Seriously, I am so ready for school to start. I literally started doing geometry (because I'm a little behind). Either I like geometry more than I realized, or that's an indicator of how terribly bored I am. Like, really bored.
Okay! Enough about that... Today I'm going to be talking about my good ole hometown (I wasn't born here, but I've lived here nearly half my life, so that counts): Norco, California. I keep on forgetting whether or not I've revealed where I live on here, but if I haven't - now you know!
Random side note: did you know there is another Norco in the United States? It's a very strange name, so I was quite surprised when I learned that. Turns out it's in Louisiana. We actually went there on one of our road trips once. Not nearly as cool as my Norco. *insert smug smile
Anyway... on to the list!
1. The space and animals
If you've ever been to Southern California, you'll probably realize the average backyard is about 6 by 15 feet, if that. One of the perks (not) of living in a huge city. Not in Norco! I'm pretty sure that your lot has to be at least one acre, by law. If it's not a law, every lot in Norco is at least an acre, I'd be willing to bet.
Now, this leaves a lot of room for animals. And we have a lot of animals in Norco. My family owns chickens and a dog, and that's pretty normal. I think at least seventy-five percent of Norconians own a dog and/or chickens. But there are some more exotic animals here. Some I've seen include: ostriches, emus, camels (once someone riding it on our "sidewalks," which are actually dirt and called horsetrails - more on that later), and buffalo. That's not including the normal animals: dogs, chickens, cats, horses, donkeys, and mules. I'm sure there are more, too.
2. The trees and greenery
If you live anywhere on the East Coast (for that matter, anywhere east of the Mississippi), when I say "green" do not envision trees and forests like you have there. First, envision a concrete jungle with no trees, plants, or any growing thing (except some really tough weeds, or perhaps the occasional windowbox from a really serious plant-lover). Then envision a place with any trees, grass or other greenery. That last place is Norco. Compared to most places in the country, it does not have many trees, but compared to the city and desert that surround us, we have a lot. I like trees and green, so that's one of the things I love about Norco.
3. The horses!
This probably should have been at the top, but I'm not really doing this in any specific order, so I guess it doesn't matter. I'm a bit of a horse freak. I think every little girl is at some point, but I think since I was at least three I have loved them. I still do. They are some of the most beautiful, majestic, amazingly cool animals God created. They're amazing.
Norco is called Horsetown, USA for good reason. Like I mentioned above, we have horsetrails, and are super horse friendly. Some of the strip malls on Sixth Street even have places for you to tie up your horses as you go shopping. It's rare that we drive anywhere and not see someone riding a horse. Unfortunately, our family does not own a horse (they're really expensive to buy and keep up), but I am lucky in that I've been able to ride quite a bit, mostly because of where we live. It's nice. :)
4. The history
Just recently, I checked out a book from the library on Norco's history, and it was fascinating. They used to grow alfalfa here, and it was once owned by one of the only female rancho owners in California, back when the Mexican rancho people owned a lot of Southern California. Citrus farming was also tried here, but it kinda flopped because of the cold air that came off the river caused a frost, which ruins citrus growth.
This guy, named Rex Clark, bought a lot of Norco back in the 20s, and he tried to use it for chicken farming, which was decently successful. But then, he hit this mineral hot spring that inspired him to build a resort. He named it the Norconian, and many famous people visited it. Some of these include Babe Ruth, Will Rogers, Amelia Earhart and Walt Disney. Pretty neat, isn't it?
5. Clark Arena... and the other one
We have two arenas now, but the second one is kinda newer, so I'm blanking on the name. And yes, I'm too lazy to go look it up. But in these arenas (mainly Clark) we have a lot of super cool events. They've had K-9 competitions, our annual Norco Fair (which is awesome) and also annual Horseweek (which is just a lot of horse related things going on). During one (or both?) of those annual events, they have lawnmower races - the kind you ride - and those are always a favorite.
Plus, the usual mutton busting (bull riding, but with kids on sheep), bull riding, barrel racing, and all that. And the Norco Cowgirls often perform. They've been in the Rose Parade a few times - so when you watch it again, keep an eye out for them. They are really good, and super fun to watch!
Anyway, that's all for now!! Thanks for reading, I'll be back next week, and have a great week!
~Anna
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