Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
He's okay. He gave me some good advice.
Does anyone have input on if Paso Robles could get another movie theater like a Cinemark in a new shopping center? What about getting some nicer fine dining resturaunts like Johnny Carino's, Pick-Up Stix, Chipotle, etc...
I think the highlight of this thread would be that Johnny Carino's, Pick-Up Stix and Chipotle are now considered "fine dining".
There are countless cities across the country that would suit you well, why don't you pick one of them as a residence instead of trying to change the few remaining unique ones into Sprawl Chain City, USA.
You should try and find a copy of Jem Cohen's film Chain, it would do you good.
I think the highlight of this thread would be that Johnny Carino's, Pick-Up Stix and Chipotle are now considered "fine dining".
There are countless cities across the country that would suit you well, why don't you pick one of them as a residence instead of trying to change the few remaining unique ones into Sprawl Chain City, USA.
You should try and find a copy of Jem Cohen's film Chain, it would do you good.
Exactly! One of the main reasons I moved from north county to quiet little Los Osos is because of the sprawl that had started. I was sick and tired of noisy neighbors, generic shopping/restaurants and snotty teenagers and I'm only in my mid twenties!!
It's actually kind of funny.. we have a small studio attached to our house that is rented out (not by us...) and someone from Paso just moved in. We joked about how it would get noisy and unfortunately, it's much worse. Beer cans littering the driveway, friends over all night making noise, playing bass thumping music until 3am etc etc. that's the kind of people I encountered in North County, and that's why I moved.
I like my small little enclave... please don't try to change it
Dude, "the city" why did you choose to go to Cal Poly SLO? You should of went to a college in the Bay Area or LA to get a change of pace. You said you grew up in the SLO area... Why not get some perspective and see what the big cities are like, and the reason why people think SLO should stay the way it is.
Because I don't care for any place other than home, and if I go to Cal Poly SLO I have the knowledge become a planner in Paso and assist in the change of my area. Paso is growing people, and the evidence is here if you look....new Lowe's shopping center. As the economy recovers there will be more growth. Paso Robles won't get a mall or lifestyle center because there is no support, but there are things locals do support. The next big shopping center after Lowe's will bring more shopping opportunities to the middle class families in the area, and for the retirees that also like stores and cheap dining options. In fact, I am looking into an intern opportunity for a big shopping center coming to Paso. Also, people who don't like sprawl have other places to live in north county-Templeton, Shandon, Creston, Cholame, Pozo, Cambria, Cayucos, etc....
And Paso is not nearly as bad as places in south county. San Luis Obispo has a lifestyle in downtown and mall stores and restaurants in downtown and strip malls along the 101, Pismo has the outlets mall, Arroyo Grande has the Walmart and K-mart center.
I've been going through Paso Robles for 30 years. Took a trip up there a year or so ago to "audition" it as a place to permanently relocate. After spending a short weekend up there, I couldn't wait to leave. I have news for you folks: IT'S ALREADY BECOME SANTA MARIA!
Other than a quaint, old downtown, Paso has filled up with people from "someplace else" trying desperately to fit in, chain stores and restaurants, and a diluted identity that will only get worse as it sprawls out north/south/east/west. Wait until the freeway goes 6 or 8 lanes, maybe an electronic billboard flashing all day/night, maybe a mall, and then you can say you've really screwed up what was once one of the coolest towns in the country.
I've been going through Paso Robles for 30 years. Took a trip up there a year or so ago to "audition" it as a place to permanently relocate. After spending a short weekend up there, I couldn't wait to leave. I have news for you folks: IT'S ALREADY BECOME SANTA MARIA!
Other than a quaint, old downtown, Paso has filled up with people from "someplace else" trying desperately to fit in, chain stores and restaurants, and a diluted identity that will only get worse as it sprawls out north/south/east/west. Wait until the freeway goes 6 or 8 lanes, maybe an electronic billboard flashing all day/night, maybe a mall, and then you can say you've really screwed up what was once one of the coolest towns in the country.
It's not for me anymore.
I don't think Paso Robles will be like Santa Maria for at least 50 years. Paso is different from Santa Maria, Salinas, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz. Paso Robles is a white middle class town with one lower-income neighborhood in downtown known as Oak Park. There are two small time gangs, but the city is working hard to change this.
Santa Maria has an old enclosed mall, their downtown has no boutigue stores because they are all in the mall, and Santa Maria has allowed for their to be section 8 housing in the city to draw more lower-income families to take up lower-income jobs to shop at the strip malls. This also caused for latino neighborhoods with gang activity.
Santa Maria isn't as bad as people make it out to be though. Besides what I have told you they have a wonderful community college, some nicer neighborhoods near Orcutt, some nice popular chain resturaunts, and they even have a Fresh and Easy in Orcutt.
The only reason Santa Barbara, Monterey, Seaside, Goleta, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Cruz are nice is because they are college and tourist based communities so you don't see lower-income neighborhoods, you see more homeless and an upper middle class which causes their to be less strip malls or nicer strip malls.
Strip malls and big corporations like Walmart aren't bad by the way. They bring in money to middle class cities and offer places to shop for lower-income families and middle class families. People say they would shop local, but really they don't because the local stores cost more money. Society is in a global commercialization phase and people don't care to change it.
