19 replies to this topic

[ec65]

My husband and I are planning a move to Folsom from Elk Grove, and we're currently considering purchasing a home in the Praire Oaks area. We have a few questions that could best be answered by people who already live there, so I'm turning here! If you live in the area (or know someone who does), I'd love to hear your insights on any or all of the following:

--Sandra Gallardo Elementary School...I've seen the statistics and test scores (quite impressive!) for the school, but would love to know more about the "personality," if you will, of the school. What have your experiences there been like?

--Neighborhood Camaraderie...I realize this varies by street, but on the whole are there many neighborhoods in this area where people socialize with their neighbhors, kids play together outside, etc.?

--CC&Rs...with no Homeowner's Association in the area, are there problems with unsightly yards or wild paint colors? I noticed one purple house that really stood out...is that a common occurence? Does the city get involved with citing homeowners who don't follow CC&Rs with regards to things like yard maintenance? Or is there no way to enforce those codes? (We just want to make sure that the neighborhood we invest in by buying in will stay as nice as it looks now).

Any comments you have on these or any other aspects of Prairie Oaks would be much appreciated! We are weighing our decision so carefully because we hope to buy the house we will live in forever! A big decision!

Thanks MyFolsomites!

[s0479]

I live in Willow Springs but my daughter has attended Gallardo since it opened. We came from a private school. Overall I have been very pleased with the school. She had an awesome 4th grade teacher!!

[Doug Moore]

My husband and I are planning a move to Folsom from Elk Grove, and we're currently considering purchasing a home in the Praire Oaks area. We have a few questions that could best be answered by people who already live there, so I'm turning here! If you live in the area (or know someone who does), I'd love to hear your insights...

We love it here in PO. We moved here a couple of years ago from out of state and, finding nothing negative about PO, we chose a house that fit our needs. The location is great, solidly close to transport and near enough to all of Folsom's services.

The elementary, SJG, is great. As far as character, it's clearly academically-focused & the test scores reflect that. So at times, I find it a bit too serious, but would not trade that for an unfocused staff. SJG seems to be well resourced with an experienced, challenging staff and a lot of community involvement.

Regarding neighborhood involvement, I'm sure it varies. I've really seen our particular block tie together in the last 1/2 year, driven mainly by our neighborhood watch group.

Can't say I know much about the CCR enforcement, so I won't comment on that one.

One thing we really love about PO is the parks. My kids greatly benefit from Livermore Park being here in the neighborhood. There's also Catlin Park and several great bike paths nearby.

Best of luck on your search. Lots of great neighborhoods in Folsom - PO is one of them.

[john]

Gallardo - my kids aren't old enough yet but I hear it's a top notch school. We'll likely be sending them there when they are old enough though...

Comraderie - it probably really depends on the neighborhood. Our neighborhood is very tight - 4th of July parties and caroling in the winter; we all know each other really well and everyone's always very close. We live on a cul-de-sac that does not get much for traffic; but I think some of the other streets that get a lot of traffic are likely not as close. Are you looking at a particular street or just looking around?

- CC&R's - again, it varies, but our neighborhood is pretty well kept up. I'm sure this ties with the whole comraderie thing too - I know I have extra incentive to keep my yard looking nice out of respect to my neighbors. A lot of people have landscapers, but most of us do our own lawns, etc... we've never had to deal with poorly maintained houses, but I'm sure some neighborhoods have had to deal with it. It's hard without CC&R's. I would ask your realtor if they have any onfo on how many houses are owner occupied - that's usually a great indicator.

Feel free to PM me for more info...

[ec65]

We love it here in PO. We moved here a couple of years ago from out of state and, finding nothing negative about PO, we chose a house that fit our needs. The location is great, solidly close to transport and near enough to all of Folsom's services.

The elementary, SJG, is great. As far as character, it's clearly academically-focused & the test scores reflect that. So at times, I find it a bit too serious, but would not trade that for an unfocused staff. SJG seems to be well resourced with an experienced, challenging staff and a lot of community involvement.

Regarding neighborhood involvement, I'm sure it varies. I've really seen our particular block tie together in the last 1/2 year, driven mainly by our neighborhood watch group.

