Portions of two Pony Express routes in this area from 1860 to 1861 remain as modern El Dorado Hills roads.

El Dorado Hills was envisioned as a large-scale master-planned community that would be completely planned from its inception as a group of residential "villages".

The master plan[citation needed] emphasized open space between villages and the opportunity for outdoor recreation.

Between the late 1960s and mid-1990s, growth occurred at a moderate pace as new families relocated from Sacramento, Southern California and the Bay Area.

This growth consisted primarily of residential housing, as retail developments were limited to two shopping centers on the corners Green Valley & Francisco and El Dorado Hills Boulevard & US 50.

The original villages of El Dorado Hills include Ridgeview, Park, Saint Andrews, Crown, and Governors.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the major part of Lake Hills Estates north of Green Valley Road was reorganized into Lake Forest Village,[5] containing the neighborhoods of Waterford, The Summit,[6] Green Valley Hills, Winterhaven, Marina Woods and Windsor Point.

Additional villages that have developed subsequently include Fairchild, Sterlingshire, Highland Hills, Highland View, Bridlewood, Hills of El Dorado, Woodridge, Laurel Oaks and the master-planned community of Serrano.

The El Dorado Hills Town Center, just south of US 50, is a mixed-use project developed by The Mansour Company.

Occupying 100 acres (40 ha) of land and, at completion, one million square feet (93,000 m2) of buildings, it is the center of town and of the region.

West of Latrobe Road, the south edge of the CDP follows railroad tracks formerly used by the Southern Pacific between the cities of Folsom and Placerville.

El Dorado Hills is among the highest income communities of its size range in the nation, though this is seldom noted because of its unincorporated status.

El Dorado Hills would rank 3rd highest by median household income in a list of places with population greater than 40,000, following only Potomac, Maryland and Danville, California.

Total population within the El Dorado Hills Community Services District (CSD) was certified as 35,276 in January, 2006 by the California State Department of Finance.

The El Dorado Hills Fire Department reported a population of 42,078 in its service area at the end of 2007.