Sacramento Region City Guide · Placer County

Lincoln, California

An 1859 railroad town grown into one of Placer County's largest cities, from Gladding McBean to Sun City

Downtown Lincoln. Image: Trackinfo · CC BY-SA 4.0

By Aaron Rose, Realtor®, eXp Realty of California · Last updated October 18, 2026

Where is Lincoln, California?

Lincoln is a city in western Placer County, on the Sacramento Valley floor at about 150 feet. It's roughly 23 miles (straight-line) northeast of downtown Sacramento and 8.5 miles north of Roseville. The 2020 Census counted 49,757 residents and 19,480 housing units on 24.2 square miles of land, up 16% from 42,819 in 2010. That makes it Placer County's third-largest city, after Roseville and Rocklin. Highway 65 runs through the city.

County and ZIP: The city is entirely in Placer County and in ZIP 95648. That ZIP area had 54,483 residents in 2020, is entirely in Placer County, and extends into unincorporated land around the city.

What is the history of Lincoln?

Per the Lincoln Downtown Association, the Nisenan village of Ba-Mu-Ma was the first known settlement here. The town was laid out in 1859 as the planned terminus of the California Central Railroad. It was named for the railroad's president, Charles Lincoln Wilson, using his middle name, and the tracks arrived in October 1861. Coal mining in the 1870s revealed high-quality clay, which led to the founding of the Gladding, McBean pottery. The city says it was incorporated on August 18, 1890. Placer LAFCO lists August 7.

Gladding, McBean (601 7th St.) still operates in Lincoln. The company dates its founding to May 12, 1874; the downtown association gives 1875. It says its Lincoln plant was the first on the Pacific Coast to make terra cotta trim, and that it employed up to 750 people at its 1940s–50s peak. The Feats of Clay ceramics exhibition was held at the factory from 1987 to 2011.

What are Lincoln's main neighborhoods?

Historic downtown: The original town grid beside the railroad holds the older homes, shops and civic buildings. City Hall is at 600 6th Street, and Lincoln High and Glen Edwards Middle are nearby, per NCES.

Sun City Lincoln Hills: This Del Webb 55+ community opened for sales in February 1999. Its community association lists 6,703 single-family homes and 80 condominiums on 2,992 acres, with about 11,000 residents.

Twelve Bridges: East of Highway 65, this master-planned area includes the Twelve Bridges elementary, middle and high schools (per NCES) and large city open-space preserves. The city lists 1,136 acres of Twelve Bridges and Verdera open space.

Lincoln Crossing: This master-planned area has its own elementary school (per NCES) and the city's Lincoln Crossing Nature Preserve along Auburn Ravine.

Growth areas: The city's specific plans, including Village 1 and other village areas, guide future neighborhoods on Lincoln's edges.

What amenities and services does Lincoln have?

McBean Park (65 McBean Park Dr.) sits along Auburn Ravine near downtown. Foskett Regional Park, the Auburn Ravine trails and city open-space preserves add trails and fields. The city-owned Lincoln Regional Airport has a 6,001-foot runway and 207 hangars.

Roseville's larger retail and medical centers are about 8.5 miles south.

What schools serve Lincoln?

Every point we sampled inside the city falls in Western Placer Unified School District under Census/NCES EDGE boundaries. NCES lists WPUSD's Lincoln High (790 J St.), Twelve Bridges High (2360 Fieldstone Dr.), Glen Edwards and Twelve Bridges middle schools, and elementaries including First Street, Carlin C. Coppin, Creekside Oaks, Foskett Ranch, Lincoln Crossing and Twelve Bridges, plus charter schools. District lines don't follow ZIP codes or community names, so buyers should confirm the district and school assignment for a specific address with the Placer County Office of Education or the district office.

How local schools rate in RPR (school ratings in Realtors Property Resource for the City of Lincoln, pulled October 18, 2026):

• Twelve Bridges Elementary School (Elementary): A-
• Twelve Bridges Middle School (Middle): A-
• Carlin C. Coppin Elementary School (Elementary): B+
• Lincoln High School (High): B+
• Scott M. Leaman Elementary School (Elementary): B+
• Glen Edwards Middle School (Middle): B+
• Lincoln Crossing Elementary School (Elementary): B+

Ratings are third-party summaries, and district lines don't follow ZIP codes or community names, so confirm the school assignment for a specific address with the district office.

How far is Lincoln from Sacramento?

Lincoln is about 23 miles (straight-line) northeast of downtown Sacramento and 8.5 miles north of Roseville via Highway 65.

Highway 65 runs south to Roseville (about 8.5 miles straight-line) and Interstate 80. Sacramento is about 23 miles and Sacramento International Airport about 20 miles away. Highway 193 heads east toward Newcastle. Drive times vary by address and traffic, so ask Aaron for a route check from a specific property.

What are homes like in Lincoln?

Expect older homes downtown, large master-planned subdivisions such as Twelve Bridges and Lincoln Crossing, Sun City's age-restricted community, and rural and ranch properties outside the city. HOA and Mello-Roos/CFD costs are common due-diligence items in newer neighborhoods.

Home prices right now

The median sold price for a single-family home in Lincoln was $634,357 in September 2026. Homes sold at 98.8% of list price after a median of 36 days (74 closed sales).

RPR showed 207 active listings (median list price $649,000, or $322 per square foot), 116 new listings and 64 pending sales in September 2026. That works out to 3 months of inventory, which RPR classifies as a seller's market. RPR's median estimated home value is $651,520, up 0.9% over 12 months.

Small markets have few sales each month, so medians can swing; ask Aaron for numbers on a specific area or price range.

Who lives here: Census estimates for the City of Lincoln reported by RPR put the population at about 53,000, the median age at 43, median household income at $111,990 and owner-occupied homes at 84% (U.S. Census via RPR, pulled October 18, 2026).

Geography: City of Lincoln, single-family, Sept 2026 (RPR). Source: listings and public records via RPR (Realtors Property Resource); pulled October 18, 2026.

How does Lincoln compare with nearby towns?

Single-family homes, September 2026. Source: listings via RPR (Realtors Property Resource), pulled October 18, 2026. Where a town had too few sales of its own, its row uses the ZIP code or county shown under its name. "Too few sales" means RPR reported no figure, or the town had under 5 sales, too few for a meaningful median. Towns with few sales can swing month to month.

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