Nevada County

Winter Nevada County January 2008

Winter is finally here. I live in Cascade Shores and I’m guessing that I’ve had about two to three of snow at my house. To go to town from the Shores you have a choice of either going on Banner Quaker Hill Cross Road with a thirty one percent grade or going on Pasquale Road. Banner Quaker Hill is a nerve racking experience if it’s icy. I’ve gone up the grade only to start sliding backwards in my four wheel drive, picking up speed and finally hitting a snow bank. This turned my truck 180 degrees and headed us down the hill at a nice clip. (Didn’t hurt the truck, it’s a Chevy!) I’ve also gone downhill on the grade only to start sliding and skiing down hill with little control of where the truck actually goes.

Pasquale Road Winter 2008

Pasquale Road Winter of 2007

Pasquale Road is icy and a little narrow in some areas, but it’s a beautiful drive. The County does a great job of snow removal to make it easy to get to town. The picture above shows some of the natural beauty of our area. I enjoy our area so much because we are lucky to have the four seasons here, with a little snow, not too hot a summer and beautiful spring and fall.

By the way, real estate in Nevada County is not too bad. In 2006, 983 homes were sold in Nevada County. In 2007, 862 homes were sold. That’s 121 fewer homes, but real estate has not died. The hardest hit areas, such as Fresno and Lincoln are areas in which developers over built large tracts of homes.

In our area, we do not have that problem. We live in a very desirable County, with no excess of inventory. We have very restrictive land use ordinances limiting new growth to almost no growth at all.

On the 11th of January I’m off to Buenos Aires for a month. I was born there and have duel citizenship. Buenos Aires is known as the Paris of South America and is a beautiful city. The first week I will be in a Spanish immersion class, living with a family so that I can regain my native language. I came to the United States when I was six and quickly learned English and lost my Spanish. My mother always said I would be sorry for not keeping up on my Spanish and of course like all mothers she was right. I’ll be posting pictures of my travels, so stay tuned.

John O’Dell is a licensed civil engineer, land surveyor, general contractor and real estate broker

Hiking

Places to Enjoy Spring

Our county is green and wildflowers are springing up everywhere. Here are a few places you can go to enjoy the beauty.

  • The trails at Bridgeport, in the South Yuba River State Park. There are wildflower tours Saturdays and Sundays at 11am, but you can go there anytime.
  • Penn Valley’s Gateway Park. This is a great place to get together with friends and family with sports fields, playgrounds, picnic areas, an awesome disc golf course, and lovely little creek running through.

Driving Tours (from Grass Valley at the 49/20 intersection. Consider Dramamin or Bonine if you get carsick, these are winding roads.):

  • Take Highway 20 west to Pleasant Valley Road. Pleasant Valley Road north to Bridgeport. Get out, walk around, have a picnic, then get back in the car and continue north up the winding road to French Corral. Stop at French Corral to read the historic marker, then continue up Pleasant Valley Road to Hwy 49. Take 49 South through the canyon. Consider stopping at the South Yuba River for more hiking, or just a nice view of the river. Halfway up the south side of the canyon is the awesome Independence Trail, if you’re still up for a hike. Otherwise, continue back to Nevada City where you can get back on the Freeway.
  • Other options: Bitney Springs Road runs from just west of Grass Valley on the Rough & Ready Hwy to Pleasant Valley Rd. Whether you drive up from Pleasant Valley or down from Grass Valley this way, it shortens the loop described above, and is full of great scenery. Ready for a rough road? When you leave Bridgeport, there is a left turn onto a gravel road just a short distance up the hill—this leads to Rice’s Crossing. At the top of the hill, turn right and take the old Rice’s Crossing road up the hill. It comes out just below French Corral on Pleasant Valley Road. This is a great hike, too. Or take Mooney Flat Road west from Pleasant Valley Road (right after the Lake Wildwood Dam) down past Englebright Lake. Mooney Flat takes you right back to Hwy 20. This is a short loop.
  • Take McCourtney Road past the Fairgrounds and continue all the way down to Wolf Road. Take Wolf Road back to Hwy 49. Along the way you’ll see lots of beautiful scenery. Once you’re back at 49, you can return to Grass Valley, or continue across 49 and follow Combie Road to Magnolia Rd. Keep on Magnolia to Dog Bar. A left on Dog Bar will take you all the way back to Grass Valley. If you turn right, you can take Dog Bar to Placer Hills Road. A left on Placer Hills will take you up to Colfax, or a right will take you down towards Auburn, through Meadow Vista, to the Freeway at Clipper Gap.

