Featured Apartment:
Sacramento- Fair Oaks - 1 bedroom - 1 bath - spacious, clean & sunny unit! - Brick Building - Hardwood Floors - Modern Kitchen - Spacious Living Room - Large Bedroom w/ Double Sliding Door Closet - Updated Bathroom - Off Street Parking - access to commuter rail, bus, shops & restaurants, first and last months rent (NO SECURITY DEPOSIT) View More Listings -->
Fair Oaks Information
Fair Oaks is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County,
California, United States. The population was 28,008 at the 2000 census. Fair
Oaks has its own zip code, 95628. It is considered an "unincorporated area" of
eastern Sacramento County. The main boulevards are Sunrise Boulevard
(north-south) and Fair Oaks Boulevard (east-west). Fair Oaks is bounded on the
south side by the American River, on the north side by the city of Citrus
Heights, on the west side by Carmichael, and the east side by Orangevale.
Geography
Location of Fair Oaks, California
Fair Oaks is located at 38�39′5″N, 121�15′33″W (38.651254, -121.259279)GR1,
between Sacramento and Folsom, California.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 26.7
km� (10.3 mi�). 25.6 km� (9.9 mi�) of it is land and 1.1 km� (0.4 mi�) of it
(4.17%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 28,008 people, 11,203 households, and
7,842 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,093.4/km�
(2,832.7/mi�). There were 11,461 housing units at an average density of
447.4/km� (1,159.2/mi�). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.04% White, 1.84%
African American, 0.59% Native American, 4.22% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander,
1.78% from other races, and 3.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of
any race were 6.31% of the population.
There were 11,203 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 23.5% of all
households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average
family size was 2.91.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.8%
from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there
were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $63,252, and the median income
for a family was $74,864. Males had a median income of $52,365 versus $39,138
for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,874. About 4.6% of
families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2%
of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
History
19th century
In 1895, Brevet Brigadier General Charles H. Howard and James W. Wilson of the
Howard-Wilson Publishing Company of Chicago acquired rights to present Fair Oaks
community, then primarily covered by citrus farms, from California Senator
Frederick K. Cox and businessman Crawford W. Clarke. The Howard-Wilson Company
surveyed and mapped the land and began to promote Fair Oaks as one of their
“Sunset Colonies.” The Howard-Wilson Company advertised Fair Oaks as an
innovative and growing citrus colony after destructive freezes in Southern
California and Florida and a national depression hitting in 1893. Many of the
purchasers were professionals and other friends of the investors and the Fair
Oaks community was initially composed primarily of businessmen and other
professionals, including bankers and engineers.
A club of businessmen in Chicago and Sacramento who had an investment (land or
fruit) in the newborn colony and Orangevale formed the Chicago-Fair Oaks Club in
1899. Then a group of local businessmen, including Valentine S. McClatchy (the
co-owner of the Sacramento Bee), incorporated the Fair Oaks Development Company
in 1900. The boosters proclaimed Fair Oaks to be the “crown of the [Sacramento]
valley,” in the “heart of California.”
Together these groups were able to succeed in constructing an efficient water
supply. They convinced the County of Sacramento’s Chamber of Commerce, which
McClatchy’s business partners from Orangevale created and chaired, to build a
bridge across the American River at Fair Oaks in 1901. At the same time, the
community leaders were also able to persuade the Southern Pacific Rail Road
Company to build a railroad line to the bridge.
20th century and growth
Fair Oaks grew rapidly with the completion of the Fair Oaks Bridge and the
railroad line. The Fair Oaks Fruit Company incorporated in 1902 and built a
warehouse in Fair Oaks to export not only citrus, but also almonds and olives.
Also, in 1902, Dr. R. N. Bramhall became the first medical doctor to reside and
set up office in Fair Oaks. The agricultural productivity attracted the
development of other community services. Fair Oaks had become a typical small
town by 1906 with a post office, hotel, blacksmith shop, lumber yard, pharmacy,
bank, cemetery, newspaper, and a number of small dry-goods and grocery stores
located along Main Street.
Two churches (Methodist and Presbyterian) were built and two schools (The Four
Gables School and the Fair Oaks School—the current Community Clubhouse) appeared
by 1910. The Fair Oaks Library Association formed in 1908 and constructed a
permanent building in 1912. The Fair Oaks Civic Club purchased and developed the
Plaza in 1918 for recreational and leisure activities. This plaza is still in
use today.
No longer citrus
A big freeze hit in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression and many or most
citrus groves were lost. After this and a similar freeze in 1934, Fair Oaks was
no longer a major producer of citrus fruit in California. Fortunately, growth of
the defense firm Aerojet helped the Fair Oaks economy offset the demise of its
primary industry. Some temporary dislocations occurred when employment at
Aerojet dropped over 90% in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The growth rate
still continued, however, because of the increased access to Sacramento by
Highway 50 and the construction of the Sunrise Boulevard Bridge in 1964. This
allowed for both residents of Fair Oaks to find greater employment in the
connecting area and for Sacramentans to relocate to Fair Oaks more easily. The
former citrus colony transformed into a bedroom community of greater Sacramento.