"Hidden Redwood Town"
Occidental, CA, nestled in Western Sonoma County near the coast, is a tiny, hidden gem for some and a nightmare for others. The roads to get here are windy and easy to miss, but the tiny downtown stretch has some great beer and even better music.
The town feels one part hipster, one part country bumpkin, and one part old, secret money - apparently there is a gentlemen's club around here that former U.S. presidents have been a part of, though no one seems to know exactly where it is. More visible are the farm co-ops, the locally grown food, and then sense of earth-loving community in this affluent wooded town.
Perhaps the single best feature is the Friday night market, where all of the local farmers, food growers, and wineries in the area congregate to feature their latest fares. Where else can you find Indian Kebabs, fresh goat cheese, Pinot Noir and jalapeno macaroni and cheese all in the same place?
So despite the strangeness and the estranged-ness of this town, there is something rather communal about this relatively affluent hippie farming back-woods community.
