Folsom started
as a small town
called Granite
City, mostly
occupied by gold
miners seeking
fortune in the
Sierra Nevada
foothills.
Though few
amassed a great
deal of wealth,
the city
prospered due to
the Joseph
Folsom's
lobbying to get
a railway to
connect the town
with Sacramento.
Joseph died in
1855, and the
town was later
renamed to
Folsom in his
honor. The
railway was
abandoned in the
1980s but later
opened up as the
terminus of the
Gold Line of
Sacramento
Regional Transit
District's light
rail service. A
few former
gold-rush era
towns are
located within
city limits of
Folsom,
including
Prairie City,
California,
Salmon Falls,
and Mormon
Island (though
these towns no
longer exist).
Folsom real
estate
Folsom Prison was established in 1880, when the Livermore family made an agreement with the state to donate land for the prison in exchange for prison labor. Their plan was to build a hydro-electric dam from the American River for a sawmill. Though the sawmill did not work out, the Livermores soon realized that the natural force of running water could provide enough power to transmit to Sacramento, and the Folsom Powerhouse, now a National Historic Landmark, was opened. At the time it was opened, it had the longest overhead run of electricity (22 miles) in the country. The powerhouse operated until 1952. Folsom real estate
Folsom Dam was built in 1956, providing much-needed flood control and water rights for the Sacramento Valley. The creation of this dam also created one of the most popular lakes in Northern California, Folsom Lake. The dam is located on the southwest corner of the lake. The lake is an estimated 7.75 kilometer from Granite Bay to the most southern point of Folsom Lake.
Today, Folsom is most known as being a popular upper middle-class suburb, with abundant parks, great schools, and a strong community. Folsom is home to Folsom Lake College, Folsom Dam, Folsom Lake, and a charming historic district. Folsom is also home to the largest private employer in the Sacramento area, Intel. The population was 51,884 at the 2000 census.
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 "Best Places to Live" Folsom, CA - 2006 El Dorado Hills, CA - 2007 Granite Bay, CA - 2007 |
"100 Best Places to Live & Launch" Folsom, CA - 2008 |
 "Top 25 Affordable Suburbs in the country" - 2006 Folsom, CA |