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Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located south of the
state capital of Sacramento. State of California population estimates place the
city's population at 130,874 as of January 1, 2006. [1]. City limit signs at the
city's entrance, however, list the population as 130,609. Due to its rapid
growth, Elk Grove has earned the title of the fastest growing city in the U.S.
Elk Grove is the second-largest city in Sacramento County. The incorporated city
boundaries are larger than the census-designated place boundaries set by the
Census in 2000.
Elk Grove was founded in 1850 as a stage stop. It is located about 15 miles
south of historic Sutter’s Fort and thus became a crossroads for business,
entertainment, mail service and agriculture, and acted as home base for gold
miners in nearby communities. After it played its part in the early gold rush
and statehood history in California, a close-knit community evolved with a
distinctly rural and western lifestyle.
Although the town developed around agriculture, it has since become a
residential suburb of Sacramento. "Old" Elk Grove is located about a mile east
of Highway 99 (formerly U.S. Highway 99, the north-south artery of the
California Central Valley). Most newer housing developments in Elk Grove lie
west of Highway 99, toward Interstate 5, the major north-south highway for the
U.S. West Coast, in an area locally called "Laguna" or "Laguna Creek".
The city currently has an "official" newspaper, The Elk Grove Citizen owned and
operated by the Herburger family company, Herburger publications, Inc. since
1959.
Elk Grove's telephone area code is 916. Its ZIP codes are:
95624
east of Highway 99
95757
west of Highway 99 and south of Elk Grove Boulevard
95758
west of Highway 99 and north of Elk Grove Boulevard
The city's ZIP codes are not necessarily continuous with city boundaries. For
example, while the 95758 ZIP code does indicate an Elk Grove address, a portion
of the ZIP code actually lies within the city of Sacramento. Residents with an
Elk Grove ZIP code living within the city of Sacramento receive Sacramento city
services, such as police and trash collection. An unusual case is a neighborhood
at the north end of Laguna Star Drive, which has an Elk Grove ZIP code but lies
within Sacramento's city limits, and is only accessible by traveling through Elk
Grove.
Education
The Elk Grove Unified School District is the 12th largest school district in
California and one of the fastest growing school districts in the nation.
Located in southern Sacramento County, the district covers 320 square miles,
one-third of the county. For the 2002-03 school year, the district will serve
more than 52,500 students and expects to reach 73,000 students by 2010. Of the
52,500 students, there are 38 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 8 high
schools and 4 alternative high schools.
More than 60 percent of the district's students are on a four-track year-round
schedule, where students attend school for three months and are then off for a
month. The district serves a diverse student population and enrolled students
speak more than 80 languages.
There are also several private schools in town, such as Elk Grove Montessori
School and several locations of Merry Hill Schools. A local community college,
Cosumnes River College, offers both vocational training and a transfer program
to four-year universities. Located nearby are California State University,
Sacramento and the University of California, Davis, as well as branches of
Golden Gate University and St. Mary's College.
Climate
Elk Grove's climate varies from low temperatures of 24 to 44 degrees Fahrenheit
to highs of 80 to 110 degrees. Average annual rainfall is 22 inches per year
falling primarily from October through April. The elevation of the city is 45
feet.
Government
The City of Elk Grove incorporated on July 1, 2000. It is a general law city and
operates on the Manager-City Council type of governance. The Mayor of Elk Grove
is James Cooper. The Mayor Pro Tempore is Michael Leary. The three other city
councilmen are Gary Davis, Patrick Hume, and Sophia Scherman. . Elk Grove is
split between the 3rd congressional district which is represented by Dan Lungren,
a Republican and the 5th Congressional District which is represented by Doris
Matsui, a Democrat. It is split between the 10th assembly district which is
represented by Alan Nakanishi, a Republican and the 15th State Assembly
Districts which is represented by Guy Houston, also a Republican. Elk Grove is
also split between the 1st Senate District which is represented by Dave Cox and
5th State Senate District which is represented by Mike Machado, a Democrat.
Geography
Elk Grove is located at 38°26'18" North, 121°22'55" West (38.438222,
-121.381925)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 39.4
km˛ (15.2 mi˛). 39.4 km˛ (15.2 mi˛) of it is land and none of it is covered by
water.
The city of Elk Grove is divided into several major areas, including Laguna
West, Laguna Creek, Elk Grove proper, and East Elk Grove. Laguna West is the
area within the city limits between Interstate 5 and the Union Pacific railroad
tracks. Laguna Creek, just east of this area, is bordered by the city boundary
to the south, Sheldon Road to the north, the Union Pacific railroad tracks to
the west, and State Highway 99 to the east. Elk Grove proper is bordered by
Highway 99 to the west, Waterman Road to the east, Calvine Road to the north,
and Grant Line Road to the south and includes old Elk Grove east of Elk
Grove-Florin Road. East Elk Grove is bordered by Calvine Road to the north,
Grant Line Road to the east and south, and Waterman Road to the west.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 59,984 people, 18,526 households, and
15,358 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,523.7/km˛
(3,947.0/mi˛). There were 18,894 housing units at an average density of
479.9/km˛ (1,243.3/mi˛). The racial makeup of the CDP was 59.12% White, 8.52%
Black or African American, 0.94% Native American, 17.59% Asian, 0.59% Pacific
Islander, 6.44% from other races, and 6.79% from two or more races. 14.00% of
the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 18,526 households out of which 49.4% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 65.0% are married couples living together, 12.6% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 17.1% were non-families. 12.9% of all
households were made up of individuals and 3.5% had someone living alone who is
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average
family size is 3.51.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 32.9% under the age of 18, 8.1%
from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there
were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,661, and the median income
for a family was $64,069. Males had a median income of $42,247 versus $33,119
for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,916. 5.2% of the
population and 3.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total
population, 6.0% of those under the age of 18 and 4.9% of those 65 and older
were living below the poverty line.