Can't say I know much about the CCR enforcement, so I won't comment on that one.

One thing we really love about PO is the parks. My kids greatly benefit from Livermore Park being here in the neighborhood. There's also Catlin Park and several great bike paths nearby.

Best of luck on your search. Lots of great neighborhoods in Folsom - PO is one of them.

Thanks to you both for your insights. They are valuable to us as we consider our options.

Doug, can you comment more on the neighborhood watch group? Is it just your block, or a larger group? Was it started in response to a particular need? I think it's a great thing to have, regardless.

[lifeinfolsom]

Thanks to you both for your insights. They are valuable to us as we consider our options.

Doug, can you comment more on the neighborhood watch group? Is it just your block, or a larger group? Was it started in response to a particular need? I think it's a great thing to have, regardless.

I moved to the PO area from Sacto couple of years ago. I am happy with SJG and so is my child who goes there.
Our street is quiet. Neighbours do talk to each other. We are planning a July block party!!!

Purple painted house? We do have CCNR's. Where's this purple house? Is it in the PO sub division or close to PO?

[ec65]

I moved to the PO area from Sacto couple of years ago. I am happy with SJG and so is my child who goes there.
Our street is quiet. Neighbours do talk to each other. We are planning a July block party!!!

Purple painted house? We do have CCNR's. Where's this purple house? Is it in the PO sub division or close to PO?

The purple house is on Williams St. by SJG, at least I think so; we drove all over the area, so some things are blurring in my mind! (Would that be considered the Prairie Oaks subdivision? I assumed that was just the name for the area bordered by Prairie City Rd., Iron Point, Blue Ravine and Riley, or thereabouts. Not sure what the other general boundary road would be...perhaps McAdoo or as far over as Oak Ave.? Some of that is Willow Springs, though, right?)

I haven't yet seen a copy of the CC&Rs, though the listing for the house we're looking at did say that there are CC&Rs for the area it's in. Would CC&Rs cover paint color? Where we currently live they don't, as it would require some kind of review board in order to approve colors. I've only heard of HOAs performing that function, but that's just in my limited experience.

[Doug Moore]

Doug, can you comment more on the neighborhood watch group? Is it just your block, or a larger group? Was it started in response to a particular need? I think it's a great thing to have, regardless.

Our neighborhood watch has about a dozen homes participating. It existed before we arrived but it's turned out to be a great excuse to get together, share a BBQ and meet people.

[castopia]

The purple house is on Williams St. by SJG, at least I think so; we drove all over the area, so some things are blurring in my mind! (Would that be considered the Prairie Oaks subdivision? I assumed that was just the name for the area bordered by Prairie City Rd., Iron Point, Blue Ravine and Riley, or thereabouts. Not sure what the other general boundary road would be...perhaps McAdoo or as far over as Oak Ave.? Some of that is Willow Springs, though, right?)

I haven't yet seen a copy of the CC&Rs, though the listing for the house we're looking at did say that there are CC&Rs for the area it's in. Would CC&Rs cover paint color? Where we currently live they don't, as it would require some kind of review board in order to approve colors. I've only heard of HOAs performing that function, but that's just in my limited experience.

Yes, there is a 'very general' 26 pages CC&R for PO, as "Exterior wall colors and accent colors on Dwelling Units and other structures shall conform to the requirements of the Design guidelines". PO was developed by several builders, so there may have different 'Design Guide Lines' by different builders.

[dimeracer]

I moved my family to Willow Springs/ Prairie Oaks (not sure where I live... it's on the west side of McAdoo and just south of Carter... I think it's Willow Springs) two years ago from Elk Grove.

Anyway.... I can't think of a more desireable place to live. SJG Elementary is great. The parents are active in the school, the kids sports leagues are great, neighbors are nice and sociable, lots of young kids on my street that play together, the yards are well kept (except for the only rental on my street... that yard is not so nice).... I have not heard of a crime of any sort on my street in two and a half years of living here.

We left Elk Grove because of an attempted car theft and another break in on my vehicle where they stole my laptop and stereo. Cars were speeding all over the neighborhood, there was a drive-by shooting on the street behind ours, gangfights at the new Monterey Trails High School....

