Have you ever been looking for a home and encountered an infuriating shortage of properties with attached airplane hangars, or frustrating HOAs that prohibit you from taxiing your plane on public roads? Then gird your loins, because the picturesque town of Cameron Park, California, is the ideal Sacramento suburb for you. Bring your Corvette, your private plane, your thin blue line flag, and your entire collection of New Balance sneakers to this idyllic community that has access to the Cameron Park Airport and allows for safe co-existence of ground vehicles and aircraft on community roads.
According to the Cameron Park Airport website, the residential side of the Cameron Park Airport District contains over 100 homes and lots that have attached hangars and controlled access to the public-use airport’s runway. The neighborhood is financially separate from the airport, and streets are maintained by a resident-created bond facility that funds renovation and maintenance of all pavement surfaces.
In order to maximize accessibility for both ground vehicles and air vehicles, Cameron Park had to make some defining changes to traditional street designs. For example, the streets in Cameron Park are exceptionally wide, more reminiscent of a runway than a traditional residential street, and the street signs are mounted close to the ground to avoid impeding planes with wide wingspans. Stop signs which are usually mounted at a minimum of five-feet tall in rural areas could basically be stuck directly into the ground in Cameron Park, since they sit exceptionally low. Street signs, too, are mounted at knee-height to minimize interference with taxiing planes.
Looking at the town on Google Earth will show you homes with massive hangars and extra-wide driveways to accommodate planes, and some homes even have their planes parked outside. One home has a chrome twin-prop plane parked next to an orange Cessna-sized plane, and the open hangar door reveals a golf cart, a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible, a Porsche 356, a classic Ford Mustang, and an old flatbed pickup truck. Unsurprisingly, the type of people who have both the desire and the means to own a home with direct access to an airport and own and operate private planes also have an affinity for cars.
Each year, the town of Cameron Park hosts a definitely-not-dystopian-at-all event called “Props, Cops, and Rodders,” where residents can bring their aircraft and/or classic cars to “show strength in community” at the Cameron Park Airpark. Also unsurprisingly, the show is primarily populated by vintage American cars with flame paint jobs, Corvettes, kit cars and custom golf carts, complete with live ‘80s rock tribute bands and a strong police presence to keep everyone feeling extra safe.
While I love the idea of a community that’s so passionate about different forms of transportation, it’s disheartening to know that it’s also crawling with cops. It’s a perfect application for one of my favorite catchphrases; disappointed, but not surprised. If you love to fly and you love cops, look for homes in Cameron Park — if you can stomach living in Commiefornia, that is.
