Cameron Park, CA

In one Cameron Park neighborhood, residents can taxi an airplane from a home hangar to the community airport. Airpark Estates occupies large lots east of the runway, with private aircraft access built into the street pattern and property rules. It is a distinctive piece of a planned foothill community whose modern form dates to the 1950s, when developer Larry Cameron acquired about 5,000 acres and pursued ranching, housing, a golf course, parks, a lake, and a small airport. Long before that development, Nisenan, or Southern Maidu, people inhabited this part of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Cameron Park now extends along U.S. 50 on the western slope of the range, about 30 miles east of Sacramento and 70 miles west of South Lake Tahoe.

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At the 2020 census, 18,881 people lived here. Because it is a census-designated place rather than an incorporated city, many local services come from the elected Cameron Park Community Services District, which manages parks, recreation, fire protection, solid waste, street lighting, and some neighborhood covenants. Cameron Park Lake concentrates several of the district's outdoor amenities. Created in 1951 and managed by the district since 1975, it has a 1.1-mile shoreline path, an 18-hole disc-golf course, playground, tennis courts, picnic areas, and catch-and-release fishing; vehicle admission supports its upkeep.

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The district also maintains ten neighborhood and community parks, a skate park, dog park, athletic fields, and a community center with a pool, gymnasium, studios, and classrooms. Its recreation calendar includes aquatics, youth and adult sports, camps, fitness classes, and seasonal events such as the Summer Spectacular, Family Festival, and Halloween Boo Bash. Public transportation is limited but specific: El Dorado Transit's Cameron Park-Shingle Springs route loops through the area hourly on weekdays and connects at Cambridge Road Park and Ride with the 50 Express and Sacramento commuter service. The same stop is served by the daily Sacramento-South Lake Tahoe connector.