Some Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment...
When searching for a new apartment make sure to take your time to think
through what are the most important things to you in an apartment and plan your
search based on those priorities. Here are some things to consider when planning
your move:
1. Consider the areas where you would like to live
* What is the crime rate?
* If you have children - what rating does the local school system have?
* Is there area convenient shopping, health and recreation services in the area?
2. Make a list of your housing priorities
* Do you have pets?
* Do you need parking?
* Do you need to be on the ground floor?
* What amenities are important to you - swimming pool, fitness room, in unit
laundry?
3. Evaluate the building
* What is the condition of the unit and building?
* Are the grounds maintained?
* Are windows, steps, and railings in good condition?
* View the property at night. Is it safe and well lit?
4. The security of the property
* Are there security service? When is the guard on duty?
* Does the building have controlled access?
* Does each unit have secure door and window locks?
5. Talk to the neighbors
* Ask other residents whether they are satisfied with the building.
6. Amenities
* Who is allowed to use the amenities?
* When are they open?
* Are the fees charged to use those facilities included in rent?
7. Ask about Utilities
* Does the owner or tenant pay the utility bills?
* Are any utilities included with monthly rent?
* Do units have separate thermostats to control heat and air conditioning?
8. Review the lease
* How much notice must you give before moving out?
* Can the rent be increased? If so, by how much and how often?
* Are pets allowed?
* What is the security deposit and cleaning costs upon move out?
* What is the responsibility of tenants for damage to property?
* Is there a penalty for breaking a lease?
9. Information too bring to a lease signing
* Credit Report
* Pay stubs/tax returns
* Reference
* Application
More Apartment Information
An apartment (or flat in Britain and most other Commonwealth countries) is a
self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building. Apartments
may be owned (by an owner-occupier) or rented (by tenants).
Some apartment-dwellers own their apartments, either as co-ops, in which the
residents own shares of a corporation that owns the building or development; or
in condominiums, whose residents own their apartments and share ownership of the
public spaces. Most apartments are in buildings designed for the purpose, but
large older houses are sometimes divided into apartments. The word apartment
connotes a residential unit or section in a building. Apartment building owners,
lessors, or managers often use the more general word units to refer to
apartments. Units can be used to refer to rental business suites as well as
residential apartments. When there is no tenant occupying an apartment, the
lessor is said to have a vacancy. For apartment lessors, each vacancy represents
a loss of income from rent-paying tenants for the time the apartment is vacant
(i.e., unoccupied). Lessors' objectives are often to minimize the vacancy rate
for their units. The owner of the apartment typically transfers possession to
the occupant by giving him/her the key to the apartment entrance door and any
other keys need to live there, such as a common key to the building or any other
common areas, and an individual unit mailbox key. When the occupant move out,
these keys should typically be returned to the owner.
Apartments can be classified into several types. Studio, efficiency, bed-sit, or
bachelor apartments tend to be the smallest apartments with the cheapest rents
in a given area. These kinds of apartment usually consist mainly of a large room
which is the living, dining, and bedroom combined. There are usually kitchen
facilities as part of this central room, but the bathroom is its own smaller
separate room. Moving up from the efficiencies are one-bedroom apartments where
one bedroom is a separate room from the rest of the apartment. Then there are
two-bedroom, three-bedroom, etc. apartments. Small apartments often have only
one entrance/exit. Large apartments often have two entrances/exits, perhaps a
door in the front and another in the back. Depending on the building design, the
entrance/exit doors may be directly to the outside or to a common area inside,
such as a hallway. Depending on location, apartments may be available for rent
furnished with furniture or unfurnished into which a tenant usually moves in
with his/her own furniture. Permanent carpeting is often included in an
apartment.
Laundry facilities are usually kept in a separate area accessible to all the
tenants in the building. Depending on when the building was built and the design
of the building, utilities such as water, heating, and electric may be common
for all the apartments in the building or separate for each apartment and billed
separately to each tenant (however, many areas in the US have ruled it illegal
to split a water bill among all the tenants, especially if a pool is on the
premises). Outlets for connection to telephones are typically included in
apartments. Telephone service is optional and is practically always billed
separately from the rent payments. Cable television and similar amenities are
extra also. Parking space, air conditioner, and extra storage space may or may
not be included with an apartment. Rental leases often limit the maximum number
of people who can reside in each apartment. On or around the ground floor of the
apartment building, a series of mailboxes are typically kept in a location
accessible to the public and, thus, to the letter-carrier too. Every unit
typically gets its own mailbox with individual keys to it. Some very large
apartment buildings with a full-time staff may take mail from the mailman and
provide mail-sorting service. Near the mailboxes or some other location
accessible by outsiders, there may be a buzzer (equivalent to a doorbell) for
each individual unit. In smaller apartment buildings such as two- or
three-flats, or even four-flats, garbage is often disposed of in trash
containers similar to those used at houses. In larger buildings, garbage is
often collected in a common trash bin or dumpster. For cleanliness or minimizing
noise, many lessors will place restrictions on tenants regarding keeping pets in
an apartment.
In some parts of the world, the word apartment is used generally to refer to a
new purpose-built self-contained residential unit in a building, whereas the
word flat means a converted self-contained unit in an older building. An
industrial, warehouse, or commercial space converted to an apartment is commonly
called a loft.
When part of a house is converted for the ostensible use of a landlord's family
member, the unit may be known as an in-law apartment or granny flat, though
these (sometimes illegally) created units are often occupied by ordinary renters
rather than family members. In Canada these suites are commonly located in the
basements of houses and are therefore normally called basement suites.
Staying in privately owned apartments rather than in a hotel is quickly becoming
popular with travelers.