Orangevale CA Still Has Farmstands
October 9th, 2008 categories: Orangevale CA, Outdoor Activities
Country Living With City Amenities
Orangevale is an odd mixture of new development (such as the Tim Lewis’ subdivision across from the new shopping center on Hazel and Pecan) and old rural farms and acreages. When we first came to town we loved driving down Oak Ave. to watch the mini horses and lamas graze in the pastures. This is one of those quaint towns still in existence in the Sacramentovalley with that rural feeling coupled with upscale animal husbandry like Orangevale and reminds me of the bay area without the pretension.
Just the name Orangevale conjures up images of orange groves but in reality there are few orchards of any kind left in town. Next door to Orangevale is Citrus Heights, again another name that brings to mind lemonade stands with baskets of the yellow fruit in abundance but if you go to Tom Tomich’s produce stand and preview his farm what you see is primarily peach, plum, apple and nut trees. Tom is a great man who loves history and always has a good story from his days in the second world war…I especially like the story of his meeting Gen. Patton for the first time.
Another area of interest is Indian Stone Corral where the Maidu Indians used to camp and was later used by outlaws to hide out after robbing the stage coaches of their money. This park has yet to be developed but the intent is to create two entrances to this area and allow the public to see the granite outcroppings and how it was used to corral horses without fences. Unfortunately this will probably be a long time coming due to the extensive work needed to preserve the history of this area.
When we first arrived in the valley we didn’t know much about POW WOW Days or the local 4H but soon found that these community events and activities brought us closer to feeling a part of the neighborhood. Orangevale Park hosts numerous events from Easter egg hunts to equestrian competitions and since it’s across from Casa Roble High Schoolhas lots of traffic from the local students. It also happens to be the only competitive Frisbee disc golf course on 50 acres in the area.
The community’s biggest fear during the past real estate boon was a tearing apart of their rural lifestyle by newcomers cashing in with big money from the bay area and beyond. What happened instead was an embracing of the quiet lifestyle Orangevale is famous for and the town has flourished ever so slowly and that’s just fine with the locals.
