FMMP - Elk Grove area time series

Changes in this area are predominantly conversions from irrigated farming (green) to urban (red) and fallow land (yellow). Areas of low density residential use are located on the right side of the image (gray). Most of the urban increases are residential and commercial development in the City of Elk Grove, while additional land has been slowly going out of irrigated uses south of the city. Information on these changes was gathered from air photos, local comments, and field reconnaissance. Area shown is approximately 13.7 miles east-west and 9.2 miles north-south.

Sacramento County has been among the 'Top Ten Urbanizing Counties' as well as in the top ranks for net loss of irrigated land as mapped by FMMP between 1988 and 2002. Growth in Urban land has averaged over 4,000 acres per biennial map update since 1988.

A brief history of Elk Grove

The city of Elk Grove is located in Sacramento County approximately 15 miles south of the City of Sacramento. Elk Grove was founded in 1850, when James Hall built the Elk Grove Hotel and Stagestop on Upper Stockton Road. The road, which followed the route of what is now Highway 99, was one of two linking Sacramento and Stockton. The community became a center for serving the needs of gold miners as well as the growing agricultural sector.

Its rural setting and proximity to the State Capital via State Highway 99 made the community attractive to commuters in the 1980's. As the community spread west toward Interstate 5, Bay Area commuters began moving to the area. The City of Elk Grove incorporated in July 2000, and in 2004 expanded with the inclusion of Laguna West, a planned community that had been developed while under County administration.

While agriculture continues to be a part of El Grove’s economy in the form of livestock, vineyards, orchards, and row crops, housing and retail construction have increased dramatically, putting pressure on farmlands. The largest employer in the city is the Elk Grove Unified School District.

The Elk Grove Planning Department estimates that new housing is increasing at a pace of approximately 1,500 homes per year. The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) projects that Elk Grove will add over 31,000 new homes and its population will more than double to over 160,000 by the year 2022.

Division of Land Resource Protection