Best Web Design in Rancho Cordova, CA (2026)

Web Design for Rancho Cordova, California

Rancho Cordova is a young Sacramento County city, incorporated only in 2003, built on land that ran from Gold Rush river crossings to postwar vineyards to Cold War rocketry. It was the home of Aerojet, once called 'the General Motors of U.S. rocketry,' and of the former Mather Air Force Base. The American River and Nimbus Fish Hatchery give it a strong outdoor and salmon-run identity.

AppWT works with Rancho Cordova, CA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Rancho Cordova

Also known as. City Life Reinvented (city motto). Mayhew's Crossing (historical). Hangtown Crossing (historical).

History. During the 1849 Gold Rush the area was a key supply stop between Sacramento and Folsom, known by names like 'Mayhew's Crossing' and 'Hangtown Crossing.' The Magnolia House at Brighton (Five Mile Station), established in 1849, is cited as an early stop on the Pony Express route. Mather Field opened in 1918 as one of dozens of Army Air Service training camps in World War I, named for 2nd Lt. Carl Spencer Mather, a pilot killed in a training collision; it later became Mather Air Force Base and closed in 1993 under base realignment. After World War II, former vineyard land was converted into early 'production housing' subdivisions, and a 1955 post office fixed the name Rancho Cordova, after the Cordova Vineyard within the Rancho Rio de los Americanos land grant. Aerojet established a major rocket-engine plant in the area in 1953; the city itself incorporated on July 1, 2003, becoming California's 478th city with about 77% voter support.

Local economy. Aerospace and defense are the historic backbone; Aerojet (later Aerojet Rocketdyne) built engines for the Polaris, Minuteman, Titan, and Trident missile programs. Major current employers include the Folsom Cordova Unified School District (about 2,050), Vision Service Plan/VSP (about 1,600), and Franklin Templeton (about 1,593). The California Franchise Tax Board maintains large operations and mailing facilities in Rancho Cordova. The city markets a diversified base of financial services, technology, and light manufacturing under its 'City Life Reinvented' brand.

Culture and community. Rancho Cordova won All-America City Awards in both 2010 and 2019. The California Capital Airshow is held at Mather Airport, on land partly within the city. The city promotes a diverse international dining scene and craft-beverage makers. Its 2020 census population was 79,332, reflecting rapid growth for a city barely two decades old.

What makes Rancho Cordova distinct. Rancho Cordova is one of California's youngest incorporated cities, dating only to 2003. Time magazine dubbed Aerojet 'the General Motors of U.S. rocketry' in 1958, when the company employed tens of thousands. Decades of rocket-fuel manufacturing and disposal contaminated local groundwater, leading to the Aerojet General Superfund site. The Pony Express and the transcontinental railroad both passed through what is now the city, tying its origins to 19th-century westward transport.

A fast-growing Sacramento-area suburb that reinvented itself after incorporating in 2003, blending master-planned neighborhoods with aerospace and technology employers.

Rancho Cordova Landmarks and Local Life

• Sacramento Children's Museum - Interactive children's museum in Rancho Cordova
• Aerojet Rocketdyne - Aerospace propulsion manufacturer with a large local campus
• Barrel District - Emerging arts and entertainment district
• American River Parkway - Six miles of the American River run through the city
• Hagan Community Park - Nearly 80-acre park with an aquatic center, trails, and fishing lagoon

Rancho Cordova at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $89,120
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 31%
• Housing: About 57% of housing units are owner-occupied
• Housing: Roughly 61% of homes are single-family detached units