California's government until 1860. In between, the state capitol was moved to Monterey (1849),  Pueblo de San Jose (1849 - 1851), Vallejo (1852), then Sacramento (1852 – 1853), Vallejo again (1853), Benicia (1853-1854), and then Sacramento again from 1854 until the present day.

8. But even after Sacramento became the permanent seat of California government in 1854, there were several unsuccessful attempts by dissenting politicians to move the capitol to Oakland, San Jose, Berkeley, and Monterey (as late as 1941).

9. Construction on the new Capitol commenced on December 4, 1860, but it took nearly 14 years before it was completed.

10. Its original projected budget of $100,000 swelled to $2.5 million by the time it was done!

11. But there was a larger human cost to the titanic project as well. Ruben Clark, a major architect on the Capitol, build, was committed to a Stockton mental institution in 1864 and died only two years later.  According to psychiatrists at the mental hospital, the cause of Clark’s insanity was listed as "continued and close attention to the building of the State Capitol in Sacramento."

12. Most people know that the third floor of the Capitol is home to paintings of every California governor. But it's not widely known that each California Senator is allowed to choose one local or newer artist and display his or her work in the building for two years.

13. The Capitol includes a statue of Isabella, Queen of Spain, as well as explorer Christopher Columbus.

14. But before breaking ground, workers and craftsmen posed for a giant group photo. Each one of them signed the photograph and then placed it in a time capsule, which was buried beneath the building’s cornerstone and remains there today.

15. The Capitol building project ran into some major challenges with flooding starting in December of 1861, when unusually heavy rains broke the American River’s levee. With the Legislature in session, a serious of even worse storms continued, flooded the grounds, making the area impassable. The Assembly actually passed a resolution to hire boats to take the legislators to and from the Capitol. But soon, the rising waters proved too much, and they decided to move the session to San Francisco temporarily.

16. The Capitol had a bizarre resident; for 13 years, a feral cat nicknamed Senator Capitol Kitty lived in the building. When the cat died, a grave was made for him, and Capitol Kitty is also featured in a children's book entitled, "The Adventures of Capitol Kitty: An Almost True Story."

17. The Capitol underwent a massive rehabilitation starting in 1975, restoring the Capitol to its original 1906 architectural grandeur. The project took six years and $68 million to complete, making it the largest restoration project every completed in North America!

18. In addition to the grand staircase being meticulously reconstructed using only old photos, an original marble mosaic on the second floor was rehabilitated. Each of its 600,000 pieces was removed, polished, glued to craft paper and grouted, and then reinstalled. The beautiful mosaic shows swirling patterns of California’s state flower, the golden poppy.

19. Our Capitol and the surrounding park were designated a National Historic Place in 1973, and the next year, it was registered as a California Historical Landmark.

20. The California State Capitol Building is also known as the "People's Building," and for a good reason, with more than 750,000 visitors and tourists gracing its lawns and halls every year.

15 More Big, Orange, and Foggy Facts About the Golden Gate Bridge!

In part oneof this blog we documented 15 facts about The Golden Gate Bridge. Here are 15 more colossal facts about the San Francisco and national landmark in advance of the big, orange, foggy bridge’s 80^th birthday next year:

1. Conceiving a bridge that spanned across the San Francisco Bay proved to be much easier than actually building it. Starting way back in In 1920, three accomplished engineers, Joseph B. Strauss, Francis C. McMath, and Gustav Lindenthal, received letters inviting them to submit designs and bids for the new bridge project. Strauss thought he could build the symmetrical cantilever-suspension hybrid bridge for a price tag of between $17 and $27 million.

2. A commission set up to coordinate the build kept the design hidden from the public for a year. But when Strauss’s plan did come to light, the sentiment was not favorable, as the local press called it ugly, with one writer describing it as “a ponderous, blunt bridge that combined a heavy tinker toy frame at each end with a short suspension span. It seemed to strain its way across the Golden Gate.”

3. Strauss eventually altered his design plans (though, tragically, he never received money nor credit for designing the bridge), but funding the project was another challenge, as very little state or federal money was available. Most of the cost of the bridge was raised through $35 million in bonds sold by the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District. Local San Francisco residents even put their homes, farms, and businesses up as collateral.

