Benicia, California
By Michael Thurin
24 May 2009
What city do you live in? What neighborhood?
I live in Benicia, California -- a small town situated along the Carquinez Strait in the San Francisco Bay Area. In Benicia, my family and I live on the West Side of town in a neighborhood built in the early 1970's.
What are some adjectives that describe your neighborhood?
Benicia is a very comfortable and quaint town. Although close to more urban areas, such as San Francisco, Benicia remains a humble town with a tight nit community. It is visually pleasing, as it is along the water and has several historic buildings and houses.
How long have you lived there, and what brought you there?
I have lived in Benicia for all my twenty years of life. My family, however, has lived in the Benicia area since the early 1950's and has since established a role in the town's community.
What is your favorite thing about this place? Your least favorite?
My favorite thing about Benicia is its diversity and community involvement. For example, there are regular activities such as a Farmer's Market, selling local produce and goods, and every Thursday for the past seven years there have been both anti-war demonstrators and war supporters using the public sphere to express their ideas.
I cannot quite say what my least favorite thing is about Benicia -- I would not change a thing.
Do you feel that you belong there?
I absolutely feel that I belong in Benicia. The town's warm and supportive atmosphere are likely to make anyone feel at home.
What is the most common misconception about where you live?
The most common misconception about Benicia is that it is boring -- an idea manly propagated by the youth of the community. Although there is no shopping mall, movie theater, etc, there are plenty of ways for one to enjoy one's time in Benicia.
What is a special fact about your city that you have to live there to know?
Notable people such as author Jack London and sculptor Robert Arneson once lived in Benicia.
What aspect of your city do you secretly love?
I secretly love that wherever one goes, one will run into at least one person one knows. Going to the supermarket is often like going to a high school reunion.
Anything else you'd like to add?
A couple interesting facts about Benicia: it was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans and it was originally called "Francisca" and but changed to "Benicia" to distinguish itself from San Francisco.
