Sacramento's Elmhurst, Tahoe Park and Colonial Heights

Book excerpt: The Sacramento suburbs known as Elmhurst, Tahoe Park, and Colonial Heights were once home to the California State Fair, the Sacramento County Hospital, and the Sacramento Army Depot. On May 8, 1910, the Central California Traction Company opened interurban passenger service to Colonial Heights, connecting the neighborhoods to the rest of Sacramento. These neighborhoods began to thrive after 1945 as many wartime workers remained in Sacramento and looked for affordable housing. Bounded by Highway 50, Stockton Boulevard, Fruitridge Road, and Florin-Perkins Road, the area today is a mixture of mature housing tracts, a sprawling medical campus, a converted military facility, commercial service centers, and light industrial operations. The area's recent resurgence, led by groups like the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association and numerous community leaders, has made the district a true success story.