4. Even approving the plan to build the Golden Gate Bridge was a colossal undertaking that took years of favorable court rulings, two Federal hearings, an act of State legislature, mass boycotts and a guarantee that local workers would be used.

5. There was huge opposition to the bridge’s construction, with 2,300 lawsuits filed against the bridge and its subsidiaries in 1930 alone. The Southern Pacific Railroad was a huge opponent because they had a majority stake in the ferry that took commuters across the bay.

6. Even the U.S. War Department was dubious about the project, since they thought Navy ships would be trapped inside San Francisco Bay if the bridge was ever bombed or collapsed. In fact, the War Department owned the land on both sides of where the bridge touched land, so it took six years for them to approve construction and issue the permit.

7. In the midst of construction, an earthquake struck the area, causing the half-completed bridge to sway more than 15 feet side to side. A dozen workers were stuck high up on the South Tower during the quake, stranded because the elevator wouldn’t run, all of them hanging on for dear life and throwing up repeatedly from the vertigo.

8. Construction of The Golden Gate Bridge marked a new era in construction safety. Before the bridge’s build, a rule of thumb for building bridges was to expect a worker fatality for every $1 million it costs. But instead of 35 worker fatalities ($35 million), only 11 worker fatalities took place. Requiring workers to wear hard hats (the first such practice in America) and safety nets suspended below the bridge deck helped save the lives of 19 workers, who called themselves the “Halfway to Hell Club.”

9. The Golden Gate Bridge has only been closed a few times during its history, including for anniversaries, construction work, and in honor of visiting dignitaries.

But the longest unplanned closure was on December 3, 1983, when 75 mph winds shut down the bridge for three hours and 27 minutes until it was safe to cross it again.

10. Until 1960, The Golden Gate was the longest suspension bridge in the word. That year, Japan's Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge gained that honor with a span of 6,500 feet. But the Golden Gate still wins the award for the most photographed bridge in the world.

11. On February 22, 1985 the one-billionth driver crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. The lucky motorist, a dentist named Dr. Arthur Molinari, was greeted by fanfare, media, given a special hard hat and a case of champagne.

12. However, another seminal event – the bridge’s 50^th anniversary on May 24, 1987 – was a complete disaster. A crowd of 50,000 people was expected to show up for the ceremony, but more than 800,000 well wishers and spectators attended!  With all of that weight, the bridge started to sag in the middle and a 17 mph wind started swaying it side to side, creating mass panic in the crowd, many of whom became nauseas or claustrophobic in the thick crowd. Soon, the entire bridge flattened and the arch disappeared under the greatest load it carried in its 50 years of existence. But according to engineers, there was no reason for concern since the bridge was designed to move up to 15 feet vertically and 27 feed side to side, and even a maximum weight load would only put 40% stress on the suspension cables.

13. The Golden Gate Bridge has appeared in more than two-dozen movies, including The Maltese Falcon (1941), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Interview with the Vampire (1994), The Rock (1998), and San Andreas (2015). Unfortunately, the bridge is often the target of destruction by aliens, attacking foreign armies, or cataclysmic natural disasters.

14. The bridge holds the dubious distinctions as the top destination for suicides in the world. That macabre track record started only three months after it opened in 1937, when a man named H.B. Wobber took a bus to the bridge, casually told the other passengers that this was where he got off, climbed the rail and jumped.

Since then, there have been more than 1,500 suicides from the Golden Gate, an average of one suicide every three weeks. Even though they hit the freezing cold water at 75 mph, more than 30 jumpers have actually survived the fall, and there are now 11 crisis counseling phones along the span.

15. The Golden Gate is such an imposing structure that it actually impacts the weather patterns in the bay and city, particularly the famous San Francisco fog.  In fact, the bridge redirects the fog stream up and over or down under the bridge, effectively separating high pressure from low as fog crosses its path.

Sacramento’s secret underground harkens back to The Great Flood of 1862 that nearly washed the young city off the map

Many Sacramento residents have heard about the secret underground city that sits below Old Sacramento and parts of downtown, but some have even joined the tours that delve beneath the earth to explore the tunnels and rough bricked basements of yesteryear. In fact, The Sacramento History Museum conducts those Underground Tours as a way to educate visitors and preserve our rich and unique heritage.

