Rural Roots Sunday - Why Our Rural Roads Look Different
So many features we associate with Rural Elk Grove today aren’t simply remnants of the past
"…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 2025
Have you wondered why Rural Elk Grove roads often lack the curbs, gutters, sidewalks and streetlights found elsewhere in the city?
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It isn’t because the area was overlooked.
It was a deliberate planning decision.
After Elk Grove incorporated and protected the Rural Area, the community faced an important question: How should rural roads be improved without changing their character?
Standard suburban designs could gradually transform the area, even if surrounding properties remained rural.
After extensive community involvement, the City adopted its Rural Road Improvement Policy and Standards in 2007.
The standards recognized that rural roads should function differently from urban streets. They emphasized narrower roadways, open drainage, limited lighting, native landscaping and mature-tree preservation.
They also called for incremental improvements based on actual traffic, safety and roadway conditions—not automatic reconstruction to full urban standards.
So many features we associate with Rural Elk Grove today aren’t simply remnants of the past.
Some were intentionally preserved.
Open drainage, limited sidewalks, mature trees near the roadway and the overall rural appearance reflect a planning approach created specifically for this community.
