Kitchen Remodeling Orangevale, CA

About Orangevale

The gentle rolling that offered scattered oak trees and trails that were made by small animals, deer, and the Maidu Indian tribe more than 150 years ago, was the location of Orangevale, California, originally known as Orange Vale. Drawn by the opportunity to strike it rich, and the bountiful agriculture, gold miners, farmers and other pioneers from all over the globe arrived in this area. It wasn’t long before land grants were sold and subdivided. The cattlemen and ranched soon followed many of who arrived by the new transcontinental railroad.

Orangevale came to be known for the numerous orange groves that were present in the large agricultural region called the Santa Juanita Land Grant by the Mexican government. In 1888, the first map filed for the region by the Office of the Recorder in Sacramento. Another map was also recorded that showed a network of streets having the name the Colony of Orange Vale, which was named in 1895 after its orange groves and the colonization company. Some 3,200 acres of the early land grant was bought by some Sacramento promoters in 1887 and the property was subdivided into some 10- acre plots in an effort to find buyers from the midwestern and eastern states.

The first school was located at the corner of Filbert and Central streets and had some 20 children in attendance. The Roberts School was constructed in 1883, on the Roberts Property at the corner of Kenneth Street and Greenback Lane in a region that was annexed sometime later by the settlement that was located just outside of Orange Vale proper in 1888.

In 1887, the Orange Vale Colonization Company was established by a group of some five Sacramento businessmen who envisioned a hub for the growing of walnuts, prunes, plums, pecans, pears, peaches, melons, lemons, grapes, figs, berries, apricots, and almonds as well as oranges, while the land changed hands among many different parties until the 1880’s from the Mexican land grant of 1844. These businessmen intended to grow everything possible in Orange Vale. Homes started to be constructed after these businessmen sold off some ten-acre tracts of land parcels.

On Orange Vale, the Hotel Villa was one of the first structures built that overlooked the American River. Sometime later it was later relocated to Greenback Lane where it remains standing and is a yellow house with four gables.

Greenback Lane is the primary thoroughfare in Orange Vale and is the source of several tales. Some people believe that is a narrow dirt road was first established by some of the first white pioneers. Other people believe that it was established by a group of Chinese workers who were compensated in greenbacks, since greenbacks weren’t worth as much as gold. This resulted in the name of Greenback Lane.

Eventually, Orange Vale came to be called Orangevale, although many people still refer to it as the Vale. White pioneers began arriving ever-increasingly and Orangevale became greatly successful while during these years, several other settlements in the state failed. What made the primary difference was the availability of water. A natural for the required irrigation for the orange groves, vineyards, other fruits such as plums and peaches were ditches that were readymade and dug on the Mississippi Bar for placer mining.

In 1894 in San Francisco, at the Midwinter Fair Orangevale won first place for the best over-all display of oranges in the bud. For many years, Orangevale had the uniqueness of not having a specialty. In Orangevale, there were oranges as those grown in Riverside, lemons as good as those grown in Santa Barbara, apricots as good as those grown in Santa Ana, and prunes as good as those grown in Santa Clara. It was obvious that all of the fruits that could be grown in California could also be grown in Orangevale, and all having first-class quality.

The farming of fruits and citrus continued while in 1930 an agricultural disaster hit when a particularly cold winter almost devastated nearly all of the orange groves. Orangevale progressed while growing steadily but slowly as a quiet rural community.

As the result if its beautiful mountain views and waterways, people continued to make Orangevale their home if for no other reason than to enjoy the industrial growth of the Counties of Placer and Sacramento, the high-ranking schools, and the wonderful recreational opportunities. Expressing the fundamental character of Orangevale, there is the unique rural character, and many original trails and oak trees in the midst of this phenomenal growth.

Industry continues to grow in the Counties of Placer and Sacramento, particularly in the high-tech, retail, medical, and insurance fields. The continued appeal of the counties of Placer and Sacramento as well as Sacramento and Orangevale are in an environment that is friendly to industry. In this highly desirable region, there is affordable housing and easy access to transit. According to the census that was taken in 1996, the land area of Orangevale was 10.4 square miles and the population was an estimated 34,000 people. The elevation of Orangevale is approximately some 240 feet above mean sea level and Orangevale is located some 25 miles just northeast of Sacramento.