But far less Sacramentans realize why that underground city existed at all, and that they’re the last remaining relics of a stormy season that came very close to washing Sacramento completely off the map and rewriting California history forever.

In the autumn days of the Gold Rush of 1849, Sacramento had established itself as the first major city in California and a thriving transportation and agricultural hub with its position on the Sacramento and American Rivers.

But the very existence of the city was thrust in jeopardy with the Great Storm of 1861 – which is still the largest storm in California history.

The historic storm washed out a good portion of California and the Pacific Northwest, turning the Sacramento Valley into a giant “inland sea” that spanned 250 to 300-miles long and 60 miles wide.

The aberrational weather pattern was so huge that it moved as far east as Tennessee, where it shut down troop movements during the Civil War. But Sacramento bore the brunt, and as the storm began on Christmas Eve of 1861, Sacramento newspapers declared Christmas would be canceled. The heavy rains went on for 45 days straight without break, dropping 400% more rain than usual, causing flooding of Biblical proportions that came to a head in January of 1862.

By that month, the water level had risen so high in the low-lying city of Sacramento that steamships and smaller boats literally sailed through Old Sacramento and parts of downtown, rescuing people from their homes. Old Sacramento was completely submerged and thousands of residents died in the flooding and the rampant diseases that ensued. When freshly elected Governor Leland Stanford needed to come to Sacramento for his inauguration, he took a rowboat to the steps of the Capitol.

Soon, the legislature at the Capitol chose to evacuate Sacramento and temporarily moved operations down to San Francisco, and residents started following them. Only 13-years old at the time, the City of Sacramento was in serious jeopardy of being abandoned and therefore never evolving into the major metropolitan area we know today.

But the plucky and spirited Gold Rush settlers of Sacramento at the time weren’t going to be flooded out of their city without a fight. They knew that if they didn’t do something drastic to flood-proof their city, California’s economic and political power would shift to San Francisco.

To rescue their beloved city, the common citizens came to the leaders with an ambitious three-pronged plan: they would reroute the rivers; reinforce the existing levee system that had been constructed in the 1850s; and do something unprecedented at the time – raise the city streets.

Residents even agreed to self-tax to make the plan work, but still, there were plenty of doubters and some even considered it foolhardy, including the nation’s most famous writer at the time, Mark Twain.

"The system of raising its buildings has its advantages," Mark Twain wrote. "It makes the floor shady and this is something that is great in such a warm climate. It also enables the inquiring stranger to rest his elbows on the second-story windows and look in and criticize the bedroom arrangements of all the citizens."

But the monumental feat of engineering proceeded, and Old Sacramento and some buildings in the current downtown (roughly between I and N streets bordering the Sacramento River) were raised about 9 to 10 feet. One by one, workers cut through the foundations of houses, stores, and buildings, and then used a lattice of logs and hand-cranked house jacks (and a lot of manpower) to raise the structures. The 9-foot gaps that were created between the old ground level and the new were filled with mud and sand.

Other business owners found it easier just to leave their ground level be, sealing it off and building a new ground level or another story on top of it. Facing the colossal expense and workload, other storeowners couldn’t come up with the needed resources and had to close their doors and walk away. One Chinese herbalist did nothing, and his once street-level store was soon in a basement, though he kept doing business.

In all, it took 15 years to finish the street raising, as well as reinforcing the levees. When the dust settled, Sacramento was indeed livable again, saving the city but also creating plenty of unique structures beneath the earth, sometimes called “hollow sidewalks,” including tunnels, cellars, bricked up former storefronts, and other subterranean spaces.

Sacramento was the first city on the West Coast to raise its streets, predating Seattle’s similar architectural endeavor by 30 years. It became a rich and entertaining part of its history, with plenty or rumors of ghosts and paranormal activity underground over the decades, as well as a lot of illegal booze being served down there during Prohibition.

You can still explore the history of Old Sacramento, the early city, and the underground city with information and tours from the Sacramento History Museum at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Contact them at 916-808-7973 or www.SacHistoryMuseum.org.

Neighborhood and City Spotlight – Folsom, California.

