HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Elk Grove is a city in
Sacramento County, California Sacramento County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,585,055. Its county seat is Sacramento, California, Sacramento, which has been the List ...
, United States. Located just south of the state capital of
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
, it is part of the
Sacramento metropolitan area The Greater Sacramento area is a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the U.S. Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined sta ...
. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 176,124. A 2021 Census estimate puts the population of the city at 187,985. Elk Grove has many wineries, wine cellars, and vineyards. Elk Grove was the fastest-growing city in the U.S. between July 1, 2004, and July 1, 2005, and is also presently the second-largest city in Sacramento County by population. It is a general law city with a council/manager form of government. One of Elk Grove's largest employers is the Elk Grove Unified School District, which is the city's second-largest employer.


History

The Miwoks, a Native American tribe, once inhabited the area until the Westward Expansion of the United States, in which the Miwoks were relocated to reservations. In 1808, Spanish explorer
Gabriel Moraga Gabriel Moraga (1765 – June 14, 1823) was a Sonoran-born Californio soldier, administrator, and explorer. As an explorer in Alta California, Gabriel Moraga found and gave names to a number of rivers in the Central Valley. Gabriel's son Joaqu� ...
entered the region, naming the valley "Sacramento Valley" in honor of ''Sacramento,'' the "Holy Sacrament" in Spanish, giving the northerly city of Sacramento its name. A writer on Moraga's expedition wrote of the region:
Canopies of oaks and cottonwoods, many festooned with grapevines, overhung both sides of the blue current. Birds chattered in the trees and big fish darted through the pellucid depths. The air was like champagne, and (the Spaniards) drank deep of it, drank in the beauty around them.
Elk Grove was founded in 1850 as a stage stop for travelers coming from
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
and the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
, when the Elk Grove Hotel and Stage Stop was opened by James Hall, and the town was named after it. He named the area Elk Grove because he found elk horns in nearby tree groves, and he lived in a town of the same name in the state of Missouri. In 1868, the Western Division of the Central Pacific Railroad came through about a mile east of Elk Grove. At this new location, another hotel was built to accommodate travelers and was named the Elk Grove Hotel. In the following decades, Elk Grove remained a small farming community with little urban development. In the late 1980s, suburban development projects began to arise around the community, specifically in the north near Sacramento. These were meant to serve Sacramento's population, as well as San Francisco commuters seeking a commuting community relatively near the San Francisco Bay Area where they could reside. Such changes triggered a period of rapid growth. On July 1, 2000, Elk Grove incorporated as a city. The city's growth peaked in 2004 and 2005, when Elk Grove was declared the fastest growing city in the US.
Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...
manufactured its
iMac The iMac is a series of all-in-one computers from Apple Inc., sold as part of the company's Mac (computer), Mac family of computers. First introduced in 1998, it has remained a primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since and evol ...
line in Elk Grove as late as 2002. After many of those tasks were offshored in 2004, the facility was converted into the modern Apple Elk Grove campus. In 2018, Apple invested $4.2 million into expanding the office space, expanding its already established AppleCare support presence in the region. In 2008, Elk Grove suffered heavily from the
subprime mortgage crisis The American subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010, contributing to the 2008 financial crisis. It led to a severe economic recession, with millions becoming unemployed and many busines ...
due to its suburban nature. In 2011, two Sikh American grandfathers were killed while out for a walk on Stockton Boulevard. This led to a national public outcry by the community, raising safety concerns for the city's 3,000 Sikh community members. The city completed the "Singh and Kaur Park" in 2021 to commemorate the lives of the slain men, and to raise awareness about the Sikh faith. In 2020, Elk Grove elected Bobbie Allen-Singh as its new mayor, making her the first Sikh woman to hold the position of mayor in an American city. She secured re-election for her second term in 2022 and for her third term in 2024, achieving victories in both elections by progressively larger margins.


Geography


Climate

Elk Grove is south of the state capital in Sacramento and experiences a
hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Csa'') with hot summers and cool winters. Summers are moderated by a cool Pacific Ocean breeze also known as the "delta breeze" which comes through the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta from the San Francisco Bay.


Demographics


2020


Economy


Employers


Arts and culture


Public libraries

The Elk Grove Public Library is located at 8900 Elk Grove Boulevard in a modern two-story building; it moved to this location in 2008 from its old building one block east. The library is part of the broader
Sacramento Public Library Sacramento Public Library is a public library system in Sacramento, California. With nearly 2 million items, it is the fourth largest library system in California. History Founding The Sacramento Library Association was established in October ...
system. The Elk Grove Library also serves neighboring communities such as
Vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...
, Wilton, Sloughhouse, and Rancho Murieta. Additional local libraries supplement neighborhoods, such as the public Franklin High Library. The Elk Grove Public Library was the first free public library branch in California.


Parks and recreation

The Cosumnes Community Services District owns and operates 106 parks, 12 water play areas, a golf course (Emerald Lake Golf Course), and a total of 18 miles of trails in Elk Grove, totaling up to 1,017 acres of green space. The parks are funded through assessments approved by a vote of property owners, called "Landscape and Lighting assessments", while property tax revenues do not fund park services.


