Rural Roots Sunday - Growing up in Elk Grove's Rural Area

…The Rural Area is valued in our community for its aesthetic and cultural significance, as well as the economic and educational opportunities that agriculture provides. Our commitment to maintaining the Rural Area is clear and codified in core planning documents…” Elk Grove General Plan, December 2023

Growing up in rural Elk Grove has truly been an invaluable experience. On my drives to school, I admired beautiful sunrises spilling pink and orange colors onto foggy fields and grazing farm animals as if the land itself were just waking up.  It’s a memory that sticks with me because it reminded me how time moves more gently out here. I became less consumed by the constant urgency and impending deadlines urbanization quietly trains into you.  

As a busy high school student, juggling being ASB President, a varsity athlete, staying on top of coursework, and remaining thoroughly involved, my days were loud, fast, and full.  There was always something so peaceful and grounding coming home to a quiet street with space in between the houses, welcoming neighbors, and my flock of chickens in their coop.  

I remember when my family first moved to the rural side of Elk Grove, our neighbors came over – some brought pie, others introduced themselves and reassured us they were there if we needed anything- they meant it.  

That kind of friendliness isn’t performative or transactional. It’s genuine.  

People know each other here, they stop to talk, offer advice on starting a garden, exchange fresh eggs for homegrown vegetables, and always look out for each other.  It feels like an older way of living, something much of city life has slowly lost.  That’s why developers shouldn’t come here.  This place harbors value precisely because it isn’t maximized, packed with houses, or paved over.  

The quiet, the space, the sense of belonging - those aren’t empty vessels waiting to be transformed and this lifestyle isn’t outdated.  Calling rural Elk Grove “undeveloped” misidentifies its worth.  This area preserves the history, way of living, and character of Elk Grove that modern developers seek to destroy.  

As I prepare to transfer to a local UC campus, filled with a different and busier way of life, I hope that when I return home, I am greeted by the serene landscape I grew up in - preserved by those who truly understand and value it. 

Natalie O.

Rural Area Resident