Oddly enough, the neighborhood in Elk Grove looked great... nice new big houses, nice yards.... just like this neighborhood looks. It was very deceiving. We lived just south of Calvine Road on the east side of 99.

[ec65]

Yes, there is a 'very general' 26 pages CC&R for PO, as "Exterior wall colors and accent colors on Dwelling Units and other structures shall conform to the requirements of the Design guidelines". PO was developed by several builders, so there may have different 'Design Guide Lines' by different builders.

Well, that's a little reassuring, though I wonder if it's difficult to enforce? Otherwise I imagine neighbors would have tried to do so with that purple house...but maybe they all like it too! (If you haven't seen it, I'm not just talking about a slight purple undertone to a more neutral color...this is definitely PURPLE with purple trim).

Dimeracer, I know what you mean about crime in EG even in what looks like a beautiful new neighborhood. We learned our lesson here that newer isn't necessarily better. I have to say though, I do think crime here has been getting much better in the last 6 months. Or maybe it's just that as soon as we sold our house last fall, I stopped following things as closely and haven't worried as much about it! Glad to hear that you feel safe in your new area.

Everyone's comments about SJG in particular have been so positive. Sounds like a great place for kids!

[Thor2074]

Prairie Oaks/Willow Springs, and just Folsom itself in general is an awesome place to live. I've only lived here for about seven months, but it is everything you expect it.

I live in Williow Springs, but it is west of McAdoo. It is surrounded on three sides (except the McAddo side which is Willow Springs) by Prairie Oaks, and almost every entrance (except McAdoo) says Prairie Oaks on it. So technically it's Willow Springs, but I usually say I live in Prairie Oaks because most people know where that is in Folsom and the geograhpical location should have placed it as a PO development.

If you drive down Carter street toward Grover, you will see the pavement and houses change right before Hansen, and Hansen on westward is Prairie oaks.

Am I crediable? NO! I'm a hack!

Just kidding.... I work for the county and I see planning developments daily, which include Folsom City.

[asbestoshills]

SJG elementary just got their APIs back and are ranked #1 in Folsom...Beating out Empire Oaks this year! Go GATORS!

[1730]

Hi....I live in the Prairie Oaks area....Larchmont homes on Fisher Circle. We moved into this house 13 years ago, and had high hopes for a great neighborhood and community, starting fresh in a brand new development. I have to say that I'm highly disappointed with our neighborhood.....most of the neighbors stay within their houses.....they enter their garage and close the door before getting out of the car. Some of my closest neighbors, I wouldn't even recognize them if I saw them in the grocery store! Sad. We are one of the few people who actually take pride in our home and our yard, and make it look nice. Some neighbors still have Christmas lights up, rarely mow their lawn, paint is chipping off their houses, etc. Kauffman and Broad homes are also in our neighborhood, which brought in even more issues, being those homes are even lesser value than ours. When we purchased in this neighborhood, all homes were to be built by Larchmont, and later Larchmont sold off some of the land, much to our disappointment. We are here, because we bought new 13 years ago, so our mortgage is next to nothing. It doesn't make sense for us to triple our mortgage and property taxes to get out of this neighborhood, so we just make the best of our situation. So....as far as this part of Prairie Oaks is concerned.....stay away from Larchmont and Kauffman and Broad homes. There are others off of Stewart and neighboring streets off of Grover....toward the high school.

I know people who live off of Hall Street.....the areas vary, but Palmer Circle is a very friendly neighborhood. I wish I were there just for the socialization alone.

I'm not sure there is one person who actually manages the CCR's around here....so yes, a person could paint their house purple (I know which one you're talking about!), and we're stuck with it.

I really like the homes off of MacAdoo, near Livermore Park. Great neighborhood...one side is better than the other, and it's a result of the types of homes. On one side of MacAdoo, the homes are "ok", yards are "ok." Yet on the other side, it is a different builder, the homes are quite nice, well kept up, because they're more expensive and draw in different types of people.

As for Gallardo....we have attended there since it opened. GREAT school. I have not ONE bad thing to say about it. I've been a Yard Duty there for 3 years, and highly involved in their PTA since the beginning....so I'm very familiar with the school.

If you have any more questions, please let me know. I hope my info. helped!