Colonial Heights
Neighborhood
Association
Sacramento, California
History of Colonial Heights
Built in 1910 as "Sacramento's Ideal Subdivision" the grand opening flyer boasts a 17-minute commute to 8th and J Streets, pure water from artesian wells in Oak Park and large acre-sized lots. There was even a contest to name the neighborhood with the winner receiving a free lot! The original neighborhood was set to have nine parks and free life insurance.
Wesley United Methodist Church built their house of worship on 15th Avenue, previously named Vina Vista. The church social hall stands to this day and was home to a basketball team and many neighborhood events.
The original Fransinetti's restaurant was at the corner of Stockton and San Francisco Boulevard, back when the Central California Traction Company trolley car ran from the neighborhood to downtown.
"Someday Colonial Heights may exist only as a memory in the minds of those who have lived there long enough to remember when it was a separate community and not a part of greater South Sacramento. Or it might become a section of Sacramento itself, enjoying the benefits of city government, and carrying the load of city taxation. Or it might burst forth in a fever of organization and activity and become the city of Colonial Heights, casting off its status as a suburb just outside the city limits."
The Sacramento Union - Sunday Morning - October 1942 - Boruff Smith
Colonial Heights was founded in 1910 as Sacramento's ideal subdivision. Now made up of about 700 homes, the diverse neighborhood encompasses the space between Stockton Boulevard, 14th Avenue, 22nd Avenue, and 58th Street.
From the Press
1
"The Heights" seem very quiet with a kind of solid homeyness... Many of the residents, old and new feel the same way. It is like a small, friendly town in the midst of a large city.
Sacramento Union - September 13, 1959
2
Colonial Park, which is situated in the center of the tract is as large as the City Plaza. This, together with the nine other parks will be planted with trees and beautiful flowers, and palm and pepper trees will be planted in front of every lot.
Images of America - Sacramento's Elmhurst, Tahoe Park and Colonial Heights - 2008
3
San Francisco Boulevard...is not the sort of street one might normally notice or to which one may pay special attention. It is easier to pass it by, as one of innumerable side streets that intersect with a major arterial, Stockton Boulevard. However, its shape is different from that of other streets, and to people constantly on the alert for unique street designs it might stand out.
Journal of Urban Design, Vol. 5, No. 1, 3-18, 2000
