Citrus Heights sits in the northeastern corner of Sacramento County, bordered by Roseville to the north and Folsom to the southeast. It incorporated as a city on January 1, 1997—one of the last major incorporations in California—and today has a population of about 87,000 spread across 14 square miles. The city runs along a commercial spine of Auburn Boulevard, Sunrise Boulevard, Fair Oaks Boulevard, and Greenback Lane, with residential streets filling in between.
People moving here from the Bay Area or from Sacramento proper typically notice two things first: the housing goes further per dollar, and you need a car for almost everything. Neither is a surprise if you do your homework. Here’s what the homework looks like.
Housing Stock and Price Range
Most of Citrus Heights was built out between the 1950s and the early 1990s. NeighborhoodScout data places roughly 71% of the housing stock in the 1970–1999 range, with another 22% built between 1940 and 1969. The typical home is a single-family detached ranch or split-level on a lot of about 0.17 acres, with roughly 1,400–1,500 square feet of living space. There are also apartment complexes along the main corridors and scattered townhome developments from the 1980s.
As of August 2026, the median sold price in Citrus Heights is $465,000, with the middle half of sales closing between $344,000 and $530,000, according to Resideline’s tracked closings (August 2026). That puts Citrus Heights meaningfully below the Sacramento city-core median and in a similar range to neighboring Carmichael. The price-per-square-foot median is around $305. Homes have been moving in roughly 17 days from listing to contract, which is a faster pace than many outer suburbs.
Rentals are concentrated near Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane. If you’re comparing with Roseville or Rocklin, Citrus Heights tends to come in lower on both purchase and rental prices, with older housing stock and closer proximity to Sacramento.
Getting to Downtown Sacramento
The Business 80 freeway (Capital City Freeway) starts near the western edge of Citrus Heights and feeds directly into downtown Sacramento. With light traffic, the drive takes about 25 minutes. During peak commute hours—roughly 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.—add another 20 to 30 minutes. If your commute target is the state capitol area or Midtown, Citrus Heights is one of the more convenient northeastern suburbs.
Auburn Boulevard and Greenback Lane are the main surface streets for errands within the city. Neither is fast during peak hours, but both are well-connected to Sunrise Boulevard, which runs north–south through the city.
Public Transit
Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) operates bus routes through Citrus Heights. The closest light rail station to most of the city is at Sunrise (on the Gold Line), but it sits a few miles southwest in the Rancho Cordova area. If you rely on transit for a downtown commute, check the SacRT trip planner against your specific address before committing to a lease—coverage is uneven across different neighborhoods.
Parks and Green Space
Rusch Community Park (7801 Auburn Blvd) is the largest in the city, with the Historic Rusch Home and Botanical Gardens on the grounds, plus sports fields, picnic areas, and a community center. Tempo Park (13125 Fair Oaks Blvd) is a convenient local green space on the city’s western side near Fair Oaks Blvd.
Citrus Heights sits just north of the American River, and the American River Parkway’s multi-use trail is reachable from several trailheads within a short drive. The 32-mile paved trail runs from Folsom Dam west through Sacramento, and the stretch nearest Citrus Heights—roughly the Sunrise area access points—gives residents easy access to flat biking and walking along the river corridor.
Schools
Citrus Heights is primarily served by the San Juan Unified School District, which covers a wide swath of northeastern Sacramento County. Use the district’s address lookup to confirm which schools serve a specific property. Some parcels near the northern edge of the city may fall under different boundaries.
Setting Up Utilities
- Electricity and gas: Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) serves Citrus Heights for both electric and natural gas.
- Water: Citrus Heights Water District, 6230 Sylvan Road, Citrus Heights, CA 95610; (916) 725-6873.
- Trash and recycling: Republic Services handles collection for most of the city; (916) 725-9060. Confirm your specific address at signup, as a small portion of the city uses a different hauler.
- Sewer: Sacramento Area Sewer District.
DMV and Vehicle Registration
There is no DMV field office inside Citrus Heights city limits. The nearest is the Carmichael DMV at 5209 North Ave, Carmichael (about 10 minutes southwest), open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. The Roseville DMV (7200 Galilee Road) is about 10 minutes north. For registration-only transactions, several DMV partners operate on Greenback Lane. Book appointments at dmv.ca.gov.
The Details
- Distance to downtown Sacramento: About 14 miles; 25 minutes off-peak via Business 80
- Nearest airport: Sacramento International Airport, about 20 miles west
- Housing: Mostly 1950s–1990s single-family detached; median lot ~0.17 acres
- Median sold price (Aug 2026): $465,000 (Resideline)
- Electric and gas: PG&E
- Water: Citrus Heights Water District, (916) 725-6873
- Trash: Republic Services, (916) 725-9060
- Schools: San Juan Unified School District
- Nearest DMV: Carmichael, 5209 North Ave
Bottom Line
Citrus Heights offers freeway-close access to Sacramento at a price point that makes ownership realistic for buyers priced out of the city core. The housing stock is older and the grid is car-dependent, but the proximity to Business 80 keeps downtown reachable, and the city’s park system—particularly Rusch Community Park—gives residents a usable green anchor. If you’re also weighing suburbs to the east, the guide for Folsom and the overview of Elk Grove cover different directions from the city center.
