California Property For Sale

belgiumbarry said:
YES ! Wifey buy that place and a camper.... hehe, no power... at last ! :p :D
I already have a piece of SoCal land that fits that description. Keep trying Barry :p :p :p :D :D :D :p ;)
 
Here is the promised response from the Realtor:

Hello everyone:
My partner Karen Henry and I are representing Vladimir (Brad) Michel in the sale of his properties in beautiful California Valley. There are two 2.5 acre parcels are priced at $13,750 and $14,750.
You can find more information by visiting www.KarenandJim.com. You can also find out more about San Luis Obispo County land use by clicking on "Resources" and then clicking on the SLO County Government link.
Below I have posted information on the location, history, etc. of California Valley.
This is one of the last place in California to by affordable land!
If you have any questions please call Toll Free: 1.888.289.2827 and ask for Karen or Jim. We'll be happy to help.
--Jim Lemmon/The Lemmonator


California Valley, California

California Valley is an unincorporated community located in the eastern part of San Luis Obispo County, California, in the northern portion of the Carrizo Plain.


California Valley Location (all mileage is driving distances)

168.3 miles northwest of Los Angeles
69.1 miles west of Bakersfield
56.1 miles east of San Luis Obispo
55.6 miles east of Atascadero
52.5 miles southeast of Paso Robles
44.1 miles northwest of Taft



Geography
California Valley is located at approximately 35.37° North, 120.39° West. The zoned area of the valley is 24,083 acres (97 km²) and it is approximately 1,970 feet above sea level. The valley is very nearly flat, bordered to the west by mountains (part of the Los Padres National Forest) and to the east by a major earthquake fault, the San Andreas Fault (part of the Temblor Range). Immediately south of California Valley is Soda Lake, which is part of the Carrizo Plain National Monument.


Demographics
Fewer than 500 people live in California Valley. Residents are attracted to the area by its dry climate, seclusion and affordability.


History
California Valley is believed to have been visited by Native Americans passing through to the sacred site at Painted Rock, but no permanent Indian settlement existed due to a lack of easily accessible water. California Valley was originally a Spanish land grant, the El Chicote Ranch, that was used for seasonal cattle raising.

Local newspaper archives suggest that outlaws hid in California Valley from time to time up until the 1930s. The original Spanish land grant was parceled out in 1960 into over 7,200 2.5 acre (10,000 m²) sections by optimistic real estate developers. When the California State Water Project did not bring in water as expected, the lands were mostly abandoned and the developers went bankrupt. A few hundred people have built homes in this isolated area, but the mass growth once promised has been slow to materialize. In the past few years development has increased again because of the affordability of the land.

Prospective buyer's are strongly advised to visit their prospective property and view local conditions first-hand prior to investment, and to consult with San Luis Obispo County regarding zoning restrictions and other regulations.


Infrastructure
California Valley is located along California Highway 58. The community is served by a school and community center with library, open only on Wednesdays. Other than California Highway 58 and Bitterwater Road, the only access is through the Carrizo Plain up Soda Lake Road, which is a seasonal improved dirt road, or other seasonal dirt roads to the east. No buses serve the community, and there are no rail lines.

The even smaller town of Simmler is nearby along Highway 58.

Electricity is available in parts of California Valley. Telephone service is available through SBC. The local prefix is (805) 475-XXXX. There is strong analog mobile phone coverage and limited ("backscatter") GSM mobile phone coverage, as well as limited Nextel coverage.

The local zip code is 93453. Mail is delivered to drop boxes at the Community Center. Main roads (Belmont Trail, Soda Lake Road, Seven Mile Road) are paved. Others are packed dirt. Community services are provided by the California Valley Community Service District (CSD). This includes road maintenance and limited trash service. Potable water, a porta-potty and a pay phone are available at the Community Center. The address is 13084 Soda Lake Road, on the south side of Soda Lake Road, approximately 2 miles south of Highway 58, in the village of California Valley.

The local school is Carrisa Plains Elementary School, built in 1953 with about 46 students in attendance. The few high school students are bused to Atascadero, California, which had one of the last high school dormitories in California until the 1990s for their use. The nearest community college is in Taft. The nearest four year university is Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Blue "No Services" signs are posted at major intersections leading into the California Valley area. The is a general store open Tuesday through Saturday. There are no gas stations presently in the California Valley area. The nearest gasoline stations are in Taft/Maricopa, Atascadero/Santa Margarita, and on the outskirts of Paso Robles. This has led to stranded travelers on a number of occasions. Tow truck service is available but may be delayed for several hours.

Law enforcement is provided by the County Sheriff, but there is no local office or assigned unit. The California Highway Patrol infrequently patrols Highway 58. No medical services (doctors, clinics, hospitals) are available in the California Valley area. Fire and rescue services are provided by San Luis Obispo County Fire Station #42 located at the Community Center. Helicopter MEDEVAC service from the Central Coast and Bakersfield, and occasionally Vandenberg Air Force Base is available.

A private airport with a Class II-C, 2,500 ft (760 m) runway exists in California Valley and is marked on aeronautical charts.


