About Folsom

The City of Folsom has a rich history beginning with the '49ers during California's great Gold Rush. It was the site of the West's first railroad and the world's first long-distance transmission of electricity.

Today Folsom is a forward-looking city, a high-tech town, with firms ranging from small to large international corporations.  Folsom also boasts excellent schools, beautiful family-oriented neighborhoods and outstanding shopping, dining and cultural options.  

The City's General Plan, adopted in 1988, set the path the City is following into the 21st century. It shows a growing city that intends to keep its human scale. It places large retail centers in places easily accessible to regional shoppers, without cramming more traffic into the City's core. It paints a picture of sparkling new neighborhoods as well as a carefully preserved Historical District.  The General Plan also takes note of the community's family orientation, calling for a minimum of five acres of park land for each 1,000 residents, and for city co-sponsorship of special activities that involve the entire family. Although Folsom has the flavor of a small city, it does not lack the conveniences of modern living. It has ample shopping and cultural facilities, either in town or within a few minutes drive, and there are plans for more. It also has new hospital facilities and an expanding corps of professional specialists.

The incorporation of the City in 1946 was a move that has major significance in the self-determination of the City today. Being incorporated allows the City's residents to elect a City Council and to govern themselves. The City's primary governing body is the City Council, made up of five members who are elected at large and serve four years. Each year the council members choose a mayor and vice mayor from their own ranks.

Folsom is Distinctive By Nature, home to natural amenities that provide a year-round playground for recreational enthusiasts on land and water.   Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma, and the American River bound the city, hosting kayakers, swimmers and other water sports enthusiasts from around the region.  Residents cherish the city’s network of 43+ miles of paved trails, showcasing some of the city’s beautiful assets as they meander through open space, woodlands, wildlife habitats, and along creeks and streams.  

Folsom is a cyclist’s dream come true, with everything from short local rides to options that lead to the Gold Country foothills, and nationally-renowned mountain biking trails.  For most residents, the path to fitness and recreation begins just steps from home; nearly every home in the city is within a half-mile radius of a park.  The city’s 46 parks teem with a nearly limitless range of activity, from cricket to lacrosse, tennis to T-ball, soccer, football, and more.  The Folsom Zoo Sanctuary – ranked a regional treasure – provides care for rescued domestic, wild and exotic animals and serves as both a tourist attraction and humane education center.

The city presents a fascinating blend of the past and future.  Folsom’s revitalized Historic District offers great shopping, dining, and energetic nightlife, set amidst historic architecture and wonderful scenery.  Shopping and dining opportunities abound throughout the city, and major and emerging corporations call Folsom home.  Those seeking adventure beyond the city limits find easy access for day trips to Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, and dozens of Sierra foothill wineries.

The highly-rated Folsom Cordova Unified School District operates 15 schools in the city, including Folsom High School and Vista del Lago High School, both recognized on the Best High Schools list by U.S. News and World Report.  Folsom Lake Community College – one of the fastest growing in the country – now features the Harris Center, a regional arts center hosting world-class arts and entertainment.

Folsom’s name is recognizable throughout the world in part due to the prison that Johnny Cash made famous – Folsom State Prison.  In 2014, the City opened the Johnny Cash Trail and Bike/Pedestrian bridge overcrossing, which highlights the legacy of the musician and the unique architecture of the prison.  

Named the “Best place  to raise a family in California,” (WalletHub), Folsom’s residents take great pride in the safety and sense of community that the city provides, and the 72,000 culturally diverse residents range from young families to active retirees.