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Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, only 23 miles from the Sacramento proper.  It’s situated in the foothills of the Sierra Mountain range, and a short drive to Lake Tahoe.  Folsom has a total area of 24.3 square miles.  Of that, 21.9 square miles is land and 2.4 square miles is water.  It was formally incorporated in 1946.

History

Folsom has a history as old and rich as California itself, as the community was first settled as part of the Gold Rush in the Sierras.  In 1847, William Leidesdorff , a prosperous trader and shipping magnate, came to Sacramento by steamer to survey the 35,000 acres he bought years previous, including the area where modern-day Folsom lies.  

After the Mexican-American War, an Army Captain named Joseph Libbey Folsom bought a huge plot of land - Rancho Rio de los Americanos – from Leidesdorff’s heirs.  Folsom started a town called Granite City, consisting mostly of miners, gold prospectors, and the folks who had come west to find riches.  But it wasn’t gold that made the town prosperous, it was actually Libbey’s steadfast work to get a railroad coming to town that connected to Sacramento.  In 1855, Granite City was renamed Folsom to commemorate their founder’s work.  

 In 1880, Folsom Prison was established in Folsom, thanks to an agreement with the Livermore family.  They donated land to the state for the prison in exchange for free prison labor for their sawmill.  The Livermores wanted to build a hydroelectric dam on the American River to power their sawmill.  The mill faltered but the dream of a dam to generate power sprung forth with the Folsom Powerhouse, which supplied electricity to Sacramento.  At that time, it was the longest overhead run of electricity in America (22 miles.)  The powerhouse was in operation until 1952 and is now a National Historic Landmark    

Folsom Prison went on to its own infamy in 1956 when Johnny Cash sang a popular song, The Folsom Prison Blues, and performed there in a historic free concert for the inmates.

Development

Folsom incorporated and became an official city in 1946 after a big campaign by its Chamber of Commerce.  In 1956, only 4 years after the Folsom Powerhouse was established, the Folsom Dam was built, offering protection from flooding rivers and regulating water rights for the Sacramento Valley.

Highway 50 was soon constructed to manage traffic flow to the state capitol, and air traffic began coming in and out of Mather Air Cargo/General Aviation airport nearby.  By the year 2000 there were over 51,000 people living in Folsom, and a light rail system – not a historic railroad – connects commuters to the capitol.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the population of Folsom was 72,203.  Of those, 65,243 people (90.4% of the population) lived in households, 188 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 6,772 (9.4%) were institutionalized.  It’s amazing that almost 10% of Folsom is in prison! 

The average household is 2.61 people and the average family size is 3.13 people. 

The median age in Folsom is 37.6 years.

Interestingly, for every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 117.9 males.  We can only assume this is partly because of the high male prison population, as well.

Folsom has 26,109 housing units.  69.9% of those are owner-occupied and 30.1% are rental units.  The homeowner vacancy rate is a low 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate is 5.2%.

Real estate values remain high because Folsom is a desirable place to live and work, yet the city’s master plan is almost full, with no easy places to build or add large communities.

Affluence

It was estimated in 2007) at the height of the real estate boom) that the median income in Folsom was $87,542 and the median household income was $109,032, both well over national average.  The cost of living was just as high, however, at 138% of the national average! 

Recent estimates show that Folsom’s affluence has diminished at all.  In the last census, the median household income was calculated at $94,642.

There are several factors that go into this – great local employers, access to Folsom Lake and other recreation areas, the city’s historic charm, good schools, and pricey real estate.  But Folsom is also a sought-after place to live because of its low crime rates.  In fact, the FBI Uniformed Crime Report consistently ranks Folsom as one of the lowest crimes rates in all of California, most of which are just property crimes, not violent crimes. 

Notable Residents

Jerry Horton, guitarist for Papa Roach

Cristina Mendonsa, News10 Anchor KXTV in Sacramento

Dmitry Tursunov, Tennis Player. Representing Russia in 2008 Olympics

Peter Camejo, Green Party Activist
John "Spider" Jorgensen, baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson's teammate

Restaurants

Folsom has some of the region’s finest restaurants, with plenty of options for family dining, ethnic cuisine, and options to eat out on less-than a 5-star budget.  You can find all of Folsom’s restaurant’s and their ratings on Yelp.

