Rancho Cordova

Like many of the cities surrounding Sacramento, Rancho Cordova has little to no identity. Its reputation remains an open-spaced, middle-class community. It is much of the same white suburbia Sacramento county has to offer with quiet streets and secluded cul-de-sac’s often peppering the neighborhoods. The city is rather large in size, consisting of over 65,000 residents.

The residential neighborhoods within the city are nice, quaint communities with windy roads and clean sidewalks. Homes are usually charming in a sort of old-country kind of way. They are mostly one-story in height, with an attached garage making street parking a practical second option. From the street, you see many long lots giving way to large front lawns and leafy properties.

Commercial activity is somewhat sparse for the city’s recent expansion. The main shopping hub lies along Folsom Boulevard and calls itself Zinfandel Square Shopping Center. Shoppers that venture this way are met with chain restaurants, fast food and a Walmart Superstore. Moreover, Riverwood Shopping Center anchors the western border, but its relatively small and mostly offers the essentials.

The city does have its set of perks though. At the northern tip of the city lies American River Parkway. The grassy recreational area gives travelers a plethora of outdoor activities which include river rafting, picnicking and fishing. Many visitors use the trails that run along the American River as hiking and mountain biking trails. More conveniently is the plethora of smaller parks peppered throughout the community.

Rancho Cordova has a plethora of above average schools bolstering the area’s resume. Many of these schools are part of the greater Folsom Cordova Unified School District, which has a good reputation in itself. Of these include the more well-known Williamson Elementary School and Mitchell Middle School which share Dave Roberts Community Park. Then, many of these smaller schools filter into Cordova High School (gardnering a 4-out-of-5 stars on greatschools.org).

The south and eastern edges of the city are not usually for public use. Along the southern edge of the city lies Mather Air Force Base, an old military base built during World War I and used in subsequent American wars. Directly east is its supporting military manufacturing plant, which helped assemble many of the area’s wartime aircrafts.