How was California in the past? (San Diego, San Gabriel: rent, home builder, school)

[recycled]

If you want to know what California was like in the 60s, as in the 1860s, a must read book is Up and Down California in 1860-1864. The author was William Brewer. He was the assistant state geologist who worked for the first State Geologist of California, Josiah Whitney (who Mt Whitney is named for). This is a first person account by a guy that traveled over 15,000 miles around CA mostly on foot, horseback or mule for the better part of 4 years. His job was to make maps and make a record of geographical features of the state (a lot to do with mining). While he was at it, his writings became an incredible account of daily life though out the state in it's early years as part of the USA.

I've lived in CA much (not all) of my 55 years, and have been to most places in the state. That's why the book by Brewer was so interesting - I could imagine myself walking down the same streets of places that Brewer was describing from the 1860s. My great grandparents moved from Nebraska to Tustin in the early 1890s. My grandfather graduated from Santa Ana high school, class of 1904. I think there were about 20 other graduates that year. My parents grew up in Burbank and moved to San Francisco right after WW2. I grew up in San Francisco in the 1950s, 60s, early 70s. And now I'm in Orange County, less than 15 miles from where my great grandparents had an orange grove in Tustin a century ago. Some things change, and other things end up back where they started from.

[MIKEETC]

Reading these stories is really blowing me away. It seems as if California back in the day was a completely different place. Very interesting...thanks!

~Mike (born in '71)

[AlwaysLooking]

My great grandparents brought their families to CA (not Cali ) in the late 1800's and settled in Santa Clara County. San Jose and Santa Clara were the only cities for a time and the surrounding areas were all agricultural and orchards. The 2 cities melded together as their neighborhoods grew along El Camino Real/Alameda/Santa Clara St. up into the east foothills of Alum Rock. And the mass transit was horse drawn trolleys Because of the Depression it wasn't unusual to have your grandparents living with you, or just down the block. Those of us whose family ancestry goes back to the 30's might remember stories about the notorious Hart kidnapping/murder in 1933. The lynching of the kidnappers in St. James park in downtown San Jose made global headlines.
Before the boon of aerospace/high tech turned Santa Clara Valley into the asphalt jungle of Silicon Valley, you could have driven through miles and miles of fruit orchards. In the 30's-40's going to the beach from San Jose was a train ride away because the current Highway 17 didn't exist. Part of the train trestle and track was visible for years just below Lexington Reservoir coming out of Los Gatos.

I was born in the 50's and as someone already said, we knew every family on the block. Finding your child was as easy as looking for the pile of bikes and kid debris in a neighbor's driveway. We occupied ourselves outside all day! In the summer 'Hide-and-seek' started at dusk at the light pole in the middle of the block--and a dozen kids could be there every night.
Does anyone else remember the red Cable Car Ice cream trucks?? Or the photographers who came through the neighborhoods with a pony for pictures??
My father's office was in San Francisco when I was young; he took the train everyday. I can still remember how fun I thought it was waiting on the platform for his train with my brother at the end of the day. Btw, men still wore hats as part of their attire, and women wore hats and gloves, and furs!! I was a tomboy and was forever tearing something I had to endure wearing ! My mom often took us to The City to Golden Gate Park. Does anyone else remember Flieshackers Pool? I only went in it once because it was so cold but it was awesome to look at.
Other trivia..
* During WWII all houses along the coast had to have blackout curtains on their windows.
* The town of Los Altos got it's start as an 'escape the fog of SF' summer cottage community.
* Interstate 280 as it is now, didn't exist before 1970 and "Traffic" wasn't a news segment.
* Before '3Com/PacBell/whatever it's called now Park' was built , freezing our butts off in Candlestick and damn near drowning in the parking lot after a downpour was a right of passage .
* Growing up in the Bay Area was great

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by mono#9

nmnita--my husband grew up in Alhambra--went to Alhambra High. The San Gabriel Drive In was our favorite date place!

Muir was a great school back then--when we first moved to Altadena, my parents were warned not to have me go there--they said there were knife fights in the parking lot, etc. But I went anyway and never did see one. My senior year was the last year the La Canada kids went to Muir--after that they had their own high school.

Do you remember Bucky's on Valley? We used to have breakfast there a lot. The Hat? The Cabin Inn for steak sandwiches? How about Angelo's Pizza on Valley? We went there for pizza the night after our wedding--because we were leaving for Washington DC the next morning and knew we might never come back.

I certainly remember Bucky's. The rest I don't remember but speaking of Alhambra. When I was a kid I went to YMCA camp every summer. Because we didn't have a YMCA or YWCA in Eagle Rock, I went to the one that was for the kids in Alhambra..It was in the San Bernardino mountains. As a teen (mid 50s) I was a councilor for 2 summers...Lots of memories..

Nita

[bluewatergirl888]

This makes me nostalgic for the California of the past, and I have never been a resident, nor was I alive during that time. If California was still this way, I would be there in a heart beat. It's too bad that it has become overcrowded and out of reach for most. I would have loved to have seen all of the fruit trees and beautiful unspoiled landscapes. I suppose it still exists in some respects in central CA, too bad I can't make a living there.

Thanks for sharing your stories.

[iPwn]

the state was much less densely populated that's for sure.

[_Charles_]

California Population

1950 11,000,000

1970 20,000,000

1990 30,000,000

2010 38,000,000*

There's your change - says it all really.

[4beanie]

I was born in the 50's in Ca. I remember growing up in Garden Grove. The elementary, middle and high school were all within walking distance. The neighbors all new each other. If someone was pouring a patio or building something everyone showed up and it ended up being a party. Us kids would play kick the can in the circle and in the summer sit on the split rail fence and watch the fireworks at Disneyland. Our parents would be inside and there was no worry about anything happening to us. My folks house cost 13,000. The moms did not work. We would go miles from our house selling Girl Scout Cookies. No worries. Everyone eventually moved away including us. Yes it was a simpler time that I wish my grandchildren could have. Oh and we used to go to Balboa island just for one of those frozen bananas. Thanks for the memories

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by 4beanie

I was born in the 50's in Ca. I remember growing up in Garden Grove. The elementary, middle and high school were all within walking distance. The neighbors all new each other. If someone was pouring a patio or building something everyone showed up and it ended up being a party. Us kids would play kick the can in the circle and in the summer sit on the split rail fence and watch the fireworks at Disneyland. Our parents would be inside and there was no worry about anything happening to us. My folks house cost 13,000. The moms did not work. We would go miles from our house selling Girl Scout Cookies. No worries. Everyone eventually moved away including us. Yes it was a simpler time that I wish my grandchildren could have. Oh and we used to go to Balboa island just for one of those frozen bananas. Thanks for the memories

great post, it pretty much explains Los Angeles before and after..

Nita

[majoun]

Originally Posted by _Charles_

California Population

1950 11,000,000

1970 20,000,000

1990 30,000,000

2010 38,000,000*

There's your change - says it all really.

From the reading I've done about the state's history, the big infrastructure projects and planning for the state's future done under Governors Warren and Knight (GOP) and Pat Brown (Dem) envisioned a maximum population of 25 million. That says a great deal about why California started to decline in the late '70s - it started to contain too many people (though that is hardly the only cause) In a way California was a victim of its own success.