Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento. Take a look below for 20 fascinating and interesting facts about Elk Grove, California, United States.

1. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 176,124.

2. Elk Grove has many wineries, wine cellar and vineyards.

3. 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.

4. The City of Elk Grove incorporated on July 1, 2000.

5. It is a general law city with a council/manager form of government.

6. One of Elk Grove’s most significant aspects is the Elk Grove Unified School District, which is the city’s second largest employer.

7. Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga entered the region in 1808, naming the valley “Sacramento Valley” in honor of Sacramento, the Holy Sacrament in Spanish, giving the northerly city of Sacramento its name.

8. Elk Grove was founded in 1850 as a stage stop for travelers coming from Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, when the Elk Grove Hotel and Stage Stop was opened by James Hall and the town was named after it.

9. In 1868 the Western Division of the Central Pacific Railroad came through about a mile east of Elk Grove.

10. At this new location another hotel was built to accommodate travelers and was named the Elk Grove Hotel.

11. In the following decades, Elk Grove remained a small farming community with little urban development.

12. In the late 1980s, suburban development projects began to spring up around the community, specifically in the north near Sacramento.

13. 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.

14. Such changes triggered a period of rapid growth. On July 1, 2000, Elk Grove incorporated as a city.

15. The growth peaked in 2004 and 2005, when Elk Grove was declared the fastest growing city in the US.

16. Apple Inc. manufactured its iMac line in Elk Grove as late as 2002. After many of those tasks were offshored, the facility was converted into an AppleCare call center.

17. In 2008, Elk Grove suffered heavily from the subprime mortgage crisis due to its suburban nature.

18. Elk Grove is serviced by a fared bus system called e-Tran that traverses many of the city’s main routes.

19. Cosumnes Community Services District owns and operates over 100 parks in Elk Grove, including Emerald Lakes Golf Course.

20. There are plans for SacRT to expand its light rail system two miles from Cosumnes River College to Elk Grove Boulevard, however these plans are currently in the planning phase.