Created:
04/20/00
Modified: 08/06/01
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The area described
by the Cordova Community Plan comprises approximately
37,500 acres or 59 square miles. This area is bordered
by the American River and the City of Folsom on
the north; Prairie City Road, Grant Line Road, and
White Rock Road on the east; Douglas Road, Kiefer
Boulevard, and Jackson Road (Highway 16) on the
south; and the City of Sacramento and Watt Avenue
on the west. It is situated in roughly the geographic
center of Sacramento County, about 9 miles east
of the central business district of the City of
Sacramento.
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The Cordova community has a current
population of approximately 96,000. It is comprised
of many diverse neighborhoods such as Rosemont,
Gold River, Lincoln Village, Sunriver, Mills Ranch,
Independence at Mather, La Riviera/Butterfield,
Larchmont, and Countryside. The American River Parkway
which borders the northern community boundary, is
a 29-mile open space greenbelt on either side of
the American River, extending from Folsom Dam to
its confluence with the Sacramento River. Mather
Field (previously Mather Air Force Base) is a major
air cargo/civilian airport with a developing business
park and residential neighborhood located near the
center of the community. A large business district
comprised of many Fortune 500 companies, and employment
levels near 45,000 is located just to the north
of Mather Field. The Franchise Tax Board, the region’s
largest single employer with an employment of approximately
5,000, is located near the western community boundary.
GenCorp Inc, parent company of Aerojet, is the region’s
largest corporate land owner with approximately
13,000 acres located at the eastern boundary of
the community. Folsom Boulevard, which runs through
the center of the community, parallel and adjacent
to Highway 50, provides access to numerous retail
businesses. A Light Rail public transit line is
currently being extended by the Sacramento Regional
Transit District from downtown Sacramento to the
City of Folsom along the Folsom Boulevard corridor.
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The following
sections highlight some of the neighborhoods and
business districts which comprise this community.
This information is not intended to be all inclusive,
but is simply a brief introduction to some of these
various areas and the amenities that this community
has to offer. Web links are provided to encourage
the reader to pursue further the history and background
of this community.
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Mills Station:
The Cordova community is rich
in history. In the mid-1800s, an early route from
Sacramento for miners in search of gold in the Sierra
Nevada foothills, was established along the present
alignment of Folsom Boulevard. This was also the
route for the Pony Express. Several "way stations"
or hotels sprang up along this route, and were used
by the Pony Express riders as remounting stations.
Many of these way stations were named after proprietors,
or were indicative of their distance from Sacramento
(e.g., "15 Mile House"). Perhaps the most
famous, and still standing, is Mills Station which
was built in the early 1900s, and has been used
as a post office, grocery store, and library. Today,
this building is being restored by Regional Transit
for use as administrative offices at the Light Rail
station located near Mather Field Road and Folsom
Boulevard. Agriculture (vineyards and orchards)
was the main industry in this area in the 1800s.
Current maps and street names still reflect many
of the names of the early settlers of this area
(e.g., Kelly, Rush, Shields, Studarus, Kilgore,
Deterding, Mendonca, and Mayhew).
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Sunriver:
The Sunriver area is approximately 250 acres bounded
by the American River on the north, Sunrise Boulevard
on the east, and Coloma Road on the south. This
neighborhood was developed in the 1970s, and consists
of approximately 1,350 homes, a townhouse development,
and a commercial shopping center fronting Sunrise
Boulevard. All of the streets are named after various
rivers found throughout the United States. For additional
information, see http://www.sunriveronline.org.
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Rosemont: The
Rosemont area is approximately 2,200 acres bounded
by Watt Avenue on the west, Folsom Boulevard on
the north, Bradshaw Road on the east, and Jackson
Road (Highway 16) on the south. This area, for the
most part, was developed in the 1950s and consists
of approximately 8,800 dwellings. Many commercial
businesses are located along Kiefer Boulevard which
crosses through the center of this area. The Franchise
Tax Board, a major employer in this region, is located
on Folsom Boulevard. The County Branch Center facility,
another major employment center, is located on Bradshaw
Road. Funding for a high school for the Rosemont
area was recently approved by bond measure, and
efforts are currently underway to locate a site
for the new high school. The Rosemont Community
Association is an active organization in this community’s
affairs. For additional information, see http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/saccounty/rosemont
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 Gold
River: The Gold River
area is approximately 1,000 acres bounded by Sunrise
Boulevard on the west, the American River on the
north, Hazel Avenue on the east, and Highway 50
on the south. This is a master-planned community
comprised of approximately 2,750 homes, and various
commercial businesses at the western boundary adjacent
to Sunrise Boulevard. This community was developed
in the mid-1970s. Previously, the property, owned
by the Natomas Real Estate Company, was used for
gold dredging operations.