Here are the top-rated restaurants in Folsom:

Chez Daniel

Visconti’s Ristorante

Folsom Palace

Saffron Grill

Thai Blossom Cuisine

Bidwell Street Bistro

Sutter Street Steakhouse

Manderes

Fat’s Asian Bistro

Back Wine Bar & Bistro

Jobs

Folsom is home to Sacramento’s largest private employer, Intel.  Intel employs 6,515 people there.  The second largest employer is the California State Prison, with 1,450 jobs, and the Verizon Wireless with 1,100.  Folsom State Prison employs 975 people and the Folsom Cordova Unified School District gives a paycheck to 875 people every month. 

Of the jobs sector, Folsom leads with management and business jobs, followed by service occupations, sales and office jobs, construction and maintenance, and finally, those employed in the transportation and moving sector.  Unemployment hovers around the 11% mark, consistent with most of California.   

Education and Schools

GreatSchools.org rates the Folsom school system at 9 out of 10, well above the national and California average.  You can see all of their school reports here.

Highlighted in the report are the:

Empire Oaks Elementary School - 10 out of 10 score.

Russell Ranch Elementary School – 10.

Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary School 10.

Carl H. Sundahl Elementary School – 9.

Folsom Community Charter School – 9.

Folsom is home to one institution of higher learning, Folsom Lake College.

Arts

The arts and music are alive and well in Folsom, with a vibrant artistic community that’s been compared to, “A little Sante Fe.”  There are plenty of art exhibits, musical shows, and street festivals for all to enjoy in Folsom.  The Ballet Folsom has a long tradition of beautiful performances, as does the Folsom Symphony.  The Hawkins School of Performing Arts trains plenty of Folsom resident and Folsom High School has an award-winning music program.  You can find out more at FolsomArts.org.

Recreation

Beautiful Folsom Lake is the city’s main recreation attraction, bringing swimmers, sunbathers, fishermen, and boaters almost daily in the summer.  The lake covers about 4.8 miles of surface area and runs Granite Bay to the most southern point of Folsom Lake.  Around the lake area, the Folsom Lake Recreation Area has been established as part of the California State Park System, with water covering 2/3 of the park’s surface.  Year-round, people can hike, picnic, camp, study nature, and ride horses in the recreation area.  Popular hiking trails include the American River Trail, Pioneer Express Trail, and Rattlesnake Bar-Horseshoe Bar Trail.

Folsom is the end point of the American River Bike Trail that runs all the way from Davis, California. 

Landmarks

The Folsom Powerhouse is a national historic landmark.  Folsom also boasts several notable bridges – Lake Natoma Crossing, Rainbow Bridge, a historic truss bridge, and Folsom Lake Crossing.  In 2011, a revitalization project completely revamped Folsom’s historic downtown, with museums, antiques and architecture form its past, and plenty of shops, restaurants, and charming amenities for the whole family. 

You can find out more about Folsom at the city’s website.  Or contact us any time for more information and how to buy, sell, or move to Folsom!

Neighborhood and city spotlight: El Dorado Hills, California.

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El Dorado Hills is an unincorporated census-designated place in El Dorado County, about 22 miles east of Sacramento, California. 

As recently as the year 2000 it covered only 17.9 square miles, but was expanded to encompass 48.606 square miles as of 2010.

El Dorado Hills sits in El Dorado County and is commonly affiliated with the Sacramento Metropolitan Area and the City of Folsom. 

History:

Present day El Dorado Hills is only 13 miles from the site where gold was first discovered in 1848 in Coloma, which started the Gold Rush.

Before the Gold Rush, the area was inhabited mostly by farmers and ranchers.

Two Pony Express routes from 1860 still exist in the area, now as modern roads.

El Dorado Hills has the longest remaining section of the Lincoln Highway, the first U.S. transcontinental highway. 

Development:

El Dorado Hills (EDH) as a modern, master planned community was first established in the 1960s by developer Alan Lindsey.  The original master plan was prepared by architect Victor Gruen.

EDH was first designed as a sprawling area of villages, including Park, Saint Andrews, Crown, and Governors and later, the Lake Forest Village area and neighborhoods.

