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In 1962 my folks made the move from Pasadena up through the Grapevine to Central California. Ever since then, it has been my home. Not that I wouldn't like to have a flat somewhere in North Beach or a sprawling home in Beverly Hills, but that's the breaks. The truth is, to live in style in LA or SF it takes a lot of dinero. But here, along the main artery of California, Highway 99, the land of the Grapes of Wrath, you can live in style on an average wage. True it's been the butt of the jokes from the city folks, but consider a few things:

1) Economy:

For a fraction of the price of our neighbors to the north and south or along the coast, we live in style in the San Joaquin Valley. Nice large houses with swimming pools, or how about some acreage where you have room for a couple of horses?

2) Proximity:

Where is it you wish to go? the central part of the SJV, you are a little less than a three hour drive to San Francisco OR Los Angeles, two hours to the coast, and less than that to Yosemite or Sequoia National Park!

3) Diversity:

This is no joke: on one rather warm day in February a few years ago (which is rare, but not unheard of as I can attest to), one of my kids went skiing at Sierra Summit Ski Resort (exactly 100 miles from our house), one stayed home and went swimming in our pool, and the third little piggy went to the beach (about 120 miles)! Now I consider that hard to beat!

4) The Chef's Table:

The San Joaquin Valley is the #1 agricultural capitol of the world. Incredible farmer's markets sell fresh produce grown locally! Peaches, nectarines, olives, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe, plums, grapes, and so much more, are all are grown locally!

5) Cuisine

Now I have traveled extensively in the US and abroad, and have eaten at Mexican restaurants in Calgary Alberta, Seattle Washington, Greensboro North Carolina, New York City, Paris and Lyon France, and let me tell you, they just cannot get it right. But throughout this wonderful valley of Central California, they know what MEXICAN food is. From the taco wagons, the taquerias, to the finer restaurants, take your pick. And of course the signature dish of Central California is barbequed TRI-TIP. It's almost impossible to travel through any city in Central California and not find some gas station - deli barbequing tri-tip! And for any other type of food, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, Armenian, Middle Eastern, you name it, many of the immigrants that have settled in our lush valley have

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