Roseville is growing in all directions, but its west side is where many of its new residential tracts are mingling with multifaceted recreational facilities.
Placer County’s largest city began as an agricultural center that happened to become the site of a railroad junction.
In the 1860s, the California Central, which ran north from Folsom to Lincoln, was the first rail line to bisect Roseville, with the east-west Central Pacific Railroad crossing nearly at right angles a few years later.
Support businesses flourished around the hub, but the territory remained a rural farming and ranching village for several decades. The Placer County map of 1887 shows the largest spread — the 28,000-acre Kaseberg Ranch — stretching from west Roseville all the way to the Sacramento River.
In 1908, the rail yards were expanded to include two roundhouses, maintenance sheds and more than 40 miles of side tracks. The town grew right along with the railroad facilities and within 20 years, Roseville blossomed from a village of 250 citizens to more than 6,000.
While the land flanking the tracks filled in with shops, stores and saloons — and surrounding tracts blossomed with homes — the west side of the city remained pastoral. In the 1960s, the Fiddyment family planted rows of pistachio nut trees in this area, with cattle grazing in neighboring pastures.
Today, Fiddyment Farm is a master-planned community being developed by Signature Properties that will include single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums and apartments. Also expected are approximately 6.5 miles of bicycling and walking trails that link to more than 96 miles of regional bike trails; 340 acres of dedicated open space, including wetlands and vernal pools.
Builders at Fiddyment Farm include KB Home, Christopherson Homes, Lennar Living, Shea Homes, Signature Properties and Morrison Homes. Some have models that are open; other developments will be phased in (go to www.fiddymentfarm.com for more information.)
Del Webb’s Sun City Roseville housing development for active seniors was one of the first to push at Roseville’s western boundary, off West Blue Oaks Boulevard. It brought more than 5,000 new homes to the territory.
The 400-acre Crocker Ranch master-planned community arrived a few years later. Developed by John Mourier, a fourth-generation resident of Roseville, Crocker Ranch offers both residences and commercial space within its grid.
Morgan Creek, another master-planned village, has an 18-hole golf course and country club. Another Mourier project, it features golf villas and production housing, as well as high-end estate homes and golf course view lots.
At the WestPark development (www.westparkroseville.com), Centex Homes, Lennar Living and Pulte Homes are introducing more tracts to the precinct. Designed to mimic a European village, WestPark encircles a town center of shops and restaurants edging common greens for concerts, art shows and other family activities. WestPark’s plan includes more than 400 acres of parks and open space connected by miles of trails.
WestPark also is home to The Club by Del Webb, another age-limited subdivision with a private recreation center.
More leisure-time venues are found on Roseville’s west side at the 18-hole Woodcreek Golf Club; the 225-acre Mahany Regional Park; the multipurpose Roseville Sports Center; and the Roseville Aquatics Park. An Olympic-size pool, tennis courts, gym and lighted ball fields are just a few of the amenities in this complex.
Once an agricultural burgh, the west side of Roseville now is where residences and recreation are the major crops.