There certainly are demographic differences although a recent trip to your Walmart had me convinced that the differences aren't as dramatic as I once thought. My point didn't relate to gangs or ethnic minorities as much as the enthusiastic embrace of growth that both cities seem to have in common. Both cities seem to have a very pro-growth attitude that puzzles me. After seeing the horrors of LA and the inland empire, why a community would repeat these mistakes blows me away.
There are other cities that have made the same mistake and have transformed very stable and attractive communities into sprawling, faceless strips along freeways. St. George, Utah is the one that comes to mind most readily but a drive through Phoenix, Tucson, Henderson, NV and along the 99, 15 or the 80 corridors prove my point.
The nicer cities you mention also have enlightened land use policies which reflect the restrained growth sentiment of the populace. These cities along with others such as Davis, Morgan Hill, Buellton, 5 Cities, Livermore, and maybe Redding desire to control growth and maintain their communities as attractive and decent places to live.
I'd put Paso Robles in the center between the wild, out of control, growth at any cost (St. George, UT) and a Davis. It's obvious that Paso Robles is aware of the pitfalls of throwing open the gates but it seems like they are unwilling or at least reluctant to say no.
There certainly are demographic differences although a recent trip to your Walmart had me convinced that the differences aren't as dramatic as I once thought. My point didn't relate to gangs or ethnic minorities as much as the enthusiastic embrace of growth that both cities seem to have in common. Both cities seem to have a very pro-growth attitude that puzzles me. After seeing the horrors of LA and the inland empire, why a community would repeat these mistakes blows me away.
There are other cities that have made the same mistake and have transformed very stable and attractive communities into sprawling, faceless strips along freeways. St. George, Utah is the one that comes to mind most readily but a drive through Phoenix, Tucson, Henderson, NV and along the 99, 15 or the 80 corridors prove my point.
The nicer cities you mention also have enlightened land use policies which reflect the restrained growth sentiment of the populace. These cities along with others such as Davis, Morgan Hill, Buellton, 5 Cities, Livermore, and maybe Redding desire to control growth and maintain their communities as attractive and decent places to live.
I'd put Paso Robles in the center between the wild, out of control, growth at any cost (St. George, UT) and a Davis. It's obvious that Paso Robles is aware of the pitfalls of throwing open the gates but it seems like they are unwilling or at least reluctant to say no.
My 2 cents worth...
Yes, I am aware of the growth restraint policies and see how some communities save their character. All though, there is a lack of jobs in smaller communities. The larger cities are doing better in that category than the small towns. At least for some fields. If you are a nurse than jobs are good in small towns and big cities. As a city planner, which will be my profession, I do not think I will be staying in the Central Coast. Unless I can get a job in SLO which wants environment planners for the county.
I do agree though that Paso has sprawl and has loss some of it's character. Atascadero, SLO, and Paso have all had some sprawl along their freeways. SLO has pushed all their sprawl together though. The Madonna Plaza, SLO Promenade, new Target shopping center, and Costco center are next to each other. And I still haven't seen the Dalidio Ranch shopping center go up. So I guess it's safe to say that that land will be sold.
I'm a transplant from the east coast..I have lived in different towns on the central coast for 40 plus years I have lived in Paso Robles for the past 10 years and enjoy every day. Here is a small sample of living in Paso during the past Xmas I was checking out of my local grocery store and two of the checkers I always visit wanted to exchange Xmas hugs. We hugged each other along with greetings..up stepped a lady who was checking out behind me and ask if she too could have a hug..we hugged and she explained that she moved here from LA several months ago and at every turn she experienced examples of warm wonderful people and this experience was the best..my business takes my all over the country plus Europe and the Orient..people ask me where would I like to live..I simply say look at the address on my business card "I already live there"
I'm a transplant from the east coast..I have lived in different towns on the central coast for 40 plus years I have lived in Paso Robles for the past 10 years and enjoy every day. Here is a small sample of living in Paso during the past Xmas I was checking out of my local grocery store and two of the checkers I always visit wanted to exchange Xmas hugs. We hugged each other along with greetings..up stepped a lady who was checking out behind me and ask if she too could have a hug..we hugged and she explained that she moved here from LA several months ago and at every turn she experienced examples of warm wonderful people and this experience was the best..my business takes my all over the country plus Europe and the Orient..people ask me where would I like to live..I simply say look at the address on my business card "I already live there"
PasoBill,
It's great you feel that way. Guard your town relentlessly. Otherwise, your city council will feel the pressure of generating revenue to pay for one unneeded thing or another and let the town you love slip away. It's a pattern repeated across the country. Five inexperienced elected officials find themselves in the middle of a squeeze from city staff and from slick developer/lawyers and presto, you're beloved town is a goner.
Here are my estimates based off:
- http://library.slocog.org/PDFs/SpecialProjects/FINAL%20JULY%202006%20ERA%20POP%20&%20EMP%20FORECA ST%20REPORT.pdf (broken link)
- Bill Watkins prediction for Paso Robles being the largest city in the county around 2017.
- Reading the newspaper, and knowing that the recession is cycling out and knowing the market will be up again in 2010.
,,,,,,,,
Shandon-4,000 population
Creston-3,000 population
This one cracks me up as Creston has more people in the cemetery than alive. I understand the current population is 55.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
