My Historical Perspective of
ELK GROVE, CA
I have lived and worked in Elk Grove for over 35 years and just want to give all of you interested in the Elk Grove community a little hometown perspective of Elk Grove through the years. In 1972, when my family moved to the Elk Grove area, there were no stop lights in town, no fast food restaurants, a population of less than 11,000, 1 high school - Elk Grove High School and 2 junior highs - Joseph Kerr and James Rudder. When ny family moved to this "farm" community on the "outskirts" of Sacramento during my Junior year of high school - I thought I had moved to Kansas or something. Sorry to all of you who love Kansas.
Elk Grove was established in 1850 as a stop for the stage. It became a crossroads and hub for local commerce and played a part in the early gold rush being just 15 miles south of the historic Sutter's Fort in Sacramento.
ELK GROVE HOUSE - 1850 ELK GROVE HOUSE TODAY
Elk Grove House was built in 1850, by the founder of Elk Grove, James Hall. Built on the historic Monterey Trail, Elk Grove House was reputed to be one of the finest stage stops between Sacramento and Stockton. The building stood for 107 years until it was torn down for a Highway 99 expansion project Above is a photo of the Elk Grove House as it was rebuilt in 2002 and currently stands in Elk Grove Heritage Park. Although Elk Grove has grown rapidly over the last decade, Elk Grove has always celebrated it's rich history. The revitalization of Old Town Elk Grove was completed in November of 2005 and the Elk Grove Historic District comprises 48 buildings of historic significance.
Although Elk Grove is in close proximity to Sacramento, until the 1980's it remained independent of Sacramento's growth. As Sacramento grew, communities started pusing out towards Elk Grove and new communities started popping up in Elk Grove in the early 1980's. In July 2000, Elk Grove became a city within the County of Sacramento. Although once thought of as a sleepy little town on the "outskirts" of the Capitol of California, Elk Grove was named as one of the fastest growing cities in 2004 & 2005. The State of California estimated the city's population at 136,318 as of January 1, 2007.
When I graduated from Elk Grove High School in 1975 , it seemed to me that Elk Grove High School was "old" .. In 2008, my youngest daughter, Rachel, will be graduating from Elk Grove High School, so you know the kids think it's old now, 33 years later. However, it is a great feeling as a parent to still go to "Back To School Nights" and see old friends from our high school days. The funny thing is that there are still a couple of teachers left from when my husband and I attended Elk Grove High School and there are many current teachers that were former students.
Today, there are 9 High Schools in the community of Elk Grove and Elk Grove School District is the 5th largest school district in California. and the largest in Northern California. For the 2007-2008 school year, the district will serve more than 61,000 students. Elk Grove Unified School District has been recognized in California as a top performing school district and has been praised for offering class size reduction in grades kindergarten through 6th grade. For more information on the school district, visit Elk Grove Unified's website at http://www.egusd.k12.ca.us/district/district.htm.
For those of you not familiar with Elk Grove, the area is divided into 3 zip code areas. The original area of 95624 is east of Highway 99 and this is the area that my family lives in. Starting in the early l990's , the community of Elk Grove started expanding to the west side of Highway 99, into what is now "Laguna" or the 95758 zip code area. This area was formally farmland and now is comprised of several residential communities, including Laguna West and several of our commercial developments including several restaurants, movie theatres, major stores including Target, Borders, Old Navy, Home Depot and several others. And then in the early 2000's, the City of Elk Grove approved the South Laguna area or 95757. This area is between Highway 99 and Interstate 5 but south of Elk Grove Boulevard and includes the Elk Grove Auto Mall and the new Elk Grove Promenade Mall.
Some of the fun annual events that my family has enjoyed attending over the years in Elk Grove are below. Make sure to click on the links to learn more about each of these fun events.
May - Elk Grove Western Festival 
June - Old Town Open Air Faire
July - Old Town Open Air Faire
August - Old Town Open Air Faire
September - Old Town Open Air Faire
October - Harvest & Giant Pumpkin Festival 
Safety Faire
November - Holiday Kickoff
Dickens Faire
For current information on market statistics, our current listings, more information on living in Elk Grove, buying or selling a home in Elk Grove and virtual tours of communities within the City of Elk Grove go to http://www.allelkgrovehomes.com.
Thank you for hanging out with me for a few minutes and letting me tell you why I love the community of Elk Grove so much!
Lori Mode
Lori Mode and Bruce Durham, Keller Williams, Elk Grove
Comments(4)