A healthy respect for history and heritage, abundant recreational, leisure and outdoor activities, a strong sense of community, a free-spirited, rugged independence and authentic cowboy culture and charm are the reasons Placerville was chosen as one of the top 20 places to live in the West by American Cowboy magazine.
Joining the likes of Cave Creek, Ariz.; Bozeman, Mont.; and Bandera, Texas, Placerville is noted for its Gold Rush history in the April/May issue of American Cowboy in the first annual list of the top 20 places to plant your feet and put down roots if you are a Western enthusiast.
'When we were looking for the best places to live in the West, Placerville jumped to the top of the list,' said article author Tom Wilmes. 'There are a few remaining outposts where the true Western spirit still thrives. History is alive in Placerville and the town illustrates the core values of the cowboy life.'
Kathleen Dodge, executive director of the El Dorado/Lake Tahoe Film and Media Office was the magazine's contact for the article. 'If you're a horseman there are so many great horse trails here and then I told them about the history and the Western movies filmed here and the reenactors like Davey 'Doc' Wiser. There was just so much to share.'
Highlighted in each of the 20 selections are places for Western history buffs to visit and things for cowboys to do. Marshall Gold Discovery Historic State Park, Placerville Hardware and the 7Up Ranch Bed and Breakfast are included as places of interest in Placerville, while a photograph of the grasslands at the Grace Foundation, a horse rescue organization in Latrobe, is featured.
'It's very promising that a magazine like American Cowboy Magazine wrote about us,' said Dodge, 'and we have so much to offer that they sounded interested in doing another article.'
American Cowboy Magazine is published for devotees of the West and covers all aspects of the Western lifestyle, including entertainment, personalities, travel, rodeo action, human interest, art, poetry, fashion, food, horsemanship and history. To view the magazine, you can visit www.americancow-boy.com or www.cowboy.com.
Wendy Schultz can be reached at (530)344-5063 or wschultz@mtdemocrat.net
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