Since then, additional communities of Fairchild, Sterlingshire, Highland Hills, Highland View, Bridlewood, Hills of El Dorado, Woodridge, Laural Oaks and the master-planned community of Serrano have sprung to life

In 1995, the Parker Development Company acquired 3,500 acres along the eastern edge of El Dorado Hills and designed  the large master planned community, Serrano.

Around 2000, population growth and commercial development exploded, especially with the establishment of the Town Center Zone to form a downtown business district. 

Now, the new EDH Town Center sits just south of Highway 50, 100-acres of land and 1,000,000 square feet of buildings that offer a mixed-use cornucopia of local and national retailers, hotels, cinemas, restaurants, cafes, markets, fitness clubs, spas, professional and medical offices, a public amphitheater, signature fountains and walkways, and public plazas.

Demographics:

As of the 2010 census, the population  of EDH was 42,108.

That was up precipitously from 18,016 per the 2000 census.

In 2010, there were 14,368 households in EDH.

84% were occupied by families.

45.4% had children under 18.

The average family size was 3.2 persons.

The median age was 40.6 years

Of the 14,994 housing units in EDH, 12,169 were owner-occupied (84.9%) and 2,199 (15%) occupied by renters.

Affluence:

EDH boasts a high median household income. CNN Money ranked it 77^th in the country for best places to live in 2007, with a median household income over $115,000.

EDH ranks 3rd for highest by median household income in a list of places with population greater than 40,000, behind only Potomac, Maryland and Danville, California.

There are plenty of luxury and high end communities and neighborhoods, like Serrano Golf and Country Club, The Summit, Watermark, Marina Hills and Highland Hills

Notable El Dorado Hills residents:

Austin Collie – NFL wide receiver with Indianapolis Colts

Ryan Anderson – NBA power forward with New Orleans Pelicans

Sei Ajirotutu – NFL wide receiver Carolina Panthers

Derrek Lee – first baseman Atlanta Braves

F.P. Santangelo – MBL baseball plaer

Jacoby Shaddix – lead singer of Papa Roach

Cheri Elliot – 14 time World and National Champion cyclist

Robert T. Marionetta – author

Orada Moore – jazz musician

Restaurants:

Just a handful of the renowned fine dining options in El Dorado Hills include:

Sky Sushi

Bistro 33

Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse

Sienna Restaurant

Chantara Thai Cuisine

Mama Ann’s Deli and Bakery

The Purple Place

36 Handles

Café Campanile

Jobs:

The business community grew rapidly in EDH in the 1990’s, as businesses moved north from Silicon Valley up to El Dorado Hills Business Park to escape the high cost there and the recession caused by the Dot Com Bust.

The unemployment rate in El Dorado Hills is typical at or below the national average, with a diverse and well-paying host of employers.

EDH has a notably high level of white-collar jobs.  90.74% of the workforce is employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average, including management, sales and office work professions.

Education and Schools:

El Dorado Hills ranks as one of the most well educated communities in America, with 51.28% of its adults earning a college degree compared to the national average of 21.84%.

Overall, Great Schools City Ratings gives EDH schools 9 out of 10.

These schools rank 10 out of 10: 

Jackson Elementary

Oak Meadow Elementary

Silva Valley Elementary

William Brooks Elementary

Oak Ridge High

Marina Village Middle

Golf

Serrano Country Club, Serrano Course

El Dorado Hills Golf Club, El Dorado Hills Course

Wineries:

The El Dorado wine district is known as the best kept secret, one of California's oldest wine-producing areas.  El Dorado County boasts of over 70 unique wineries, vineyards, and tasting rooms.   

Recreation:

EDH is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream as it sits at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, with hiking, campgrounds, fishing, boating, gold Panning, golfing, snow sports, rafting, horseback riding, and large public sports and recreation areas within it borders.

Landmarks:

Due to its rich history, EDH has a long list of State Historical Landmarks, Points of Historical Interest, and California Register of Historical Places for visitors to see.  This includes the California Historical Society, El Dorado County Historical Museum, Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, Gold Visitors Association, and El Dorado National Forest Information Center 

For a comprehensive list, go to: http://visit-eldorado.com/history.php

If you’d like any more information or a detailed real estate analysis of home prices, appreciation, and how to move to El Dorado Hills, feel free to contact us.  We’re happy to help!  

