Fair Oaks · CA
Phoenix Park, Fair Oaks: Neighborhood Guide
This is east Fair Oaks around the district's biggest park, on land once farmed by the Phoenix family and flown over from Phoenix Field.
What is the Phoenix Park area?
The Phoenix Park area is the east side of Fair Oaks around Phoenix Park, the community park at 9050 Sunset Avenue. The park's 2023 master plan puts it at 65.9 acres between Sunset Avenue on the north and Kruitof Way and Hazel Avenue on the west.
The name comes from the Phoenix family and the Phoenix Field airport that once operated here. Little Phoenix Park, a pocket park, sits at 9041 Phoenix Avenue. A 2026 listing record places Flyway Drive in a subdivision called Phoenix Fields.
Talk With Maggie About Phoenix Park
How did the Phoenix Park area grow up?
J.M. Phoenix was one of the original Fair Oaks investors in the late 1890s, according to local history writer Jim Pearce in a 2012 Patch post. His sons Edward and Alexander farmed orchards on land that ran from about Phoenix Avenue to south of Sunset Avenue, east of Hazel Avenue.
The same post says private planes may have used Phoenix Field as early as 1937. The runway stayed dirt until about 1967, when it was extended and paved. The airport closed in May 1986, and the last flight left on May 16. A 1984 county environmental report had studied 200 housing units, office and commercial space, and new airport buildings on a 30.1-acre site by the field.
Phoenix Park came before the airport closed. A 1980 San Juan Record history says the park district traded its Sailor Bar land to the county in 1972 for a 30-acre site south of Phoenix Field. It gave a community park to the eastern part of the district, which was growing fast.
What is at Phoenix Park?
Phoenix Park has more going on than any single field. The Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District lists Little League fields, soccer fields, playgrounds and a walking path. It also has a community garden for district residents and a dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs.
The Fair Oaks Bike Park sits inside Phoenix Park. It has a dirt pump track with bumps and banked turns and a skills course with wood track and tunnel features.
The 2023 master plan proposed new parking, a bike track and a fitness court. It also called for restrooms, shade structures and more walking paths. Ask the district which pieces are built when you visit.
What are the Phoenix Park vernal pools?
The Phoenix Park vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that fill with winter rain and bloom in spring. The park district calls them a National Natural Landmark and says they are best seen in bloom from March to May. Visitors are asked to stay on the trail, and pets are not allowed in the area.
Wikipedia describes two pieces: a 15-acre preserve run by the park district and an 8-acre state ecological reserve with no public access. The state parcel was set aside as mitigation for nearby home development. The pools hold Sacramento Orcutt grass, an endangered plant found only in Sacramento County.
What kind of homes are in the Phoenix Park area?
No public source breaks out home types or build years for the Phoenix Park area alone. Across Fair Oaks, the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey put the median build year at 1977.
Homes near the vernal pools sit next to protected land, which will stay open. Ask about any drainage easement on a lot that borders the preserve. Wikipedia notes a drain along the preserve's north and east edges built to keep summer irrigation out of the pools.
Miller Park, at 8480 Sunset Avenue, is a second district park on the same road. It has tennis courts, a basketball court and five disc golf baskets.
How do you get around from Phoenix Park?
Hazel Avenue is the main road for the Phoenix Park area. It runs south across the American River on the Hazel Avenue Bridge to U.S. 50, and north toward Orangevale. Sunset Avenue runs east and west along the park.
Sacramento County's directions to Sailor Bar start at the U.S. 50 and Hazel Avenue exit, so the river access points are a short drive south. Fair Oaks is served by San Juan Unified School District. Confirm the assigned school with the district directly.
What should buyers and sellers near Phoenix Park know?
MetroList closed sales for September 2026 put the median price per square foot in ZIP 95628 at $302, across 28 sales. That is a Fair Oaks-wide figure. A home near Phoenix Park is priced from its own nearby sales.
Buyers who want a park or preserve view should ask where the protected land ends and what the master plan adds near that lot. See buying a home in Fair Oaks for how we check, or start with first-time buyers in Fair Oaks.
Sellers near Phoenix Park can point to what is next door: the bike park, the dog park and land that will not be built on. Surroundings puts those facts in the listing plan. Read selling your home in Fair Oaks to see how.
If you are looking at other parts of town, see Fair Oaks Village or the Fair Oaks Bluffs along the river. The Fair Oaks area guide covers the rest. When you are ready, talk with Maggie about the Phoenix Park area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Phoenix Park in Fair Oaks?
Phoenix Park is at 9050 Sunset Avenue in east Fair Oaks. Its 2023 master plan places the 65.9-acre park between Sunset Avenue and Kruitof Way and Hazel Avenue.
Was there an airport in Fair Oaks?
Yes. Phoenix Field operated in east Fair Oaks and closed in May 1986, according to a 2012 local history post by Jim Pearce. Its runway was paved around 1967.
How did Phoenix Park get its name?
The name traces to the Phoenix family, original Fair Oaks investors in the 1890s whose orchard plot ran near Phoenix Avenue and Sunset Avenue. Phoenix Field, the airport, carried the same name.
When can I see the Phoenix Park vernal pools in bloom?
The Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District says the pools are best seen in bloom from March to May. Stay on the trail, and leave pets at home for that part of the park.
Does Phoenix Park have a dog park and a bike park?
Yes. The district lists a dog park with separate large and small dog areas, plus the Fair Oaks Bike Park with a dirt pump track and a skills course.
What is the closest freeway to Phoenix Park?
U.S. 50 is the closest, reached by Hazel Avenue south across the American River. Hazel Avenue also runs north toward Orangevale.
What do homes cost near Phoenix Park?
No published figure covers the Phoenix Park area alone. MetroList closed sales for September 2026 put the median price per square foot in ZIP 95628 at $302, across all of Fair Oaks.
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