WDDNA named ‘Best Residential Community’ in Carmichael
From left: Assemblyman Josh Hoover, Carmichael Chamber President Izzy DeLancey,
WDDNA board member Kathleen Newton and Matthew Ceccato, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Ami Bera.
The Wilhaggin Del Dayo Neighborhood Association has been named the “Best residential Neighborhood” in Carmichael in the 2023 Best of Carmichael competition sponsored by the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce.
This was the first year the Best Residential Neighbor-hood category was included in the competition. There were 39 categories in all.
Six neighborhoods were nominated in the Best Residential Neighborhood category. Besides our association, the list included Carmichael Creek Neighborhood Association, Barrett Hills, Continental, Carmichael Whispering Oaks and Maple Grove.
Chamber members and the general public were invited to vote for their favorite nominees.
In the Best Residential Neighborhood category, 131 ballots were cast for WDDNA, making us the first-place winner. The award was presented to us at the Chamber’s annual awards banquet, along with certificates of recognition from Rep. Ami Bera, State Senator Roger Niello, Assemblman Josh Hoover and Supervisor Rich Desmond.
Recognition from the Sacramento Bee
(The following excerpt is reprinted from an article by Mark Billingsley that appeared in the Sept. 8, 2023, edition of the Sacramento Bee.)
The Wilhaggin Del Dayo Neighborhood Association (WDDNA) … has more than 50 percent of the 2,144 homes voluntarily paying annual dues for the increased off-duty Sacramento Sheriff patrols, WDDNA Communications Director Kathleen Newton recently reported.
Wilhaggin Del Dayo has never had a serious crime problem, Newton said, and minor crimes such as petty theft seem to occur in cycles throughout the year.
The off-duty Sheriff’s deputies are still armed and in uniform, and patrol in marked vehicles. That increased presence serves as a mighty deterrent to anyone intent on targeting residents and is likely the reason why Wilhaggin-Del Dayo residents feel safe and their possession secure. Residents who value that added level of security gladly pay an annual fee of $300.
Newton said the Association’s sole focus and reason for being is to provide an extra layer of protection for its members, and that’s a big reason why Wilhaggin-Del Dayo is one of the most desirable places to live in the Sacramento area.
With mature trees and easy access to amenities along either Fair Oaks Boulevard or American River Drive, homes in the two neighborhoods do not last very long on the real estate market. There’s a reason why three recent California governors — George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis – lived in a home built along Lake Wilhaggin Drive in Wilhaggin. The lake, though, is more of a large, private pond.
Wilhaggin and Del Dayo are bordered by Watt Avenue to the west, the American River to the south, Arden Way to the east and Fair Oaks Boulevard to the north. American River Drive cuts east to west right in the middle of both neighborhoods. Most homes in Wilhaggin have Sacramento addresses due to zip codes, while some homes in Del Dayo have Carmichael addresses. Some of the smaller micro-neighborhoods within the larger Wilhaggin and Del Dayo neighborhoods include Wilhaggin Oaks, Wilhaggin East and West, Del Day Estates and Del Dayo Riviera.
Wilhaggin got its name from a combination of developer Steve Williams’ last name and James Ben Ali Haggin, the second owner the 44,000-acre Rancho Del Paso land grant. The land grant once encompassed present-day North Sacramento, Del Paso Heights, Rio Linda, a portion of Carmichael and Arden-Arcade, of which Wilhaggin and Del Dayo are a part.