Longer Drives:

  • Take Hwy 20 west to Marysville Road. Turn right and drive north. From here there a number of great routes:
    • Take Marysville Road past Collins Lake. There is a right turn to Dobbins and Oregon House that is still Marysville Road. If you miss the turn you will suddenly be on Willow Glen until that merges with LaPorte road, but that’s another story (below). Consider making an appointment to tour the Renaissance Winery before you head this way. It is out Rice Crossing Road east of Oregon House, and worth a visit for its great wine and beautiful gardens. (Yes, this is the same Rice Crossing Road we mentioned above, but NO you can’t get there from here. There’s private property, and a missing bridge across the Yuba.) Continue northeast on Marysville Road past Bullards Bar Reservoir (a great place for boating, camping, picnicing and mountain biking). Continue up Marysville Road to Hwy 49. Turn right (south) and return to Nevada City by way of North San Juan. (Also consider taking Moonshine Road just east of Bullards Bar. It will return you to Hwy 49 at the middle fork of the Yuba River. There’s a little picnic area and a covered bridge just across 49 from this intersection, too.)
    • After Browns Valley there is a left turn onto Loma Rica Road (Don’t take Fruitland Rd, which has a sign saying ‘Loma Rica’, wait until you see Loma Rica Road—actually, Fruitland Rd is pretty too, but I’m taking you through Bangor). Follow Loma Rica Road to Los Verjeles Rd and turn right. Follow Los Verjeles to Bangor and continue west on the Oroville-Bangor Hwy to Miners Ranch Road. Turn right on Miners Ranch and follow it to Hwy 162.

From here, there are two great options:

  • Turn right and go east to Forbestown Rd and follow that to old Forbestown. From Forbestown take the Challenge Cutoff to Brownsville (NOT Browns Valley). From Brownsville you can return via Willow Glenn Road to Marysville Road to Hwy 20 and return to Grass Valley.
  • Visit the famous Table Mountain wildflowers: turn left and drive toward Oroville on the Olive Hwy (162). Instead of turning when 162 does, continue on across the river on Washington Avenue. When you cross Montgomery, you’ll be on Table Mountain Blvd. Look for a right turn called Cherokee Rd. Follow Cherokee Rd. This will take you up over Table Mountain. From here you can either return, or continue via Derrick Rd. to historic Oregon City to see the little covered bridge and historic marker. There are two possible routes to follow from here: either return to Cherokee Rd, which will take you to Hwy 70 near Pence, if you turn right, or a left will take you back to Oroville the way you came. You can return to Grass Valley by taking 70 south (left) back to Marysville and pick up Hwy 20 there. You can also continue through Oregon City and loop back on Oregon Gulch Rd. to Cherokee and then return the way you came through Oroville or take 162 West to Hwy 70, and back by way of Marysville.

Take a map, some snacks, a camera, and an open mind. With the maps, trace your route and pick out alternatives to visit later. I’ve driven all these routes many times over the years, and I always find something new and wonderful by taking wrong turns (intentionally or not).

This post by Richard Webster

Real Estate

Residential Sales In Nevada County July 2007

Residential sales in Western Nevada County in July 2007 vs. July 2006 fell about 6 percent. In July 2006, 98 homes were sold at an average sale price of $479,969, which was at 96.96 percent of the asking list price of $495,078.

In July 2007, 92 homes were sold at an average sale price of $406,267 which was at 96.37 percent of the asking list price of $421,556. Sales have not really dropped very much, but the average sales price dropped $73,702.

Of course one month does not reflect the true market conditions. Lawrence Yun, NAR senior economist, said “he isn’t looking for any notable changes in sales activity. A modest upturn is projected for existing-home sales toward the end of the year, with broader improvement to include the new-home market by the middle of 2008.”

With increased population growth in California, demand for housing is not going away. New construction has dropped considerably, land is scarce and interest rates are still low. Buyers will have to come into the market place sooner then later. Various reports that I have read expect a yo-yo effect, with nation wide prices dropping 2.3 percent and then rising 2.3 percent next year. Interest rates are expected to be 6.7 percent at the end of the year and ease off to 6.5 percent the beginning of next year. (Source, National Association of Realtors® NAR)

Real Estate

Newspapers Lose Battle for Real Estate Ads

Real estate advertising will become less prevalent in newspapers as it shifts to the Web, where online home buyers are actively searching for properties, analysts say.

Currently about 15 to 20 percent of real estate advertising is online, but Mike Simonton, media industry analyst for Fitch Ratings credit analysis service, says it is poised to go higher for a number of reasons.

Suzy Antal, director of marketing for Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, a unit of Prudential Financial Inc., said many Prudential practitioners have been pulling back on advertising during the current downturn, but as they return, they’re shifting ad budgets to their own Web sites, creating blogs, and taking different approaches beyond newspapers.

“Is newspaper a high priority? No,” Antal says. “I don’t believe my buyers and sellers are going to be in that market.”

Tim Fagan, president the real estate portion of Classified Ventures, which manages website for 125 newspapers, says it plans to “significantly increase’ its investment in Homescape, a real estate-related Web site that provides home listings, but he declined to provide specific numbers.

It’s wrong to assume that online advertising is cheaper than buying space in the paper, says Blanche Evans, editor of Realty Times, a online real estate news service. After all, online users expect extensive color photographs, lengthy descriptions, and even video tours —and all of those features can add up for a real estate practitioner.

Environment

Malcom Gladwell on the SUV Phenomenon

Malcom Gladwell is one of the funnier and more interesting writers of our time. His book “The Tipping Point” is one of my favorites. His recent article from the New Yorker, “Big and Bad” is a fascinating look at the history and marketing of SUVs, why people like them, and what the auto manufacturers have learned about how to make and sell them, to satisfy our craving for them.

