Folsom, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, USA. Though Folsom is most commonly known by its famous Folsom Prison, it is a thriving suburb of Sacramento.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Landmarks
5 Famous Residents
6 Sister cities
7 Arts
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] History

Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park along the American River.

Folsom started as a small town called Granite City, mostly occupied by gold miners seeking fortune in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Though few amassed a great deal of wealth, the city prospered due to the Joseph Folsom's lobbying to get a railway to connect the town with Sacramento. Though Folsom died in 1855, the town was later renamed to Folsom in his honor. The railway was abandoned in the 1950's^{[verification needed]} but later opened up as the terminus of the Gold Line of Sacramento Regional Transit District's light rail service. A few former gold-rush era towns are located within city limits of Folsom, including Prairie City, and Mormon Island.

Folsom Prison was established in 1880, when the Livermore family made an agreement with the state to donate land for the prison in exchange for prison labor. Their plan was to build a hydro-electric dam from the American River for a sawmill. Though the sawmill did not work out, the Livermores soon realized that the natural force of running water could provide enough power to transmit to Sacramento, and the Folsom Powerhouse, now a National Historic Landmark, was opened. At the time it was opened, it had the longest overhead run of electricity (22 miles) in the country. The powerhouse operated until 1952.

Folsom Dam was built in 1956, providing much-needed flood control and water rights for the Sacramento Valley. The creation of this dam also created one of the most popular lakes in Northern California, Folsom Lake.

After 9/11, the Bureau of Reclamation did an analysis on potential targets for terrorism and measures that can be done to eliminate or reduce this threat. With several hundred thousand residents directly surrounding the American River, the possibility of an attack on Folsom Dam was great enough concern for Bureau officials to close down access to the road which went over the dam.

Unfortunately for Folsom residents, this Dam Road was a major artery in the city. With its closure, traffic has been severe during rush hour times, and businesses along the snarled traffic areas have suffered. Residents and Folsom officials alike have been calling for re-opening the Dam Road in some venue. This effort has been successful, as the road will be re-opened during commute hours for a toll.

A bridge to bypass the road is in the works and may be open as early as 2007.

Today, Folsom is most known as being a popular middle-class suburb, with abundant parks, good schools, and a strong community. Folsom is home to Folsom Lake College, Folsom Dam, Folsom Lake, and a charming historic district. Folsom is also home to the largest employer in the Sacramento area, Intel. The population was 51,884 at the 2000 census.

[edit] Geography

Folsom is located at 38°40′20″N, 121°9′28″W (38.672127, -121.157838)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.6 km² (24.2 mi²). 56.3 km² (21.7 mi²) of it is land and 6.3 km² (2.4 mi²) of it (10.09%) is water, primarily accounted for by Folsom Lake.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 51,884 people, 17,196 households, and 12,518 families residing in the city. The population density was 921.5/km² (2,386.7/mi²). There were 17,968 housing units at an average density of 319.1/km² (826.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.89% White, 5.99% African American, 0.58% Native American, 7.19% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 4.71% from other races, and 3.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.47% of the population.

There were 17,196 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 39.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 123.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $73,175, and the median income for a family was $82,448. Males had a median income of $60,616 versus $42,434 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,210. About 2.6% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.