NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon competed in his first race at Rio Linda's Roy Hayer Memorial Race Track; it's now home to the Capitol Quarter Midget Association, the "fastest dirt track in the west" that caters to kids with the need for speed... in really tiny race cars.
A former agricultural center, Rio Linda was first settled in the modern era by just two families in the early 1900s
NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon competed in his first race at Rio Linda's Roy Hayer Memorial Race Track; it's now home to the Capitol Quarter Midget Association, the "fastest dirt track in the west" that caters to kids with the need for speed... in really tiny race cars.
A former agricultural center, Rio Linda was first settled in the modern era by just two families in the early 1900s. First owned by the Fruit Land Company of Minneapolis, poultry farming became the banner attraction to the area by the 1920s. Today, Rio Linda is a large suburb of Sacramento. While its history isn't prominently featured these days, its desirable proximity to downtown Sacramento and local amenities make it the perfect place to rent.
Moving to Rio Linda
Here's the hard truth: Rio Linda is not the most desirable community in the greater Sacramento area. It is, however, an accessible entry point into this growing metropolitan area. Homes are smaller and older, and rental properties are easy to find. Many areas are perfect for keeping chickens and horses, and a number of locations provide generous lot sizes.
As with most towns of this era, the stuff is in the center (schools, stores, food), and the sprawl is on the outside -- mostly '80s and '90s tract housing developments. While the community is connected by bus service to downtown and surrounding areas, you'll want your own wheels as you get acquainted with your new town and commute to work or run errands.
Take your usual renters' kit with you as you conduct your housing search: gather credit scores, proof of income, deposit money, and all the usual jazz. Landlords appreciate when you come prepared.
Neighborhoods
Rio Linda has plenty to offer when it comes to neighborhoods. Check out the list below for some idea of what there is in Rio Linda.
Silver Oaks Estates: An established neighborhood and a great place to find a house rental in Rio Linda on quiet, well-kept streets. The oaks aren't exactly silver around here, though.
Anderson Place: Larger, slightly newer homes are available here, close to Dry Creek and Rio Linda Central Park; you'll also be able to find a rental apartment if you like. Privacy-lovers will rejoice over having fewer neighbors.
Rosaline Gardens / Sunview Place: Located next to the major roads of Rio Linda Blvd and Elkhorn Blvd, these closely connected neighborhoods offer regular suburban life in house rentals with great access to Westside Park.
Rio Palms / Hampton Manor: These two neighborhoods make a sandwich out of the historic center of Rio Linda. Both offer similar architecture: low-slung ranch homes with occasional sidewalks. Not many luxury apartments here, but Tommy's Sub Shop and Villa Fat Cuisine are in the area.
Rio Linda Life
History
Rio Linda wasn't always a suburban paradise. In 1844, Governor of then-Mexican California Jose Manuel Micheltorena continued his habit of privatizing California land by granting Rancho Del Paso to Eliab Grimes. The land grant extended from the northern bank of the American River in the Sacramento Valley and covered what is now North Sacramento, Del Paso Heights, Arden-Arcade, and Rio Linda.
As with most of the region, the area was largely farmland until the mid-20th century when suburban development began to take hold, mowing down the orchards and uprooting the chicken coops of yesteryear. Modern-day Rio Linda no longer rests along the banks of the nearby Sacramento River--though the river is still nearby and, without the complex levee system protecting this "bathtub" area, would be really, _really _nearby (close enough to be Rio Linda's living room).
Just west of Rio Linda is the spanking-new Sacramento suburb of North Natomas. You'll find the older North Highlands community to the east, which grew by leaps and bounds thanks to McClellan Air Force Base (which now operates as a community center and business park). It lies just north of downtown Sacramento, where most residents work and visit for nightlife, dining, and entertainment.
Restaurants
Many, but not all, of the dining options in Rio Linda are of the fast food variety. Still, you can get some great local Mexican food at Taqueria Mi Lindo Apatzingan or Chinese fare at Villa Fat Cuisine. Shopping is limited to the essential and the convenient; for big box store shopping, drive to nearby Natomas, North Highlands, or Sacramento. While this community is a bit of retail island, everything you could need is still relatively nearby.
Cycling
Bikers will love this area for its proximity to the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail--depending on your perspective, it either begins or ends in Rio Linda. The trail connects a number of local and regional bike paths that snake through the great Sacramento area. This trail rides along the former right-of-way of the Sacramento Northern Interurban Railway (say that five times fast) which used to ferry Sacramentans to Chico until the 1940s.
Geography
As you approach downtown (technically midtown) Sacramento and the American River, you can turn left onto the American River Bike Trail--a jewel of the area also known as the Jedediah Smith National Trail. The American River Bike Trail covers over 30 miles of the most gorgeous, scenic bike-ways you could imagine, from the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers to Folsom Lake in the east. Paved, marked, mapped and equipped with water, bathrooms and telephones along the way, this trail is the Taj Mahal of bike paths.
Local Events
In the hot Sacramento Valley fall, you can visit the Rio Linda Country Faire and enjoy local vendors, home-cooking and musical acts. Kick off the day with a pancake breakfast and burn off syrup calories on the rock wall or in the bounce house. When the holidays roll around and your Christmas list grows, check out the Fall Arts & Crafts Fair and Festival for handcrafted gifts and local art.
If you run out of things to do in Rio Linda, it's a quick bike, drive, or bus ride into Sacramento's vibrant Midtown and Downtown areas which have been declared the Farm to Fork Capital and feature some of the best in local cuisine. Major concerts and theatrical tours also stop here. You'll have great access to metropolitan life and still be able to amble home to your quiet new rental home in Rio Linda at the end of the night.