Government

Beginning in 2012, voters elect the mayor for a two-year term. Prior to 2012, the mayor's position was a one-year term and was chosen by the city council. The remaining four positions on the city council are elected by districts for four-year terms. On November 8, 2016, Steve Ly became the second directly elected mayor following Gary Davis. He is the first ethnic Hmong mayor in the United States, having immigrated at the age of four with his family as refugees from Laos after the end of the Vietnam War. Currently, Bobbie Singh-Allen sits as mayor having defeated Ly in the 2020 election following Ly's controversial tenure. The remaining council members are Darren Suen (District 1), Rod Brewer (District 2), Kevin Spease (District 3) and Sergio Robles (District 4). Elk Grove is in . The Cosumnes Community Services District is the largest Community Services District in California and provides parks and recreation services and fire protection services in Elk Grove. Located in southern Sacramento County, the district covers .The board of directors is the governing body of the district and is composed of five duly-elected or appointed residents. At the beginning of each year, the board selects from its members a president and vice-president to serve during the ensuing year.


Education

The Elk Grove Unified School District is the fifth largest school district in California and one of the fastest growing school districts in the nation. It also consistently ranks among the top school districts in the state. Located in southern
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
County, the district covers , one-third of the county. For the 2002–03 school year, the district served more than 52,500 students, and grew to 62,767 students in the 2016–2017 school year. Those students attend 40 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, 9 high schools and 7 alternative high schools. There are also several private schools in town. A local community college, Cosumnes River College, offers both career training and a transfer program to four-year universities, such as the CSU system and UC system across the state of
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Located nearby are
California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California, United States. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is part of the California State Universit ...
and the
University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...
. In 2013, California Northstate University College of Pharmacy, which offers a Doctor of Pharmacy degree program, relocated to Elk Grove (near
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
).


Infrastructure


Buses

Elk Grove is serviced by an E-tran, a fared bus system that traverses many of the city's main routes. SmaRT Ride is a free, on-demand,
Sacramento Regional Transit District The Sacramento Regional Transit District, commonly referred to as SacRT (or simply RT), is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Sacramento, California area. It was established on April 1, 1973, as a result of the acquisition ...
system for students that services main routes.


Rail

There are plans for SacRT to expand its light rail system two miles south from Cosumnes River College to Elk Grove Boulevard; however, these plans for a new light-rail station are currently in the planning phase.
Amtrak California Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak regional rail routes in Californiathe ''Capitol Corridor'', the ''Pacific Surfliner'', and the ...
'' San Joaquin''
inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...
and Altamont Corridor Express
commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
were expected to be brought directly to Elk Grove in 2021, on the existing rail line which extends from Marysville in the north to Stockton in the south. In February 2024, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen announced that the City of Elk Grove had closed escrow on the new station property.


Highways

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
and
California State Route 99 State Route 99 (SR 99) is a major north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley. From its southern end at Interstate 5 (I-5) near Wheeler Ridge to its northe ...
run north to south and parallel with each other through the city. While I-5 runs next to Elk Grove's western city limits, SR 99 runs through the city center. I-5 and SR 99 are currently the only highway connections from Elk Grove to
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
, though an alternative local route is County Route J8 (Franklin Boulevard). Currently there are plans for an expressway connection to connect I-5, SR 99 and
US 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
, called the Capital SouthEast Connector. Currently to get to US 50, traffic has to flow northward through Downtown Sacramento. This expressway will bypass downtown and connect to Highway 50 along with the cities of Rancho Cordova, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills.


Notable people

* Arik Armstead (born 1993), defensive lineman for NFL's
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
* Armond Armstead (born 1990), defensive tackle for CFL's
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
*
Ami Bera Amerish Babulal "Ami" Bera ( ; born March 2, 1965) is an American physician and politician who has been serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party and repr ...
(born 1965), physician; U.S. Representative, 6th district, California * Scott Boras (born 1952), baseball sports agent who was named "Most Powerful Sports Agent" in 2013 by ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' * Lance Briggs (born 1980), linebacker for NFL's
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
* Ally Carda, 2020 Tokyo silver medalist in
softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
* Dylan Carlson (born 1998), outfielder for the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
* Bill Cartwright (born 1957), player and coach for NBA's
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
* J. D. Davis (born 1993), third baseman for the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
* Cody Demps (born 1993), basketball player for Hapoel Be'er Sheva of the
Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...
* Earl Gage Jr. (ca. 1927–2017), firefighter * Nabilai Kibunguchy (born 1998), soccer player * Kyle Larson (born 1992),
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
driver and
2021 NASCAR Cup Series The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series was the 73rd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 50th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season started at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, wher ...
champion * Matt Manning, baseball player * Tom McClintock, U.S Representative, 5th District, California; former California state senator and assemblyman * Jeremy Reeves, Grammy winning producer *
Saweetie Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper (born July 2, 1993), known professionally as Saweetie (; also pronounced as simply "sweetie"), is an American rapper and singer. Her 2017 debut single, "Icy Grl", received RIAA certification, double platinum cer ...
, rapper * Scott Smith (born 1979), mixed martial artist *
Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been cited as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s. Tyler beca ...
(born 1991), rapper, songwriter, record producer *
Riley Voelkel Riley Emilia Voelkel (born April 26, 1990) is an American-born Canadian actress. She is known for portraying Freya Mikaelson on The CW television series '' The Originals'' and '' Legacies''. Voelkel also played the role of Jenna Johnson on the HB ...
(born 1990), actress * Kenny Wiggins, lineman for NFL's
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...


Sister cities

Elk Grove is a
sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...
of Concepción de Ataco in
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
.


See also

* California Historical Landmarks in Sacramento County * ''Elk Grove Citizen''


References


External links

* {{authority control Cities in Sacramento County, California Cities in Sacramento metropolitan area Cosumnes River Geography of the Sacramento Valley Former census-designated places in California Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1850 1850 establishments in California