Elk Grove's Sister City: Concepción de Ataco

Did you know Elk Grove has a sister city? Nestled in the mountains of El Salvador, the coffee-growing town of Concepción de Ataco has about one-seventh the population of Elk Grove. Ataco’s mayor, Oscar Oliverio Gómez Duarte, spent some time in Elk Grove this week to celebrate the signing of a friendship agreement between the two cities.

Gómez met Elk Grove resident Oscar O’con in the 1980s at a Salvadoran military base, where O’con was serving as a U.S. advisor and Gómez was a helicopter pilot in the Salvadoran Air Force. (Like other former military officers, neither man is thrilled about the leftist government currently in power in El Salvador.)

O’con, a longtime Rotary Club member, helped organize Elk Grovians to rebuild homes in Ataco after they were destroyed by a hurricane. Thirteen homes have been built so far, and 15 more are planned for next year, on a street that will bear the name “Via Elk Grove.”

Gómez also hopes the cities’ burgeoning friendship will help grow Ataco’s tourism industry, the area’s second-biggest moneymaker after its fragrant, rich coffee beans.

“It’s a pre-Columbian town that’s existed for 4,000 years,” Gomez told Elk Grove Patch in Spanish at a city reception Wednesday. “It's very peaceful.

"We have streets made of stone, crafts, lanterns at night. Because we’re in the mountains, the climate is cool. The Ilamatepec mountain range [where Ataco is located] is part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve.”

Asked what Elk Grove and Ataco had in common, Gómez didn't hesitate: "They're both great places with great food and great, smiling people."

Elk Grove has formed a committee to pursue sister city relationships with cities on every continent and discuss what exactly it means to be a sister city (student exchanges? community service projects?).

Ataco’s mayor returned to El Salvador Friday. In honor of his visit, here’s a comparison of the two cities:

Elk Grove

Concepción de Ataco

Population

153,000

22,000

Square Area

109 sq. km.

84 sq. km.

Elevation

45 ft.

4,500 ft.

Major Employing Industries

Health care, education, technology

Coffee, tourism

Minimum wage, retail and service workers

$8.00/hour

$6.92/day

Big recent infrastructure project

A regional mall

Bringing drinking water and electricity to rural areas

Festivals

Western Festival (May), Pumpkin Festival (October), Dickens Faire (December)

Día de la Cruz (May), Noche de Farolitos (September)

Popular Youth Sport

Soccer

Soccer