Editor’s note: This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Sacramento State’s journalism program and Messenger Publishing Group. Journalism majors used U.S. Census Bureau figures and other large datasets to report on trends occurring throughout the region.

ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Most evenings, the sidewalks around Amal Dawud’s Elk Grove home are filled with children playing late into the night, including many of her relatives.

“It looks like a hara,” Dawud said, remembering her busy neighborhood in Jordan. 

Her family’s experience reflects a broader shift, as Elk Grove becomes the place where immigrant families settle, build a community, and establish a home away from home.

Elk Grove has become one of the fastest-growing immigrant destinations in the Sacramento area. Census data from 2019 to 2023 shows that about 44,300 of the city’s residents are foreign-born, an increase of roughly 9,200, or about 26%, from a decade earlier.

Most of Elk Grove’s immigrants come from Asia, including China, Afghanistan, India, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Elk Grove leaders credit their efforts to create a growing and welcoming community for the increase. Tina Lee-Vogt, the chair of Elk Grove’s diversity and inclusion commission, said the city’s support for festivals and multicultural events such as Filipino Heritage Month and Juneteenth are what bring Elk Grove together, she said.

“We don’t have pockets,” Lee-Vogt said. “People live together and that fabric of community is what makes Elk Grove unique.”

District 1 City Councilmember Darren Suen agrees. September’s multicultural month in Elk Grove, where a series of food fairs, dance performances, and craft workshops all come together, creates a home-away-from-home experience, he said.

“When you have the demographics that are settling here and the flavors that follow, those easily attract the same demographics,” Suen said. “Promoting things like festivals and the great staff we have that execute things, it all works together.”

Housing and Schools

Some immigrants say they were drawn by the Elk Grove Unified School District, which is highly ranked for its excellent graduation rates and academic programs.

According to the California School Dashboard, 53% of Elk Grove Unified’s students were at a prepared level after graduating, while the state average was at 45%.

Amna Salameh, who immigrated to Sacramento 11 years ago, said she chose Elk Grove for its stability, something that many immigrants crave after such a big shift in lifestyle and environment.

“It’s comfortable. They have groceries nearby, good gyms, parks and really good schools,” she said. “It’s safe, and very diverse, which is great for people like me.”

Duwad said she recalled being one of the only Muslim students in her classes a decade ago.

“I would get bomb jokes behind me, people pulling my hijab. One time I got followed in a car with a gun,” she said. “Now it’s like a completely different environment. My sister is super comfortable at school, kids are actually learning and they’re ‘woke’ now.”

A Place to Stay and Restart

As more immigrants arrive in Elk Grove more businesses catering to them open. That presence, in turn, makes Elk Grove more attractive to more people looking for a new home.

“There are a lot more families here now, and even more restaurants catering to that population,” Salameh said.

As families arrive and settle, they bring others with them. With that comes new foods, new languages, diverse traditions and businesses that enrich this community.

For Lee-Vogt, these numbers show just the reality of what she lives every day.

“I grew up in the Elk Grove Unified School District, and it’s so different now,” Lee-Vogt said.  It’s much more welcoming. My daughter went to Laguna Creek High School, and she had so many different cultures and ethnicities around her. It really expanded her experience.”