leaders “ started really early on addressing ” the issues of independence and self-sufficiency , Behrmann says . The city now has roughly 178,000 residents and had more than 54,000 local jobs as of 2019 .
In a city like Elk Grove , one will not get certain things that could be on a postcard for the capital city : not the charm and history of Midtown Sacramento ’ s Victorians nor professional sports teams like the Sacramento Kings . That ’ s OK with Behrmann , though . “ You can ’ t try to be those other places ,” Behrmann says . “ You ’ re not . You have to be yourself .”
Even if Elk Grove , Roseville , Folsom or Rancho Cordova can ’ t be Sacramento , the Bay Area or Lake Tahoe , each city has offered amenities in recent years to keep more residents — and dollars — local . Elk Grove has an auto mall that rivals any car lot in Sacramento city limits , as do Roseville and Folsom . Similar to Roseville ’ s Westfield Galleria or Folsom ’ s Palladio , Elk Grove attempted a large retail attraction as well , though plans were scuttled by the
2007-09 recession . The Wilton Rancheria Tribe is now planning the $ 500 million Sky River Casino resort and casino project on the site of what ’ s been dubbed Elk Grove ’ s “ ghost mall .”
Elk Grove is also working to build a mixed-use urban core called Project Elevate on 20 acres of city-owned land . It ’ s a higher-density , multistory development that would be located along Elk Grove Boulevard “ with some really cool retail opportunities ,” Behrmann says . It represents a unique effort for the city . The most analogous project , he says , is the Ice Blocks on the R Street Corridor in Sacramento .
Where things go from here
Roseville , Folsom , Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove all appear poised for further growth . Large swaths of land in western and northern Roseville and unincorporated parts of Placer County could push the city , in time , to somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 residents .
How much each city grows depends in part on what residents and local groups tolerate . Environmental concerns recently led to a planned teaching hospital in Elk Grove for California Northstate University relocating to the former Sleep Train Arena site in Natomas . Folsom Ranch has stirred controversy over its impacts on open space .
Wild Bill ’ s Tattoo has hung on in downtown Roseville in recent years . For people like Hill , there ’ s a price for progress and for Roseville growing into a city that can better support his business . But the price has also seemingly been worth paying . Back when Hill opened his business , he was the only thing on his street open after 7 or 9 p . m ., the street starkly quiet . It ’ s safe to say that in Roseville and other formerly dormant cities around the region , those days are long past .
Graham Womack is a freelance writer based in Sacramento . His work has appeared in a variety of publications , including the San Francisco Chronicle , The Sacramento Bee , and Sacramento News & Review . On Twitter @ grahamdude .
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