Sacramento County · 22 miles east of the city
Everything you'd want to know before you move here.
Three lakes, two golf courses split by the Cosumnes River, and about 5,900 people who mostly agree they got lucky. Here's the honest version — the good, the quirks, and the practical details nobody puts in a listing.
The place
Rancho Murieta sits on the Cosumnes River, about 22 miles east of downtown Sacramento — three private lakes, a country club with two 18-hole golf courses split by the river itself, and enough trail mileage that a golf cart covers most errands. It's gated, it's quiet, and almost everyone who moves here says some version of the same thing: they didn't expect to love it this much. Here's the actual walk-through — the water, the village just outside the gate, the schools, and what happens once you've bought and need the practical stuff sorted.
Water & recreation
Three lakes, two golf courses, and a gnome garden nobody tells you about.
Lake Calero, Lake Clementia, and Lake Chesbro anchor the community. The Rancho Murieta Country Club's two 18-hole courses — split by the Cosumnes River itself — run through the middle of it, along with tennis, pickleball, an equestrian center, and a shoreline trail off Lake Calero that dead-ends in a clearing full of garden gnomes residents have kept up for years. Swimming's allowed in Lake Clementia and down at the river beach; the rest is just for walking.
See recreation & community →
Eating & shopping
The village is just outside the gate — a two-minute drive, not a trip.
Rancho Murieta's shops and restaurants sit right outside the guarded entrance on Murieta Drive, not behind it — the Bel Air grocery, the Ace Hardware, Go 4 Pizza, The Backyard BBQ, and The Local Bean are all close enough that "going out" barely counts. A couple of produce stands a few minutes further down Jackson Road round it out.
See where to eat & shop →
Schools
Elk Grove Unified for public school, plus one private academy.
The elementary school serving Rancho Murieta sits just down Jackson Road; middle and high school are in Elk Grove proper. There's also a private Christian academy in the mix for families who want it.
See the schools →
Already bought?
Moving in is its own project. This is the shortcut.
Utilities, the HOA, your gate barcode, a working list of contractors neighbors actually recommend, and the questions every new resident ends up asking in the first month — golf carts, board meetings, where to swim. It's all on one page so you're not piecing it together from five different phone calls.
See the moving-in guide →Once a year
And then the whole neighborhood turns into a carnival.
Rancho Murietans have gathered at Stonehouse Park for the Summerfest carnival since 1999 — a Ferris wheel, a Zipper, a beer and wine garden, and live music. It's the second-biggest event on the calendar, behind only the 4th of July fireworks over Laguna Joaquin.
Get in touch
Ask Deb.
Questions about a specific street, the HOA, the schools, or what a house like yours would actually sell for here — send them over.