One of the things that make the foothills unique is how a district can hold so many diverse types of housing daesigns and backdrops.
That’s certainly true for the territory accessed by Auburn’s Luther Road.
According to the Placer County Historical Society, the road carries the name of Lewis Luther, a Rhode Island native who made the journey around the horn many times before settling in California in 1884. He and his bride moved to Auburn in 1889, settling on five acres of land near the modern intersection of Bowman and Luther roads.
Today, the web-like skeins of pavement threading through Luther Road tie together rural acreage, city-style developments, condominiums, country cottages, working farms, apartments and a mobile home park. The little pockets of subdivisions create a colorful residential collage.
Stretching from the Bowman precinct at Interstate 80 to Highway 49, Luther Road rolls up and down a series of ridges like an amusement park ride. Byways that are more curvaceous veer off to reach subdivisions built out over the decades, linking Luther to Auburn Ravine Road.
This territory began as an agricultural village, with orchards of fruit trees and pastures where beef cattle and dairy cows grazed. As Auburn evolved from a rough mining camp to a polished city, growth slowly spread northward. Easy access to stores, businesses and two major highways had it perfectly positioned for residential development in the final quarter of the 20th century.
One of the oldest byways in this sector is Dairy Road, which once was the path to large farms and ranches. Today, it leads to several subdivisions including Westwood Hills, Auburn Hills, The Homestead, Quail Meadows, Marcelais, Montalvo, Hidden Glen and The Meadows.
Shockley Road wends around a wooded mountain, leaving behind older homes for clusters of more contemporary neighborhoods. The Terkel Place and Shockley Woods tracts are over the hill from the older Highlands area near Ashford Park.
On the north side of Luther Road, Racquet Club Estates puts homes near an independent recreation and workout hub. At Country Club Estates, a private park offers an oasis of leisure-time amenities to residents. On Matson Drive and Oak Ridge, older homes and newer subdivisions meld as production homes rub eaves with one-of-a-kind bucolic abodes.
Anchored by commercial strips at both ends, Luther Road sails an east-west course through waves of residential development. Navigating past homes in a variety of styles and settings, it’s a bon voyage.