When John wrote the article below, Gas Prices Too High? it brought home that, in a roomy and comfortable Prius, a 3,500 mile drive he took on his recent vacation cost him all of $249 in gas (at an average $3.35 gallon).

In an area where many people (my wife included) commute to Roseville or Sacramento, or beyond to get those perpetually necessary paychecks, the result is quite a financial squeeze if you don’t own efficient vehicles. What’s the point of getting a higher paycheck if it is eaten up by the commute to work?

There are plenty of reasons for big powerful vehicles. Towing and hauling is a real requirement for many people. But you should really read Gladwell’s article to see why people REALLY buy SUVs.

It’s a hoot. 

This article posted by Richard Webster

History

Coming to Nevada County

On a rainy night in October, 1968, my family moved to Nevada City from Quincy, CA. My sisters, with me following, explored the old Victorian house in darkness, with lightening striking outside the windows. We opened what we thought was a closet, to find a narrow dark staircase curving up to the second floor. My sister Betsy began making up stories about a murder that had taken place in the back bedroom, just to spook us.

I had started Kindergarten in Quincy, and would continue it in Nevada City. At that time, the classes were in the building between Main and Winter St., just behind the Courthouse. Two of my sisters were in elementary school just up the street, and one was going to Seven Hills School which was on Zion Street, at the time.

Naturally, my memory of that time is mostly visual. I knew nothing of Nevada City and its environs. My experience extended in a triangular area between our first house on Nevada Street (rented) at one point, the Kindergarten yard at another point, and my parent’s print shop on Commercial Street, as the third point. Frankly my memories are not properly sequential, but I remember crossing the freeway at Washington St. I also remember climbing the wall across from the church, and sometimes going up the incredibly (still!) steep Court Street that connects Coyote to Main north of Washington. That winter, ice covered it, and we were nearly late for school trying to get up it. We could have gone around, but it was too much fun!

Through stories told by my parents I learned that Nevada City’s downtown was about half-occupied when we came in 1968. There were several bars, and not much else. I remember Scotch Broom and Grimblefinger Book store (this might have come later) across the street from my parent’s print shop, which was in the building where Mecca is now. It was called DeCrepit Press… With my father’s peculiar sense of humor he had created a “backstory” of the founder being one Lucius Van Der Lewellyn DeCrepit. I remember exploring the space on Commercial St. with it’s brick walls and iron shutters, and mysterious basement with a creek running through it!

As I grew up in Nevada City, I saw many changes. The preservation movement, which turned Nevada City from a run-down, past-its-prime, down-at-the-heels logging town with people longing for the good old days of mining prosperity, to being a historical tourist draw with art and culture aplenty. The burying of the phone and electricity lines and the installation of gaslights and the restoration of the Theatre and Ott’s Assay Office building that created all the momentum… the burst of population growth that followed in the late ‘70’s… There are certainly things I miss, but overall, Nevada City continues to be a truly great place.

I’m hoping a few people who read this will come up with their own memories to share. I’ve got a few more, as well: The first Malakoff homecoming celebrations after the state park was established, the burning of the Torino and the old Carriage house, the Nevada City Independent, and much more.

This post by Richard Webster

Weather

Fun Weather!

Thursday started off in Grass Valley and Nevada City with a beautiful Hollywood-set snowstorm. I

Raining before it snowed
Raining before it snowed

Of course, as with most snowstorms around here, the next day dawned with a small amount of snow remaining in town, soon to be washed away by further rain.

It’s always a bit amusing to watch people drive in the snow.

I came into Grass Valley in the morning, driving in from Penn Valley. It was snowing but no snow was sticking, and people were driving fairly normally. I went to Flour Garden and read the paper, enjoying the frisson of excitement as people discussed the storm, over coffee. There was talk of sledding and snowmen.

As usually happens, those without 4wd get a little nervous about getting home. And then people take to the road, afraid to get snowed in. The drive from the Brunswick basin towards Grass Valley was slow, and careful. Sensibly, most people stayed in the slow lane, following in each others’ tracks. The funny thing was, once in Grass Valley, while the snow was still falling apace, the roads were merely wet, yet people kept chugging along at about 30 mph.

The biggest problem in traffic on a freeway under normal conditions is not so much speed as difference between the speed of adjacent cars. The other problem is people doing things which are unusual and unpredictable. Once the snow starts falling, these problems are exaggerated. Some people drive extremely slow and others drive aggressively (typically inexperienced drivers with 4wd). The best policy is caution, and to accommodate those who are intimidated and avoid those who are not. Yet, I had to laugh, when halfway to Penn Valley, as the snow turned to rain, that many cars were still crawling along at about 40mph.

I took a side trip to Raley’s where I took the little video, above.

Just a few hundred feet above Grass Valley and Nevada City the snow was deeper, colder and more slippery. This morning the trees of Banner Mountain and Harmony Ridge were still dusted with white, while the downtown areas were thinly covered with a couple of inches of snow. Little enough snow remained that the daffodil sprouts along the offramps were poking through, promising warmer days ahead.

Post by Richard Webster