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How other places deal with their "Invisibility" problem

One of our posts earlier this month pointed out that Arden Arcade is a Nowhere Man according to the Sacramento County Voter Information Guide. In that publication, our community of nearly 100,000 people is just another part of the City of Sacramento, even though as one of many unincorporated areas within the County we are NOT part of the City of Sacramento, and despite many of the OTHER unincorporated areas being specifically identified for their voters’ information.

It’s kind of like the freeway off-ramp signs that tell you how to get to Carmichael without informing motorists that driving to Carmichael requires driving through Arden Arcade. Sure, as locals that might not be a big deal for most of us, but what about deliveries, visitors and holiday-season guests? What’s wrong with actually identifying our community? Unincorporated Castro Valley got Caltrans to put up signs identifying Castro Valley and they got Alameda County to include their community in the county’s “Community Identifier” art program. Unincorporated Salida, in Stanislaus County, has 3 identity signs around its perimeter that were put up after the Chamber of Commerce bugged the County Public Works Department. More recently, unincorporated Ashland and unincorporated Cherryland, both in Alameda County, ALSO got signs from Caltrans. Will our community ever be so blessed?

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This is Cherryland’s new sign. They got it by talking with their state Assembly Member, who then relayed and connected them with Caltrans. Ashland has signs, too. Theirs are posted on Interstate 238, the connecting freeway that links I-580 with I-880 in the East Bay.
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