There is still evidence of the tailing remaining
today. All of the street names bear a historical
significance to the California Gold Rush. For additional
information, see http://goldriver.com
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Mather Field: The
Mather Field area (the area defined by the former
Air Force Base) is approximately 5,600 acres bounded
by Happy Lane on the west, Old Placerville Road
on the north, the Folsom South Canal on the east,
and Kiefer Boulevard on the south. This area was
established as an airfield and pilot training school
in 1918, and was named for Carl Mather, a World
War I test pilot. In 1958, the Strategic Air Command
B-52 squadron was assigned to Mather. The Air Force
continued to use the facility throughout the years
for military pilot and navigator training.
In 1988, the Federal government formally announced
the closure of Mather. The Mather aviation facilities
(approximately 2,900 acres) were subsequently transitioned
over to the County of Sacramento. In 1995, Mather
Field was officially reopened as a civilian airport.
Currently, air cargo carriers such as UPS, Airborne
Express, Emery and BAX operate at the facility;
and air cargo volumes are one-half or greater than
that occurring at the Sacramento International Airport.
Approximately 800 acres were also transitioned to
private enterprises such as McCuen Properties, and
they are in process of developing several hundred
square feet of commercial office development known
as the Mather Commerce Center. Kaufman & Broad
also acquired property in the vicinity of the original
Base Housing, and is in progress of developing a
1,270-unit single family project known as Independence
at Mather. For additional information, see http://www.matherfield.com/
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Prospect Park/Capital
Center: The Prospect
Park/Capital Center area is approximately 1,200
acres bounded by White Rock Road on the west, Highway
50 on the north, Sunrise Boulevard on the east,
and Mather Field and Village of Zinfandel on the
south. This area is home to many Fortune 500 companies
such as Mercy, Kaiser, Franklin Templeton, Vision
Service Plan, MCI Worldcom, Sprint, and Bank of
America. There is over 10 million square feet of
developed office space within these business parks;
more than 25 percent of the region’s total for office
space. Employment levels are currently at about
45,000, with approximately 53,000 new jobs
expected within the next 20 years. These totals
far exceed any other area in the region, except
for downtown Sacramento. This area also includes
numerous hotels (e.g., The Sheraton, Marriott Courtyard,
and Amerisuites) for the business traveler as well
as visitors to the Cordova community.
GenCorp/Aerojet:
GenCorp Inc., parent company
of Aerojet, is the region’s largest corporate land
owner with approximately 13,000 acres bounded by
the Folsom South Canal and Sunrise Boulevard on
the west; Folsom Boulevard on the north; Prairie
City Road, White Rock Road and Grant Line Road on
the east; and Douglas Road on the south. This research
and development company (previously controlled by
General Tire and Rubber) got its start in 1942 with
the formation of the Aerojet Engineering Corporation
in southern California. Its first product was a
small rocket motor (JATO) designed to provide an
extra boost for aircraft using short runways such
as carrier decks. Over the ensuing years, the company
expanded to the defense and space exploration industry.
Their core products were rocket propulsion-both
solid and liquid; which were used in the Titan,
Minuteman, and Polaris rocket systems. They were
also instrumental in the development of infrared
and microwave technology for use in satellite sensing
systems. In the early 1950s, in a need for more
space, the company acquired the Sacramento facility,
and employment grew to approximately 33,000. With
defense cut-backs and increased competition for
defense contracts beginning in the 1960s, the company
sharply reduced its workforce and is exploring diversification
into other venues. For additional information, see
http://www.aerojet.com/
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Other
Community-related Web sites:
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Rancho
Cordova Chamber of Commerce
Folsom Cordova
Unified School District (FCUSD)
San Juan Unified
School District
Cordova Recreation
and Park District
Highway 50 TMA
Regional
Transit-Transit for Livable Communities
Sacramento Valley
Live Steamers
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