Folsom

Folsom 0

Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Folsom is most commonly known for its historically famous Folsom Prison. The population is more than 72,200 people within ZIP codes 95630, 95671, and 95763.  Folsom is a suburb of Sacramento and is part of the Sacramento−Arden-Arcade−Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area

History

Folsom is named for Joseph Libbey Folsom who purchased Rancho Rio de los Americanos from the heirs of a San Francisco merchant William Alexander Leidesdorff, and laid out the 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 Joseph Folsom’s lobbying to get a railway to connect the town with Sacramento. Joseph died in 1855, and Granite City was later renamed to Folsom in his honor. The railway was abandoned in the 1980s but opened up as the terminus of the Gold Line of Sacramento Regional Transit District‘s light rail service in 2005. A few former gold-rush era towns are located within city limits of Folsom, including Prairie City, Salmon Falls, and Mormon Island (though these towns no longer exist).

Folsom hosted a significant Chinese American community when it was first incorporated, but arsonists burned Folsom’s Chinatown in March 1886, driving Chinese Americans out of town.

The establishment of Folsom Prison came in 1880, when the Livermore family made an agreement with the state to donate land for the prison in exchange for prison labor. They planned 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 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 4.8 miles (7.7 km) from Granite Bay to the most southern point of Folsom Lake.

Folsom is home to Folsom Lake College, Folsom Dam, Folsom Lake, Folsom High School, Vista del Lago High School and a historic district. Folsom is also home to the largest private employer in the Sacramento area, Intel.

Geography

Folsom is located at 38°40′20″N 121°09′28″W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.3 square miles (63 km2), of which, 21.9 square miles (57 km2) of it is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) of it (9.69%) is water, primarily accounted for by Folsom Lake.

Folsom’s climate is characterized by long, hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters.

[hide]Climate data for Folsom, California (Folsom Dam), 1981–2010 normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 54
(12)		 61
(16)		 65
(18)		 72
(22)		 81
(27)		 89
(32)		 94
(34)		 94
(34)		 88
(31)		 79
(26)		 62
(17)		 54
(12)		 74.4
(23.4)
Average low °F (°C) 38
(3)		 43
(6)		 46
(8)		 48
(9)		 52
(11)		 58
(14)		 61
(16)		 60
(16)		 58
(14)		 54
(12)		 44
(7)		 39
(4)		 50.1
(10)
Precipitation inches (mm) 3.70
(94)		 4.63
(117.6)		 4.65
(118.1)		 1.74
(44.2)		 .67
(17)		 .38
(9.7)		 .06
(1.5)		 .11
(2.8)		 .62
(15.7)		 1.46
(37.1)		 3.96
(100.6)		 3.83
(97.3)		 25.80
(655.3)
 

Public safety

Folsom is protected by the Folsom Police Department and the Folsom Fire Department. The police department is a full service agency with Operations, Administration, and Investigations Division. The Patrol Bureau of the Operations Division consists of patrol, traffic, canines, bicycles, SWAT and school resource officers. The Investigations Bureau investigates persons, property, juvenile services and narcotics.

The police department consists of 73 officers and 26 professional staff. The police are augmented by a reserve officer program, an explorer scout program, and an award winning volunteer program named Citizen’s Assisting Public Safety (CAPS).

Folsom experiences a very low crime rate, a majority of which are property crimes. The FBI’s Uniformed Crime Report consistently shows Folsom as one of the lowest crime rates in the State of California. The Folsom Police Department utilizes Nixle.com, Facebook, and Twitter to keep residents and business owners informed of emergencies and crime trends.

Economy

Top employers

According to the City’s 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Intel 6,515
2 California State Prison, Sacramento 1,450
3 Verizon 1,100
4 Folsom State Prison 975
5 Folsom Cordova Unified School District 875
6 Worthington Imports 680
7 Peterson’s Folsom Lake Enterprises 654
8 California ISO 600
9 Maximus Inc. 550
10 City of Folsom 448

Bike trails

Folsom is home to 32 miles of bike trails including the Humbug-Willow Creek Trail. This particular trail system follows both Humbug and Willow Creeks, along with dredger tailings and riparian forests. Other trails include the Folsom Rail Trail (along Folsom Boulevard), The Folsom Lake Trail (to connect El Dorado Hills with Lake Natoma), and the Oak Parkway Trail (between Blue Ravine Road and East Natoma Street).

Folsom is also the endpoint of the American River Bike Trail, which starts in Sacramento.

For the more adventurous bikers or hikers, Folsom Lake recreational area has a wide range of biking and hiking trails. A few of the more popular trails include the American River Trail, Pioneer Express Trail, and Rattlesnake Bar-Horseshoe Bar Trail. These trails are more strenuous and range from 2 miles to 10 miles hiking trails, and offer amazing views of Folsom lake, surrounding trees and vegetation, as well as wildlife.

Bridges

Folsom is home to several notable bridges – Lake Natoma Crossing, Rainbow Bridge, a historic truss bridge, and Folsom Lake Crossing. There is also a pedestrian bridge over East Bidwell Street that opened on November 6, 2010 as part of a new segment on the Humbug-Willow Creek Trail called the Johnny Cash Trail.

Government and infrastructure

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prisons Folsom State Prison and California State Prison, Sacramento are located in Folsom.

The United States Postal Service operates the Folsom Post Office.

The Sacramento Regional Transit District extended the light rail train system to Folsom with the “Gold Line” in October 2005.

Notable residents

Education

Folsom Lake College is a public community college which is part of the Los Rios Community College District.

Folsom Cordova Unified School District operates public schools. Folsom High School and Vista del Lago High School are located in Folsom. There are two middle schools in Folsom: Folsom Middle School and Sutter Middle School.

The city operates the Folsom Public Library, located in the Georgia Murray Building, and the Norman R. Siefkin Public Library.