Historic Folsom

In a survey of local residents, here's what the locals have to say when asked what they liked most – and liked least – about living in Folsom:


I like the quaintness and history. Old Town has a cool, old “cowboy feel” to it. I love the bike paths and events. There’s also a strong sense of community here.	Expensive living, locals’ “attitude”
This is a great place to raise a young family. Good schools, always something to do – events, outdoor activities.	“What’s not to like?...”
We are a recreational city… very family-oriented and a great place to live: low crime, good planning	They keep destroying history to make room for development.
…a crazy amount of parks – lots of great places and activities for kids, like the Globetrotters Basketball Camp. Event-oriented, and very involved with tourism. Triathaons, Am-Gen…	History loses out to money a lot of the time.
There’s always something to do here – events, festivals. There’s something for everyone, any age.	There are a lot of snobs here – people with a lot of money, and a lot of attitude.
I love the proximity to Lake Natoma, and that it’s so safe here. The history makes it interesting. It’s a perfect place for our outdoor lifestyle – really motivates us to get out and do things.	I don’t like the light rail – it brings in a lot of riff-raff.
It’s a great place to do business. I started my company in 1963, and was lucky enough to get the best location on Sutter Street. Development has improved the town a lot. There are always activities. The new plaza will be a great draw. (Tom Snooks, founder of Snooks Chocolate)	Nothing to dislike.
I grew up here, and I love it. I love kayaking on Lake Natoma, jogging and riding the miles and miles of trails.	It’s getting kind of expensive to live here.
After living on the East Coast, this place is a breath of fresh air – in more ways than one! I love the relaxed, laid-back feeling, and the fact that it’s so clean and well-planned. There’s so much to do here, and a lot of fun things just a short drive away. I love going to Tahoe.	There seems to be a high concentration of “upper crust” types, who seem to think that certain laws are only for the “little people.” And it is kind of expensive.
It’s a nice small town. Very community-oriented.	It’s a small town.

Population

Residents: 64,394 (71,018 including prison inmates)

Males: 55.2%

Females: 44.8%

Median age: 35.9 years

Median household income: $92,642

Ethnicity:

White/Caucasian 74.8%

Asian 10.7%

Black 6.4%

Other 5.4%

Education:

High School Graduates or higher 89.6%

Bachelor's Degree or higher 40%

Workforce Characteristics

• Labor Force 27,800 *

• Available Employment 26,400 *

• Unemployment Rate 4.9% *

*Source: California Employment Development Dept, February, 2010

Hotel Rooms (as of 2010)

Name of Hotel, Number of Rooms:

Lake Natoma Inn

• Lake Natoma Inn, 138

• Hilton Garden Inn, 100

• Larkspur Landing, 84

• Folsom Lodge Hotel, 20

• Residence Inn, 107

• Marriott Courtyard, 125

• Hampton Inn and Suites, 147

Total Rooms: 721

Climate, Area, and Terrain Information

Average annual highest temperature (°F): 73.6

Average annual temperature (°F): 61.1

Average annual lowest temperature (°F): 48.6

Average amount of snowfall/year (inches): 0.10

Average amount of rainfall/ year (inches): 20.12

Police Protection

Number of stations: 1

Total police personnel: 112

Total sworn personnel: 85

Calls for service (2008): 70,104

Transportation

Folsom is conveniently located about 25 miles east of California’s state capitol in Sacramento, 85 miles from Lake Tahoe and 110 miles from San Francisco.
Residents enjoy easy access to Sacramento International Airport and businesses appreciate air cargo operations at Mather Field Airport.
Folsom has direct access to Highway 50 with three interchanges. Highway 50 connects to Interstate 5 and Interstate 80.
The Folsom Lake Crossing, a new bridge across the American River below Folsom Dam, opened in March 2009 helping to relieve local traffic between El Dorado and Placer counties.
Public transportation includes light rail service from Folsom to Sacramento. Local bus service connects Folsom’s three light rail stations to major employment centers and other points of interest.
Amtrak Rail service is available from downtown Sacramento.

Public Safety

The City of Folsom has its own full-time Police and Fire Departments. Folsom is well known as a safe, family-oriented community with a low crime rate (one of the lowest per capita crime rates in Sacramento County).
The City is committed to providing appropriate levels of public safety services and maintains a ratio of 1.3 police officers per 1000 population.
Folsom’s Police Department includes a K-9 unit, SWAT team and a mounted police unit.
Fire personnel provide fire suppression, rescue, fire prevention, public education, hazardous materials response and emergency medical services to the Folsom community.
The City has a new main fire station on Glenn Drive, and three additional fire stations strategically located to serve the community’s residents.
Folsom’s Fire Department is one of just a few in the region that has at least one paramedic on board every fire apparatus that responds to an emergency call.

Utilities

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and PG&E provide natural gas and electricity to the area.
Folsom's Utilities and Public Works Departments maintain the City's water supply and wastewater collection systems, and collect, recycle and dispose of refuse.
The Utilities Department works in conjunction with the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (SRCSD), a public agency that provides wastewater treatment services for the greater Sacramento area, including Folsom.
The City's Water Treatment Plant is rated by the State of California to treat and deliver up to 50 million gallons a day (mgd.) of clean, safe drinking water for residents and businesses. (Ultimate capacity is 70 mgd.)
Kikkomon Foods, Inc. and Gekkeikan Sake cited high-quality water as a determining factor in relocating production facilities to Folsom.
Staff of the City's Solid Waste Division collects, recycles and disposes of refuse within the City limits. The SmartCart residential recycling program began in August 2005, providing convenient curbside recycling and green waste pick-up in all Folsom neighborhoods.

Medical Providers

Mercy Hospital of Folsom is a 105-bed hospital that provides emergency services, a family birth center, rehabilitation, radiology and surgical services. In 2004, the hospital was named one of the national's top 100 hospitals by Solucient for excellence in quality of care, operational efficiency and financial performance. Recently completed is Mercy Hospital's new, state-of-the-art $18 million emergency department, which will provide enhanced critical emergency medical care for residents of Folsom and surrounding communities.

Kaiser Permanente's Medical Office building serves residents of Folsom and surrounding communities. Kaiser Permanente has opened an Ambulatory Center at its new 50-acre medical campus that ultimately will include medical offices and a 150-bed hospital. The campus is expected to have approximately 1,600 employees when completely developed.

Sutter Health and UC Davis Medical Center maintain a presence in Folsom through local physician offices. The highly regarded Sutter Hospitals and UC Davis Medical Center are just a short drive from Folsom.