Census Data Shows Fair Oaks Changes By Staying The Same

The U.S. Census released , revealing that as much as the community has changed and evolved into a thriving suburban community, much remains unchanged in the community’s 100-year-plus history.

Fair Oaks' population is diverse, seeing sects of communities such as the Hispanic/Latino population grow by as much as 62 percent, while the African American population grew more than 49 percent all within the past decade. Fair Oaks' total population grew by more than 10 percent over the past ten years, totaling more than 30,900 people. Rounding out the largest increases in Fair Oaks' ethnic demographic was the Asian American community, increasing by more than 17 percent.

Fair Oaks Historical Society Webmaster and avid historian Jim Pearce says this trend is nothing new, and puts an underscore on one of the many elements that makes Fair Oaks a unique and diverse Sacramento community - something that will only become more prevalent as the years pass.

“Fair Oaks has always been a melting pot,” Pearce said. “It really took off in the ‘50s when Aerojet came in, but Fair Oaks had strong ethnic diversity going all the way back to when the railways and dams were being built in the area.”

According to data recorded by one of Fair Oaks’ earliest census gathered in 1910, indeed it would appear the community has a foundation built on its ethnic diversity with residents immigrating from Germany, England, and Denmark and as far as Japan.

“The diversity encouraged agricultural growth,” Pearce said.

Though that agricultural foundation would later lend itself to how Fair Oaks developed into a Sacramento suburban community consisting of farmers and wealthy retirees, Pearce says it was fair to say that foundation helped encourage a tremendous increase in cultural diversity – a quality that remains very much alive in the community today.

“The community is so different now, but it has always had a strong ethnic and cultural mix,” Pearce said.