Rancho Cordova

History

In 1844, the Mexican governor of California, Manuel Micheltorena, granted 35,000 acres on the south bank of the American River to the American entrepreneur William Leidesdorff. He died in 1848 and the property, which he called Rancho Río de los Americanos, passed to his mother, Anne Marie Spark, who later sold it to Captain Joseph Folsom. A portion of the land would become Folsom, California while the Cordova Vineyard, which gave Rancho Cordova its name, was also located within the land grant. In the Gold Rush era of mid-19th-century California, placer mining took place around Rancho Cordova, and some traces of it can still be found. The elevation of the generally level terrain is approximately above mean sea level. Lone Star Gravel Company and other companies have historically extracted younger gravels at depths of 30 to without encountering groundwater, which is characteristically found at about . Partially confined groundwater generally flows to the southwest. As the miners left Sacramento traveling to the foothills in search of gold, way stations grew up along the first dirt trails, and later more formal roads, that took travelers east. Commercial establishments, hotels, or ‘stations’ were developed at one-mile intervals along the route. Many of the stations ultimately also became the US Post Office for their area, and many of these early settlers served as postmaster or postmistress. Travelers and miners apparently headed out L Street from Sacramento (the approximate alignment of present-day Folsom Blvd) along a plank, or macadam, road that ended at present day Bradshaw Road. Brighton, also called Five Mile Station, was the site of three inns. One inn, the Magnolia House, established in 1849, was the first stop on the Pony Express Route. The location is today…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (0.88%) is water. Rancho Cordova lies within the Sacramento Valley. As part of the greater Sacramento area, Rancho Cordova experiences a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa). Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cool and rainy. Monthly mean high temperatures range from in January to in July, while lows range from in January to in July. Yearly precipitation totals around , with the majority of precipitation falling between December and March.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  35,879
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  34,900
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  33,566
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  32,825
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  29,138
• Oak Titmouse

  Baeolophus inornatus (Gambel, 1845) · Aves
  28,083
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  26,648
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,579

Largest nearby schools

• Visions In Education
  Other · Carmichael · 6,591 students · 25.9:1 ratio
• Folsom High
  High · Folsom · 2,718 students · 25.6:1 ratio
• Cordova High
  High · Rancho Cordova · 1,931 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Bella Vista High
  High · Fair Oaks · 1,924 students · 24.7:1 ratio
• Rio Americano High
  High · Sacramento · 1,884 students · 24.8:1 ratio
• Vista del Lago High
  High · Folsom · 1,745 students · 23.9:1 ratio
• Mira Loma High
  High · Sacramento · 1,678 students · 24:1 ratio
• Del Campo High
  High · Fair Oaks · 1,649 students · 22.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.99 — 2026-09-14
  9 km SW of Brentwood, CA
• M 2.55 — 2026-09-13
  9 km SW of Brentwood, CA
• M 3.36 — 2026-09-12
  9 km SW of Brentwood, CA
• M 2.55 — 2026-08-17
  2 km SE of Concord, CA
• M 2.64 — 2026-04-29
  2 km NW of Granite Bay, CA
• M 3.11 — 2026-03-17
  9 km ENE of Colusa, CA