Some of you may not be aware that I (with a smidge of help from Alan) write a biweekly article for the local newspaper, "The Sierra Sun".  In the most recent edition I told the story of what drew my wife and I to Truckee, how the town has changed, but ultimately how it has remained "the greatest place on the face of the earth."  Following are a couple highlights of the article, as well as a link to the unedited version on the Sierra Sun site. . .

Upon returning from So. Carolina, I read several letters to the editor which included conversation over living here, feeling welcome, quality of life, etc. It is always interesting to see people’s perspectives and reasons for wanting to live in the area. 

I first became acquainted with the Truckee/Tahoe area in 1964 when I first came up here to learn to ski.  Besides spending weekends and holidays skiing in the winter, I would also come up several times each summer. Although a city boy from Oakland, I fell in love with the country.

In those days the population sign by the Donner Pass Rd. exit of east bound Interstate 80 read under 1000.  I imagine that was based on the census in 1960. The numbers have grown substantially since.

. . .

The draw to the area was the environment, the skiing, the lakes, and a slower, happier, pace of life.  Everyone knew your name, or at least your face. People worked together and played together.  Much of the population consisted of people from 25 to 50 years old.

What has stayed consistent over the years is that what you receive from living in this beautiful area is dependent upon what you seek out.  There are no welcome wagons, so to speak, or neighbors knocking down your door looking to borrow a cup of sugar.

If you wish to be a recluse, you can.  If you wish to be involved in your community, you certainly can. There are numerous clubs, organizations, non-profits, schools, youth organizations, churches, senior services, etc. looking for people who would like to get involved with them to help enhance their causes and the quality of our community.  The more involved one gets the more people you meet and friendships formed.

To read the complete article, plase click here