NATOMA STATION, FOLSOM
Residents of this suburban neighborhood on Folsom’s west side find it easy to get out in nature. There are plenty of sidewalks, ponds teeming with birds and wildlife, and easy access to the American River Bike Trail, which winds for miles through some of the region’s most beautiful terrain. Built about 20 years ago on the hill behind the Folsom Premium Outlets, it’s a model of the well-planned community. There’s an elementary school and several parks; a light rail station enables residents who work downtown to avoid clogged Highway 50 at rush hour. On nice days, the neighborhood is filled with kids on skateboards, teens WWT (Walking While Texting) and people strolling with their dogs. A group called the Folsom Dam Runners meets Saturdays and Sundays for runs around nearby Lake Natoma.
• Real estate: One- and two-story single-family homes sell from the low $400,000s to the high $500,000s.
• Hip hangout: Folsom Premium Outlets
• Good to know: The developer commissioned original art for the parks and main entrances to the neighborhood.
