Oak Park
Lots of History, Art & Culture
Oak Park is a neighborhood (not a city) in the city of Sacramento. It is bounded by highway 50 to the north, Stockton Blvd to the east, highway 99 to the west and Fruitridge Rd to the south. Since it is located in the city limits, it provides easy access to Downtown. If one chooses, one can easily commute by bicycle to downtown, where most of State buildings are situated. McGeorge School of Law, University of Pacific Sacramento Campus are located in this neighborhood.
Oak Park has an interesting history: Back in the early 1900s, it was a “culturally-thriving and economically vibrant destination neighborhood”. However, Great Depression and discriminatory practices, changed this beautiful neighborhood for the worse. Like many neighborhoods across the United States, it experienced “redlining” which segregated neighborhoods by race.
Things started to change in early 2000s when real estate speculators and building contractors started buying in the area. Not only UC Davis Medical Center, located in north Oak Park, started to expand, but also many new high-paying jobs started to move into the area. Then the wave of 2008 foreclosures arrived which affected the neighborhood in a negative way. Two community groups, Oak Park Neighborhood Association and Oak Park Community Association were established in 2014 which started to improve the Oak Park by improving the policing efforts and demanding affordable housing. Gentrification has been taking place, particularly in the northern part and this neighborhood has been transitioning over the last decade. As a result, housing values have been increasing and new restaurants and businesses have been constructed. To read more about the history of Oak Park check out A Brief History of Oak Park.
Places to visit in Oak Park
- Guild Theater: Built in 1915, it is the oldest theater in Sacramento.
Courtesy of Guild Theater facebook page
- Oak Park Farmer’s Market: It runs from May 20 through October 28 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday.
Farmer’s Market in Pilgrim Church Parking Lot
- Oak Park has many great places to eat and drink. Some places to consider are Fixins Soul Kitchen, ” a full service soul food restaurant that celebrates the history and traditions of African American culture in an inclusive environment that welcomes everyone!”. La Venadita, a farm to fork taqueria which prides itself “on fresh, clean flavors served in a casual environment”. For craft beer and pub style menu, one can check out Oak Park Brewing Co.
Photo Courtesy of Fixtins Soult Kitchen Facebook Page
This page will be updated with new information as we go along. Meanwhile, you can check out my page on Landpark, another neighborhood not far from Oak Park. https://movingtosacramento.info/landpark-homes-for-sale/
Schools in Oak Park
Since Oak Park is in the city of Sacramento, Sacramento City Unified School District is the place to check. This is their website. https://www.scusd.edu/
Visit GreatSchools.org to compare and check the ranking of any school.
Oak Park Homes For Sale
When talking about real estate in this neighborhood, one has to pay attention to the details of the area: Oak Park is the land bounded by US Route 50, Stockton Blvd, South Sacramento Freeway (99) and Fruitridge Blvd. Often Elmhurst, Tahoe Park, Sandra Heights may be referred to as Oak Park but they are not.
There are currently (April 2023) twelve single family homes for sale in this neighborhood. All but one of these homes are older homes, built between 1900 and 1970’s. There are a few two bedroom one bath homes, under 1000 sqft priced under 400K, renovated and move-in-ready. If one is looking into getting a 3 or 4 bedroom with 2 bath, the median price of home for those is 450K, with 7 active listings in that category. If one wishes to get into a new construction home, the only one on the market now is a 4 bedroom 2 bath with 1406 sqft of living space with a price tag of 450K.
I study the market closely and would love to share my knowledge of the area with you. Let me know if I can help.