Elk Grove is located in Sacramento County, California just outside Sacramento. Elk Grove is part of the Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Roseville metropolitan area which has a population of about 2.2 million thanks to rapid growth over the last decade.

Diversity

Elk Grove has a very diverse culture with Asians accounting for the largest minority. This isn't surprising as Sacramento is one of America's most ethnically diverse cities. According to the Sacramento Bee, there's an 81% chance that two people picked randomly from Elk Grove or other urban communities in the area will be from different ethnic backgrounds.

The beginning of Elk Grove's ethnic diversity began in 1852 when the McCauleys left the South and moved to the area with 50 former slaves, the first African-Americans in the area. The construction of the railroads in the 1860s introduced a large Chinese community. Other cultures came to Elk Grove in the 1890s, including immigrants from Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Mexico, and the Philippines. One of the largest immigrant groups of the era was the Japanese who moved from other areas of California thanks to the booming wine industry.

Between the 1940s and 1990s, other groups came to the Sacramento area such as the Dutch in the 1940s, Spaniards in the 1960s, and a surge of immigrants from China, Russia, India, and Vietnam in the 1970s.

Population Growth

In 2004 and 2005, Elk Grove's population growth peaked when it became the fastest growing city in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, Elk Grove grew an astounding 155% from 59,000 to more than 153,000. While the city's growth has slowed, it remains impressive. A survey found the city has one of the country's fastest growing economies the Sacramento area is one of the fastest growing in the nation. Elk Grove is expected to hit a population of 200,000 by 2029 as the city struggles to keep up with its rapid growth by expanding safety services.

The area around Sacramento and Elk Grove was explored by a Spaniard named Gabriel Moraga in 1808 who named the valley Sacramento Valley for Sacramento, the Holy Sacrament in Spanish. In 1850, Elk Grove was founded to create a stage stop for people coming from San Francisco and Sacramento. Within twenty years, the Western Division of the Central Pacific Railroad came within one mile of Elk Grove.

Elk Grove remained a small farming town with little development for almost 100 years. It wasn't until suburban developments began in the 1980s that the community began to grow. Elk Grove rapidly grew from a population of just 3,700 in 1970 to 11,000 in 1980 and 59,000 by 2000 when it was incorporated as a city.