Why live in Placer County, California? Here are 11 great reasons!

A strong economy and jobs. 

The economy is thriving in Placer, with a mix of 72% jobs in private industry, 17% government employees, and 10% self-employed and in service industries.  That healthy mix keeps the economy vibrant, with unemployment under 7%, much lower than the state average, and the opportunity for growth a reality.  From international biotech corporations and major medical complexes, to mom-and-pop restaurants, Placer County is a great place to do business.

It’s safe.

Placer County consistently rates lower in almost all crime statistics than other counties and metropolitan areas its size.  BestPlaces.net rated it a great 4 out of 10 (10 being the worst) for both indices of violent and property crime, at or below national averages and lower than Sacramento.  That’s in large part thanks to well-funded, professional and diligent policing, but it goes farther than that – into the core of our communities. Placer is an area where people still know their neighbors, parents can let their kids play outside, and families can feel safe walking the streets at night. 

A healthy real estate market.

Owning a home in Placer County has always been a good investment due to its desirable communities, and that’s never more true than today.  In just the last year (September 2012 to September 2013,) Placer home prices have gone up in price by 21.2%.  Due to a fantastic location, beautiful surroundings, and a strong economy, sellers are seeing their homes stay on market an average of only 22.1 days.

Our back yard is Lake Tahoe.

Drive only 40-minutes up the pass and your ears will start signaling the ascent to Donner’s Peak at 8,109 feet, and gateway to Lake Tahoe, the largest Alpine lake in the United States.  Tahoe boasts a crystal blue lake surrounded by the Sierra Mountains, so unique in its beauty that people come from all over the world to visit, and Squaw Valley was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.  Whether you ski its award-winning peaks in the winter, hike and mountain bike its majestic green trails in the summer, or just plan on a fun day socializing and dining on the water, Tahoe is truly one of the nation’s natural treasures.

Our front yard is Sacramento.

An easy 20-minute drive or so to the capital of California and all the restaurants, nightlife, rivers, and family fun you could ever ask for, including minor league soccer and baseball teams and the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.  Many people work and play in Sacramento because it’s such an easy commute from Placer.

History.

Placer is called the Golden County for a reason – the hills around the area yielded the first discovery of gold in 1850.  Born only a year later out of the subsequent panning frenzy, Placer played a major role in the Gold Rush and a Go-West boom that changed the destiny of America forever.  That rich history is still on display in Placer with plenty of museums and historical venues. 

Plenty of arts and culture.

You may not think of a vibrant arts scene when someone mentions Placer, but the arts are on full display year round.  Placer is a cultural mecca for symphony lovers, ballet enthusiasts, art gallery showings, museums, street festivals, local live music in the park and concerts by some of the biggest bands in the world, and of course, rodeos!

Golf.

You may ski in the winter, but when the sun comes out don’t miss the chance to tee off at some of California’s nicest golf courses.  Placer is home to 20 golf courses where you can play 18, ranging from inviting pubic courses to exclusive private resorts, Pro Am and even a Championship LPGA course    

Wine.

Nestled in Placer’s picturesque rolling foothills, close enough to the ocean but with enough sunshine and just the right temperatures, we grow best grapes and produce some of the best wine in the world. An golden autumn wouldn’t be complete without a winetasting at vineyards along the Placer Wine Trail or stopping for a picnic with friends while sharing a bottle of local vino.

Amazing schools.

If education is your aim, you’ll find that Placer County is a jewel for intellectual advancement.  In fact, national school rankings rate as some of the best in California and the country.  On a scale of 1-10, an astounding 54 of our elementary, middle, and high schools were given a score of at least 9, and 17 rated 10 out of 10.  The education system and children in Placer County’s schools earn high marks, indeed! 

Things to do with the family.

Do you want to go check out a quaint throwback Western town?  Hike through a protected natural forest to a scenic waterfall?  Go ice skating? Meet up with some friends for boating or paddle boarding on the weekends?  Hit a farmers market and then go apple picking?  Try your luck at a casino?  You can do all of that and more in Placer County, a day trip destination for so many people in the Sacramento area but right around the corner for Gold County residents!