History of Fair Oaks

Fair Oaks was part of the original 1844 Mexican Land Grant, Rancho San Juan. This land grant also encompassed much of the adjacent communities, giving this larger area a common heritage.


The area we now know as Fair Oaks was first developed in 1895 as a Sunset Colony of the Howard and Wilson Publishing Company of Chicago. The early colonists, many with academic educations or agricultural experience, applied their skills, energies and capital to the development of the new town while enjoying this beautiful new territory .

Inhabited by the Maidu tribe before the Gold Rush, Fair Oaks was promoted as an agricultural colony (primarily citrus fruit). While that agricultural era has passed, Fair Oaks survives as a town, unique in the Sacramento region. Fair Oaks does not exist as a city but remains an unincorporated part of Sacramento County. The appeal of ideal climate touted by the developers in 1895 was particularly pointed toward citrus growing, and by 1900 over 1,000 Fair Oaks acres had been planted in oranges. In its heyday, the area shipped out over 200 railroad carloads of oranges in a year.


Changes often have been made in the type of occupancy rather than in building structures: butcher shop to deli; movie theatre to a small business; home to restaurant; pharmacy to fabric shop. With its one- and two-story buildings, the downtown area remains familiar to longtime residents and exiles, despite an increase in the outlying areas which has raised Fair Oaks' population from 34,210 in 1980 to 40,739 in 2000.

With the beauty of the nearby American River, Fair Oaks has kept its original flavor as a traditional small town.

Natives of Fair Oaks

Lynn Anderson, Singer of the #1 crossover hit "(I beg your pardon, I never promised you a) "Rose Garden"
Barbara Alby. former California State Assemblywoman, 5th district
Dave Cox, California State Senator, 1st district
Roger Niello, California State Assemblyman, 5th district/Niello Motors
Joe Carnahan, Smoking Aces director, worked briefly on Mission: Impossible III before quitting the project.
Lisa Ling, The View, TV personality
Major General (ret.) James Delk, former commanding general of the California Army National Guard
Reverend Dr. George Henry Wells, retired Senior Pastor, Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church (2,300 members)
Nicholas Sparks, Author of The Notebook and A Walk To Remember among others. Graduated valedictorian from Bella Vista High School.
Kyle Wilson, Author and Vocalist
Tiffany Renée (Withrow)- Member Petaluma City Council 2009-2013, eldest daughter of Bill Withrow