North Natomas was historically an agricultural area on the floodplains of the Sacramento River, but grew quickly starting in the mid-1990s with extensive residential development, office park, and retail construction.

[2] South Natomas developed predominantly as residential subdivisions from the 1950s to the 1980s, but in 1982, amended its community plan to permit 2.4 million square feet of new office parks along Interstate 5.

[6] Although it is being completed in phases, it is home to a water spray area for kids, grassy fields, playgrounds, ball fields, picnic areas, two dog parks (one for little and another for big dogs), asphalt and concrete paths for walking and riding, and a permanent farmers' market structure.

Jackrabbits, birds of prey, and other wildlife romp in the undeveloped fields adjacent to the developed portions.

It acquires and manages habitat land for the benefit of the 22 special status species covered under the plan.

[14] Natomas is considered, by Joel Garreau who popularized the idea, to be one of the major edge cities, i.e. suburban economic centers, in Greater Sacramento.

Students in these areas are assigned to Grant Union High School in Del Paso Heights.

With the development of Natomas in the 1990s and 2000s, it became a very popular spot for legislators to buy second residences during the real estate boom of the early twenty-first century.