Lawyer of CA

Pacifica (CA) (Images of America)

Description

Predominantly built as a bedroom community for the San Francisco Bay Area, Pacifica's rich and diverse heritage stretches back to the Spanish explorers of the 17th century. Captured here in over 200 vintage images is a tribute to this coastal community and the settlers and pioneers who made it what it is today. From the early 1900s story of the Ocean Shore Railroad to the recent battles over the California red-legged frog, Pacifica has often been shaped by outside forces. Like few other cities, it is primarily the result of a mixture of people and location; blue-collar families from the 1950s discovered Pacifica's oceanside charm, and helped create it. In the 21st century, the wealthy from the Peninsula and Silicon Valley are rediscovering the same charms, choosing Pacifica over the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Bay Area. This book of photographs, culled from the collection of the Pacifica Historical Society, the files of the Pacifica Tribune, and contributions of local residents, offers a glimpse of the history of one of California's best kept secrets.

Reviews

Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-02-14
Summary: "coulda shoulda been better"

This is a frustrating book. It is both good and bad. The Images of America series of books are of course widespread and cover a variety of cities and pieces of America. They rely on local sources for their creation and supply of the images and stories within. Having grown up in Pacifica (as one of the early residents of Linda Mar in early 1954) I knew much of the history of the area and the creation of the city in the late 50's. Some of the photos in the book such as the old "Ben's Trading Post" from Rockaway Beach are priceless. Also, the little houses that served as classrooms (where I went to first grade) as the school was being built.

However, given the limited amount of space that each of these books affords, there really is no place for throwaway photos that are probably of interest to exactly two people, and there are a number of these. There are also a few repetitive photos on topics. Not that the extra photos are without interest, but there are plenty of things that could have been included that were not. The book seems to have relied on just a small number of sources for the photos and stories, rather than casting a wider net and obtaining some good photos of moments in Pacifica's history. Whole chunks of the development are left out. It is a very north-centric book. No mention of the Shamrock ranch in Pedro Valley, Sun Valley Dairy, nor even an actual picture of Linda Mar Shopping Center - the Purity Supermarket, W.T. Grant, the early Ross store when there was only one or two in existence, the Variety Store and especially the pharmacy and other early businesses that began there around 1953-1955. But, there are lots of photos of the long gone Sharp Park shopping strip however. And the Little Brown Church. North-centric. Also no photos of the big striped bass runs of the 60's with all the fisherman in the surf along Sharp Park Beach and elsewhere.

It would also have been nice to have more examples of the various types of houses in the housing developments that grew up.

I was also bothered by the rather poor quality of some of the pictures considering what should have been available. Also some of the captions seem to have been taken word for word out of a newspaper and read very oddly out of context when it describes an event in the present tense rather than the past, as one example.

That said, there are priceless photos within this little book and a few (too few) tidbits of information and stories behind the photos that make the book enjoyable. It just coulda, shoulda been better ....

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2004-11-09
Summary: "Follows the 1900s development of the town as no other"

California residents and many a visitor to the Bay Area only know Pacifica as a suburban coastal town - but this history follows the 1900s development of the town as no other, from its early days as a railroad town to its current suburban community standing. Bill Drake owned the Pacifica Tribune from 1959 until 1989, Chris Hunter is its current editor, and members of the Pacifica Historical Society contribute the vintage photos so much a part of a history and survey which is lively from the beginning. Tourists visiting the town will relish Pacifica's colorful history.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2002-12-31
Summary: "Great Gift"

Great gift idea for anyone who grew up in Pacifica. I gave a copy to my uncle and it reminded him of his own history in Pacifica. Sometimes you don't know what to buy for older relatives and this book was quite a hit at Christmas!

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2002-12-10
Summary: "Local loves book"

Thank you Bill and Chris for sharing some history and some great pictures of Pacifica. It is great to see old faces and memories of some great times. It's also nice to see what Pacifica looked like in the early days.
Waiting for volume 2 ???