Sacramento County · CA
Folsom, Sacramento County: Community Guide
Folsom Dam holds back Folsom Lake. Just below it, Lake Natoma stretches toward Sacramento. The town grew up around that water, from a gold rush main street to neighborhoods that are still being built.
Folsom at a glance
Folsom Dam holds back Folsom Lake. Just below it, Lake Natoma stretches toward Sacramento. The town grew up around that water, from a gold rush main street to neighborhoods that are still being built.
Folsom isn't one place. So let's ask what you're after.
Only in Folsom
Where long-distance electric power began its trip to Sacramento.
Folsom Powerhouse opened in 1895 and sent hydroelectric power about 22 miles to Sacramento, one of the first long-distance transmissions of its kind in the country. It is a National Historic Landmark, now part of Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park.
Historic Folsom
A main street with a gold rush past.
The Historic District began in the 1850s. Sutter Street opened as a segment of the Lincoln Highway in 1915 and became the center of town, with a bank, drug stores, a movie theater and hotels. Figueroa Street, close by, has Victorian homes, including an Italianate house built in 1881 and another built in 1891. The Folsom History Museum is at 823 Sutter Street.
Gold River
Planned villages beside the American River.
Gold River sits between Rancho Cordova and Folsom, with the American River to the north. It is a master-planned community of 25 villages, each with its own sub-association under one master association. Homes include detached houses, duplexes and triplexes, and a condominium development. Sacramento County reviewed a 411-acre Gold River plan in 1987. Gold River is unincorporated county land, not part of the City of Folsom.
Empire Ranch
A golf course woven into the streets.
Empire Ranch was first called Russell Ranch. The City of Folsom's first review, in 1989, covered single-family homes, golf courses and a country club. One developer-affiliated page describes 1,738 acres, with more than 3,000 homes planned at build-out. Empire Ranch Golf Club is a public course on East Natomas Street. Oak groves and rolling hills are part of the setting.
The Folsom Plan Area
A home in a community that is still going up.
The Folsom Plan Area covers 3,250 acres south of Highway 50 and allows up to 11,000 homes, with parks, schools and shops. Several national builders are active in these neighborhoods, and new model homes opened at Preserve at Folsom Ranch in 2024. The Folsom Ranch name appears across several of these neighborhoods.
Around Folsom
Trails and lake shoreline close by, with a historic main street in town.
The typical single-family lot here is about 7,200 square feet. Highway 50 runs along the northern edge of the Folsom Plan Area, and the city has more than fifty miles of trails, including the American River Bike Trail along Lake Natoma. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area reaches into the city. Palladio at Broadstone is a 55-acre open-air center anchored by a full-service grocer. In the Historic District, streets near Sutter Street have boutique shops, dining, pubs, wineries and coffee shops, plus concerts at Zittel Family Amphitheater.
Close by
A hospital, medical offices and a college in town.
Mercy Hospital of Folsom, run by Dignity Health, is at 1650 Creekside Drive. Kaiser Permanente's Folsom Medical Offices are at 2155 Iron Point Road. Folsom Lake College's main campus is at 10 College Parkway. Dignity Health lists El Dorado Hills and Granite Bay among the communities the hospital serves.
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 $765,000, 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, 784 single-family homes sold in ZIP 95630 (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026). The typical home was built in 1999, with 3 bedrooms and about 2,075 square feet, on a lot of about 7,198 square feet. Half of the sales landed between $650k and $935k, depending on lot size, condition, square footage and more, and the median was $765,000. In Folsom, 90 of those 784 sales closed at $1.15M or more, and the highest reached $2.56M. 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
Parts of the Folsom Plan Area sit inside City of Folsom Community Facilities Districts, which levy a Mello-Roos special tax. Gold River has a master association over 25 village sub-associations. 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
Where is Lake Natoma?
Lake Natoma sits below Folsom Dam and above Nimbus Dam and covers about 500 surface acres. A paved loop circles it, and a 32-mile bike path runs from the lake to Old Sacramento.
Is Gold River part of Folsom?
No. Gold River is unincorporated Sacramento County, between Rancho Cordova and Folsom.
How many trails does Folsom have?
The city counts more than fifty miles, including the Humbug-Willow Creek Trail, the Folsom Parkway Rail Trail and the Lake Natoma Trail.
The method
How we do it in Folsom
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