Empire Ranch is a 1,738-acre, upscale master-planned community in Folsom, encompassing a number of other small neighborhoods and enclaves. The area provides easy access to Highway 50 and is home to numerous parks, greenbelts, walking paths, schools, shopping areas and the Empire Ranch Golf Club. There are a few wider thoroughfares running through the area, but they remain relatively quiet and serve to link the many smaller nooks of the community, some gated while others are winding and intimate. Some streets offer expansive views – all the way to downtown Sacramento and the Central Valley beyond. Empire Ranch is extremely bicycle friendly with bike lanes and unpaved paths weaving throughout the entire community.

The shopping opportunities on the bordering East Bidwell Street are extensive – from posh eateries and boutiques at the Palladio, to the comprehensive everyday necessities at Broadstone Marketplace and Broadstone Village Center. While the urban commercialism of Sacramento is only 15 minutes away, there’s very little you won’t find in this corner of Folsom – even the Folsom outlets are located just minutes away.

Entertainment also abounds. The Palladio features live music events and is home to a 16-screen movie theatre. The Folsom Zoo is also close by, as is the Folsom Sports Complex.

Nearly half a dozen schools can be found throughout Empire Ranch, but Vista Del Lago High School stands out as it sits higher up in the community, spanning several blocks. One of the newer schools in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District (its first class graduated in 2010), its appearance is stately and modern. Commonly referred to simply as Vista, the school is known for its high academic standards and is one of the top ranking schools in the area.

Commuters love the fact that Sacramento is only minutes away, but Folsom boasts Intel, one of the county’s largest private employers. The research and development campus is one of Intel’s largest sites. Its design and construction flow seamlessly with the area’s landscape and surrounding community.