Placer County · CA
Loomis, Penryn and Newcastle, Placer County: Community Guide
Three small foothill towns sit along the same rail line in Placer County, a few miles apart. Fruit shaped all three, and granite shaped one of them.
Loomis, Penryn and Newcastle at a glance
Three small foothill towns sit along the same rail line in Placer County, a few miles apart. Fruit shaped all three, and granite shaped one of them.
They answer different questions, so let's start with what you're looking for.
Only in Loomis, Penryn and Newcastle
A fall festival at a historic train depot.
Loomis held its 36th annual Eggplant Festival on October 7, 2023, at the Loomis Train Depot, hosted by the Loomis Basin Chamber of Commerce. A Fruit Shed Fest has since taken over as the town's fall community event, tied to its fruit-packing past.
Loomis
A small town with a packing-shed past.
Loomis began as a post office in 1861 and took the name of pioneer James Loomis. The Southern Pacific chose the town in 1890, and in the early 1900s it was the second-largest fruit-shipping station in Placer County. The High Hand and Blue Goose packing sheds still stand between Taylor Road and the railroad tracks. Loomis incorporated on December 17, 1984. The town's General Plan describes the land south of I-80 as almost entirely rural residential, and MetroList closed sales show a median lot near 41,800 square feet.
Penryn
A granite story and a row of palms.
In late 1864 Griffith Griffith opened a granite quarry on land leased from the Central Pacific Railroad, and the name Penryn was settled in May 1865. By the mid-1890s fruit had overtaken granite. About 1,000 California fan palms were planted in the early 1890s along the boundaries of the Placer County Citrus Colony, and many still stand along English Colony Road. The quarry grounds are now a 23-acre county park, with a museum in the 1877 quarry office. The 2020 census counted 439 housing units in Penryn.
Newcastle
A hillside town built on fruit shipping.
The Central Pacific reached Newcastle in 1864, and fruit shipping followed, using old mining ditches for irrigation. In 1900 Newcastle shipped 1,054 carloads, more than 27 million pounds of fruit, about a sixth of California's deciduous fruit. The Newcastle Portuguese Hall at 690 Taylor Road, built in 1917 and 1918, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Newcastle sits at about 797 feet, roughly 6 miles east of Loomis, and the 2020 census counted 621 housing units.
Price by lot size
See how acreage changes the price.
Lot size is the biggest difference in this area. Last year's median sale price, by lot size, across Loomis, Penryn and Newcastle (single-family homes): under 1 acre, $682,500 (90 sales); 1 to 3 acres, $1,112,500 (78 sales); 3 to 5 acres, $1,357,500 (32 sales); and 5 acres or more, $1,500,000 (40 sales). Larger lots come with their own checks, such as well and septic, which we look up for each address.
Around Loomis, Penryn and Newcastle
Acreage, with Interstate 80, a park and a small main street nearby.
The typical single-family lot here is about 1.5 acres. Interstate 80 runs through Loomis, and Taylor Road, a segment of historic Highway 40, passes the High Hand and Blue Goose fruit-packing sheds beside the railroad tracks. Downtown Loomis is a small main street along Taylor Road. In Penryn, the former granite quarry is now Penryn Granite Works, a 23-acre park. Newcastle sits in the Sierra foothills, about 8 miles northeast of Rocklin.
Close by
A hospital, a college and Roseville's medical centers within reach.
Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital is at 11815 Education Street in Auburn. In Roseville, Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center is at 1600 Eureka Road and Sutter Roseville Medical Center is at One Medical Plaza. Sierra College's main campus is at 5100 Sierra College Boulevard in Rocklin, and Newcastle sits about 8 miles northeast of Rocklin.
The numbers, in one breath
Every neighborhood has a median, and in Sacramento the median only tells part of the story. Lot sizes vary. Eras mix. Custom homes sit beside tract homes. So even where the median is $975,000, there are one-of-a-kind homes that sell for far more, and the street, the lot and the details move the number.
Last year, 241 single-family homes sold in ZIPs 95650, 95663 and 95658 (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026). The typical home was built in 1985, with 4 bedrooms and about 2,268 square feet, on a lot of about 65,340 square feet (1.5 acres). Half of the sales landed between $710k and $1.6M, depending on lot size, condition, square footage and more, and the median was $975,000. Condos and townhomes aren't included. This is what happened, not what will happen. Ask us for today's numbers.
Good to know before you look
On acreage we check whether the home is on public water from Placer County Water Agency or a private well, and whether it has a septic system, including any permits on file with Placer County Environmental Health. We look these up for each address.
Talk to us
Are you looking for 55-and-older communities, or helping a parent plan a move? Our Well MOVED section is built for that.
Ask us for today's numbers on any street: call (916) 549-3131 or send us a note.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which town is closest to the others?
Loomis and Newcastle are about 6 miles apart, with Penryn between them, all along I-80.
What was grown here?
Orchard fruit was grown here and shipped by rail from Loomis and Newcastle. Penryn's first industry was granite.
What ZIP codes are these?
Loomis is 95650, Penryn is 95663 and Newcastle is 95658.
The method
How we do it in Loomis, Penryn and Newcastle
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