Elk Grove Neighborhoods, From Old Town to Laguna Ridge

Elk Grove neighborhoods tell the story of a stage stop that turned into one of California's larger cities in about thirty years. The town started in 1850, when James Hall opened the Elk Grove Hotel and Stage Stop on the road between Sacramento and the Bay Area. The railroad arrived in 1868, about a mile to the east, and the farm town grew up around it.

The growth that shaped today's streets came much later. The U.S. Census counted 153,015 people in Elk Grove in 2010 and 176,124 in 2020. The California Department of Finance put the population at 188,319 on January 1, 2026, a provisional figure up from 184,495 a year earlier. Elk Grove became a city on July 1, 2000, and it was the fastest-growing city in the country between mid-2004 and mid-2005.

The city covers about 42 square miles of land, according to the Census Bureau. Interstate 5 runs along its western edge and Highway 99 runs through the middle. Franklin Boulevard is the local road north toward Sacramento. Laguna West sits about 10 miles south of downtown Sacramento, and Glenbrooke on the south side of town sits about 15.

Each part of Elk Grove was planned in a different decade, and the plan still shows in the lots, the streets and the tax bill.

• Old Town Elk Grove. The original main street runs along Elk Grove Boulevard between Elk Grove-Florin Road and Waterman Road. More than 40 buildings there form a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the city. Sacramento County created a special planning area for Old Town in 1985, and the city is now updating it under a new name, Historic Main Street.
• Laguna. The Laguna Creek area was a census-designated community of 34,309 people at the 2000 Census and became part of the city when Elk Grove incorporated that year.
• Laguna West and Lakeside. Laguna West started in 1990 as an early New Urbanist plan by Calthorpe Associates, built around a private lake, and the city annexed it in 2003. Its western edge meets Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
• East Franklin and Laguna Ridge. These two planned areas west of Highway 99 filled in during the 2000s. The city adopted the Laguna Ridge Specific Plan on June 16, 2004, for about 1,900 acres south of Elk Grove Boulevard.
• Glenbrooke by Del Webb. This age-restricted community in the Laguna Ridge area has 631 single-story homes around the Arbour Lodge. See our Glenbrooke guide.
• Sheldon and the Rural Area. East of Waterman Road along Sheldon Road, the city keeps a designated Rural Area. Its General Plan land use there is Rural Residential, and some parcels are still used for grazing.

Elk Grove has held a Giant Pumpkin Festival every autumn since 1994. The Strauss Festival brings classical music and dance, and the year-round Elk Grove farmers market runs Saturday mornings at the Laguna Gateway Shopping Center on Laguna Boulevard.

Parks are run by the Cosumnes Community Services District, which counts 106 parks and 18 miles of trails. It also operates Emerald Lake Golf Course. Valley Hi Country Club on Franklin Boulevard dates to 1961.

South of town, the Cosumnes River Preserve and Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge keep the Delta's wetlands close. McConnell Estates Winery sits along Highway 99 north of the Cosumnes River, and Lodi's wine country lies farther south on 99. Sky River Casino, built by the Wilton Rancheria, opened in the city in 2022.

Every neighborhood has a median, and in Sacramento the median only tells part of the story. Lot sizes vary. Eras mix. Custom homes sit beside tract homes. So even where the median is $630,000, there are one-of-a-kind homes that sell for far more, and the street, the lot and the details move the number.

Last year, 1,313 single-family homes sold in ZIPs 95624, 95757 and 95758 (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026). The typical home was built in 2001, with 4 bedrooms and about 1,993 square feet, on a lot of about 6,299 square feet. Half of the sales landed between $560k and $720k, depending on lot size, condition, square footage and more, and the median was $630,000. In Elk Grove, 63 of those 1313 sales closed at $945k or more, and the highest reached $2.04M. Condos and townhomes aren't included. This is what happened, not what will happen. Ask us for today's numbers.

Source: MetroList, single-family homes that closed October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026. Any single-month figure elsewhere on this page is a separate, shorter snapshot.

Choosing among Elk Grove neighborhoods goes better when the street, the special tax and the loan are weighed together. If you are buying here, start with buying a home in Elk Grove. If you are selling, see selling your home in Elk Grove or ask for a home valuation in Elk Grove.

Are you comparing places nearby? See Sacramento to the north or the rest of Sacramento County. When you have a street in mind, talk with Maggie about it.