Natural resources and climate
California Valley is an arid grassy plain. Only limited drinkable groundwater is available. Nearby Soda Lake is an alkali lake and undrinkable. "The future development of California Valley is anticipated to be limited by water availability" -- San Luis Obispo County General Plan. Alkaline soils hinder attempts at agricultural development.


Future DevelopmentThe Carrizo Plain National Monument, administered by the United States Bureau of Land Management, was established to protect elements of native history and the undeveloped ecology of the southern part of the valley.


Industry and uses
Most residents are retirees or have other outside incomes. Neighboring ranches raise cattle. Some of the empty residential-zoned lands are used for animal grazing under contract with the Community Service District. Other unusual uses in California Valley have included an Indian sweat lodge, hot air ballooning, bird-watching, and astronomy, due to clear skies and no light pollution. In particular, Highway 58 is a popular route for car and motorcycle touring enthusiasts due to very low traffic and winding roads.
 
Very thorough write up :rock:
 
Here is the latest update with the area:

Posted on Tue, Nov. 06, 2007

Near Carri zo Monument
PG&E to get solar power on the Carizzo Plain
The plant, which could be running by 2010, is expected to power 120,000 homes and create hundreds of jobs
By Julie Lynem
Read the press release about the new solar thermal power plant coming to the county
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., San Luis Obispo County’s largest private employer, is teaming up with a Bay Area firm to build a solar power plant on 640 acres near the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

The 177-megawatt plant, developed by Ausra Inc., a Palo Alto-based company that specializes in solar thermal technology, is expected to generate enough electricity to power 115,000 to 120,000 homes.

The plant also is expected to create 100 permanent, skilled jobs and more than 350 on-site jobs during construction, which is slated to begin in about 18 months.

PG&E has entered into a 20- year agreement to buy solar power from the plant, which could begin generating electricity as early as 2010, provided the project is approved by the California Energy Commission.

“We’re excited to once again partner with our customers in San Luis Obispo County on this project and also provide them with clean renewable energy,’’ said Keely Wachs, environmental communications manager with PG&E.

The plant, he said, is in line with PG&E’s goal of growing its portfolio of renewable energy resources.

California law mandates that utilities such as PG&E include 20 percent renewable energy — solar, wind or geothermal —by 2010.

With this recent agreement with Ausra, the utility, which has 553 megawatts of solar thermal power under contract, is on track to exceed that requirement.

Currently, about 43 percent of all energy produced by PG&E is natural gas. About 23 percent is from Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, which produces 2,300 megawatts or enough energy to power more than 1.7 million homes.

“Another reason we’re bullish on solar is that it correlates with our peak load demand,’’ Wachs said. “When there’s the highest energy demand during the day, that’s when solar is great.’’



John O’Donnell, executive vice president of Ausra, said the site identified for the plant, north of Highway 58, is ideal for the project.

“In developing large solar power plants, the biggest problem is not finding the sun or the land, but finding a place where you can transmit the power,’’ O’Donnell said. “And one of the real shaping things in serving PG&E is looking at the California electric grid and for places where we could put power into the grid. The Carrizo Plain is a major transmission line. That was one of the biggest drivers.’’

O’Donnell noted that the project will be built near the site of what used to be the largest photovoltaic solar electric plant in the world. The plant, which converted sunlight directly into electricity, operated for seven years before shutting down.

That plant was built on the assumption that government tax credits and soaring oil prices would make solar energy profitable.

Neither of those materialized and, in 1990, the plant was purchased by a group of investors calling themselves the Carrizo Solar Corp., which dismantled the plant.

The new plant, O’Donnell said, will not have the same problems because it uses a more durable form of technology.

Energy will be generated using fields of mirrors that will collect the sun’s rays. Those solar collectors boil water at high temperatures to power steam turbine generators.

“It was a fairly early photovoltaic solar project,’’ he said of the previous plant. “The only thing we have in common (with that plant) is the word solar.â€￾

Economic impact

While PG&E’s project is a boon for clean energy production on the Central Coast, it also means continued economic expansion for the county, say local business and government leaders.

Michael Manchak, president and chief executive officer of the Economic Vitality Corp. of San Luis Obispo County, said the project is an example of how the “county has many things working in its favor for this industry.’’

“San Luis Obispo County is at a crossroads of harnessing renewable energy on a large scale, and the region has the potential to become an example for the rest of the nation,’’ he said.

Indeed, the county has long been home to traditional solar energy companies such as San Luis Obispo-based REC Solar and Pacific Energy Co., owned by former San Luis Obispo City Councilman John Ewan.

Ryan Park, commercial sales manager for REC Solar, which installs solar panels for such commercial clients as Costco, said solar power will continue to gain momentum as consumers become more aware that the technology is cost effective and good for the environment.

“I do not believe that solar is the only solution, but it is a piece of the solution that offsets the need for expensive natural gas power plants,’’ he said. “If you look at the Central Coast, we’ve had so much growth here that the existing transmission and distribution grid is really stretched. The more solar we put in, the better off we will be.â€￾
 

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