My Hometown

I have written a lot here about being more effective in making great places. I truly believe in the ideas I write about and I think they are important, but ideas without action are meaningless. So I am starting a new series of posts to explore putting these ideas into action in my hometown of Placerville, California.

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I think we all have a certain fondness for our hometowns. There are so many memories and associations we have with our hometowns and we are intimately familiar with their intricacies. If we are what we build, then in many ways the hometown becomes a member of the family. It helps shape who you are and defines the culture you grow up in. Because of this familiarity, we love our hometowns but we also see their shortcomings. So, using Placerville as my subject, I am going to try and address some real world implementation of making great Places.

Before I jump into the specific topics I will be covering, I thought it would be appropriate to provide an introduction to my hometown. Placerville sits in the foothills to the east of Sacramento and has its roots in the 1849 gold rush. It was a mining town that developed along a creek with residential areas on the surrounding hills and soon became the regional center of justice as it’s long time nickname of “Hangtown” suggests. Placerville is, and has been for most of its existence, the county seat for El Dorado County which includes much of the original “Gold Country” and the pristine grandeur of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Placerville has been home to a few notable individuals, perhaps most famously as the hometown of painter Thomas Kinkade.

The Bell Tower

The Bell Tower marks the center of town and has for many years. The Placerville city website has the entire history of the Bell Tower and describes it so:

The tower has watched most of Placerville’s history pass beneath it, especially in the days when the plaza was the center of life. People met beneath its bell to share the news, discuss the weather and to watch the world go by.

Celebrations were big occasions in days gone by with bands, parades, dances, speeches and picnics, and they usually were centered on the Plaza. Pictures taken on Main Street on these special days show large crowds, and in the background, the Bell Tower, with glorious decorations of bunting, flags, and garlands. Even today, a long standing tradition of decorating the Bell Tower on the 4th of July remains.

The Bell Tower is certainly an iconic element of the Placerville cityscape and remains the heart of the city today.

Main Street

Placerville has a charming mining town Main Street. It boasts many historic businesses such as Placerville Hardware, the oldest hardware store west of the Mississippi. Anchored by the historic Bell Tower in the middle, Main Street extends east and west and is lined with many historic buildings. Although it could be considered the commercial heart of Placerville, Main Street has been somewhat accurately derided as focused on novelties and touristy trinkets. With the exception of some fine restaurants, most shops don’t have convenient hours and lack necessities. Main Street was the subject of the double edged sword of inaction. On the one hand not much has been done to enhance or develop it further than it has existed for many decades. On the other hand not much has been done to destroy the historic character either. Unfortunately, Main Street is showing some signs of tiredness and could use a targeted and sensitive infusion of vitality.

The Highways

Placerville is at the crossroads of two highways: US Highway 50 running east-west and CA State Route 49 running north-south through the foothill gold country. Highway 50 has the larger impact of the two as it puts Placerville on a major east-west route leading to the alpine play area of South Lake Tahoe to the east and ultimately San Francisco to the west. Highway 50 also has the largest impact on the form of the town as it cuts through the city just one half-block north of Main Street as a now 5 lane highway. Through some controversy at the time of construction, the highway actually includes three stop lights right in town but other than those lights and a slower speed limit there are no real changes to the design of the highway as it approaches town. Highway 49 has less impact as it is a two lane road. However it is a highly trafficked road which has a negative effect on the residential area it traverses on the north side of town.

The Courthouse

Towards the east end of Main Street sits the historic El Dorado County Courthouse. This is a stately building was built in 1913 and has been the regional center of justice ever since. It is a great source of vitality to Main Street but unfortunately the court currently plans to build a new courthouse on the outskirts of town to consolidate operations and provide additional security.

The Region

As previously mentioned, Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County - a mostly rural county of foothill communities nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The area is home to many agricultural pursuits, most notably the famous Apple Hill. Apple Hill is a regional attraction bringing thousands of visitors to the Placerville area during the fall. From late September through Christmas time, Apple Hill is the place to get any number of apple related foods and drinks, pumpkins, Christmas trees, and locally produced crafts. Further out, the region is home to many natural recreation opportunities with the vast forests, clear lakes, fast rivers, and snow covered mountain slopes providing ample reason to get outside.

So that is Placerville in a nutshell. It is most definitely a small town in a mostly rural setting but the surrounding areas have seen some significant growth. While Placerville’s official population is around 10,000 the area considered to be Placerville is much larger and includes 40,000–50,000 more people. I believe that Placerville has great potential to grow up and become the strong regional center it functionally is. I will be musing about this potential in future posts.