Overview
College-Glen is a
residential neighborhood in the east suburbs of Sacramento. Its location provides excellent access to
many amenities for its residents. The northern border is the American River
(and one of the area’s greatest assets). The eastern border is Watt Avenue,
southern border is Folsom Boulevard and the western border is Howe Avenue. The
neighborhood is physically divided in half by Highway 50 but the Occidental
Drive Bridge goes over the highway to keep the neighborhood connected.
The neighborhood
name, College-Glen, comes from the two subdivisions in the neighborhood. The western half of the neighborhood is
College Greens and the eastern half is Glenbrook. Put the two together and you have
“College-Glen.” Many different
buyers/sellers/homeowners will use all three of the neighborhood names
interchangeably, but ultimately the area is taken care of by the “College-Glen
Neighborhood Association.” Electrical
power lines run through the middle of the neighborhood and serve as the
physical divider between the subdivisions.
Both subdivisions were built from 1961 to 1973. Glenbrook had two infill
projects to complete the neighborhood in 1979-80 and 2002. The original
developers of the area started with a general plan in mind: the College Greens
side will have a little larger homes (1,677 average square feet) and the
Glenbrook side will be typically smaller homes (1,434 average square
feet). Just like any type of consumer
product, this provided options for the original homeowners. The Glenbrook homes were priced a little
lower due to their size and the College Greens homes were a little more
expensive. Over the past 50+ years, the
two subdivisions have completely blended into one and any appraiser will freely
use both subdivisions (and either side of the freeway) for comparable
properties.
College-Glen has a
total of 2,518 single-family homes. The
neighborhood has a high owner-occupied ratio of 83.6% of the homes and the
remaining 16.4% are rental homes. There are 309 condos in the neighborhood.
Those only have a 58.9% owner-occupied rate with 41.1% as rentals. And there
are a total of 27 properties that are 2-4 units, nearly all of those being
rental properties.
Due to the age of
the homes in College-Glen (40 to 50+ years old), the homes throughout the
neighborhood have an extremely wide range of condition. Some homes still have
original owners and are in the original condition as the day the developer
built them. Multiple owners have updated others here and there throughout the
years and. And some have been completely gutted and remodeled with opened floor
plans, brand new kitchens/baths and all new electrical. Also, because of the
age of the homes, the lots in College-Glen are a pretty decent size compared to
a home built in the last few years. The average lot size in College-Glen is .17
acres (7,329 square feet).
College-Glen is in
an excellent location of Sacramento. Its residents experience easy freeway
access to Highway 50, walking distance to the American River for swimming,
fishing and boating, the 32-mile American River Bike Trail, Light Rail Station,
grocery store/pharmacy, restaurants, two parks, a dog park, two elementary
schools, a private swim/racquet club, a public pool, close proximity to Sac
State, downtown, the state Capital, malls and gyms.
Top Reasons College-Glen
is Unique
The River is one
of the main attractions for homeowners in College-Glen since Sacramento is so
far away from a beach; the American River offers the next best thing. Many
residents in College-Glen can walk to the river on a warm summer day. Perfect for
swimming, barbecuing, fishing, taking your dog for a swim, rafting, stand-up
paddle boarding, some boating, rope swings and more. The river is a great
outdoor activity that many College-Glen residents take advantage of on a
regular basis.
Along with the
river comes 32 miles of American River Bike Trail. This trail is perfect for
the many cyclist and outdoor enthusiasts in the neighborhood. A wonderfully
scenic trail that provides paved lanes from Old Sacramento all the way to
Folsom Lake. Along with bikes, runners/walker and horse riders enjoy using this
great resource that runs right past the north side of College-Glen.
Many
homeowners/home buyers want a pool in their backyard while living in the
Sacramento Area. However, a pool comes with more maintenance, higher insurance,
higher liability, and typically a higher purchase price. College-Glen has one
private and one public pool. This is a
huge benefit during the hot Sacramento summers. College Greens has a private
swim club called the Cabana Club — College Greens swim and racquet club (http://www.collegegreens.net).
The Cabana Club is a wonderful
alternative to purchasing a home with a pool. Most homeowners in the
neighborhood that have kids and do not have a pool are members and enjoy all
the benefits of the clubhouse, the pools, the tennis courts, the social events,
swim team and more. And for those who do not join the Cabana Club, Oki Park has
a public pool that is open during the summer for a small fee with lifeguard’s
onsite.
In my opinion,
College-Glen provides an excellent location that has great proximity to nearly
everything. If you need to get somewhere in town, you can be on the freeway
within 5 minutes from anywhere in College-Glen. That is a huge plus for people
who need to commute every day. Some communities in Carmichael can take 25
minutes to get to the nearest freeway.
Also, College-Glen is a suburban neighborhood that has a close proximity
to all of the downtown attractions of Sacramento. Additionally, the light rail
has a station in the neighborhood and provides inexpensive, fast access to
downtown or all the way to Folsom. It’s a great secondary option for commuters
needing to go either direction everyday.
Community
College-Glen has a
very high sense of community due to many longtime residents, a very high
owner-occupied ratio and the neighborhood has a very involved, active
homeowners association (http://collegeglen.org/). The association does not cost
anything for the residents and runs on business sponsorships and
resident-voluntary donations. The CGNA puts on many activities for the
neighborhood: National Family Night Out, 4th of July BBQ with tons
of activities and fireworks show, Father’s Day Jazz in the Park, Movie in the
park, town hall meetings and more. The CGNA also takes issues to the city hall
to fight for its residents and issues affecting the neighborhood. A wonderful
group that works together to better the neighborhood for everyone and keep
property values strong.
College-Glen has
83.6% of homes occupied by its owners. That high ownership creates stability in
the neighborhood with residents taking care of their homes and looking out for
each other. Typically, a younger family will buy into the neighborhood with
either kids on the way or some little ones already. The kids will grow up in
the neighborhood and then move off to college or work and then the parents will
retire and stay in the family home. Having many homeowners in the neighborhood
like that creates a very strong community fabric. There is a steady cycle of
new families moving into the neighborhood, so there are a wide variety of all
ages throughout the area.
College-Glen is a
very Active community. Many of the residents use the easy access to the
American River Bike Trail for exercise on road bikes or taking runs. Also,
there are many people regularly walking their dogs around the streets and
taking their pups to the dog park at Glenbrook Park. The Cabana Club provides
an excellent location for friends, families and neighbors to meet up and swim,
play tennis, hang out and have some food throughout the year. The College-Glen
Little League is extremely active in the community and provides a great source
of exercise and entertainment for the kids throughout the year. And don’t
forget the soccer leagues that take place at Oki Park and Glenbrook Park. This
is one community that loves the outdoors and stays very active throughout the
whole year.
