In previous editions of our publication, we considered the impact that big box superstores and California Indian casinos were having on the state’s economies and landscapes. They particularly stand out on the urban fringe of towns and cities, the exurbs that offer cheap land for development, but are still within convenient distances to customers and labor pools being drawn away from more traditional businesses near the center of town.
There are many examples where these megastores and combination gambling and entertainment attractions on the fringe have left already struggling main streets empty. More recently, e-commerce shoppers have fueled the development of even larger warehouse and distribution centers (led by Amazon) in those same exurbs, with similar results. Note how many brick-and-mortar stores have been abandoned by on-line shoppers demanding quick delivery of their purchased products that come from these warehouses staffed mostly with blue-collar workers.
These developments have transformed economies within struggling communities that may be located far beyond the wealth and excitement of our major coastal cities, yet another example of how the two Californias remain powerfully evident AND connected. In our 4th edition, we examine some of these recent changes that are remaking the state’s people and landscapes.
This February 2018 article in the Atlantic, What Amazon Does to Poor Cities, takes you to specific communities in California (from the Inland Empire’s San Bernardino, Moreno Valley and high desert, to Fresno and Stockton) for a critique of how this new economy is impacting that other California.
The following images illustrate how Patterson is strategically located far out in the exurbs, where there is relatively inexpensive real estate. But it is also adjacent to vital transportation corridors that provide convenient links to the surrounding region and even into the Bay Area.
Vital Transportation Corridors. Patterson is easy to access from Interstate 5.Landscapes of Commerce. The convenient truck stop and fuel station in the background is strategically located. Commutable. Employees commute from around the region, but visitors should make reservations. Cookie Cutter Imprints. Another warehouse and distribution center is ready for the latest company. Before Hitting the Road. Familiar delivery company trucks are loaded and unloaded here. Development Momentum Builds. Numerous other companies exploit Patterson’s convenient site and situation. Another Farm Bites the Dust. Heavy equipment is a common sight as orchards and other farmlands are lost to the latest construction site. Short-term Land Uses. Since fruit tree farming requires long-term investments and commitments, farmlands waiting for developments are planted with short-term seasonal crops.Patterson Landscapes before the Developments. Do you think these orchards will be here by next year?Working Together. Your truck will be welcome around here and it won’t run out of fuel, right across the street from Amazon.Traditions Meet Growth. Patterson has a host of business and fraternal organizations.Life in the Exurbs. Housing tracks erupt and evolve into suburban-style neighborhoods near the warehouses and distribution centers.Relatively Affordable Housing around Patterson. You can buy a much larger house for a lot less money…more than an hour distant from Bay Area cities.Recent Car Landscapes. You can’t get there from here without a car rules in this landscape that could be anywhere in suburban California. Warehouses Encroach. This farmland will likely yield to new land uses seen the background. Pressures on the Farm. Each harvest could be the last on this land that may be destined for new industries and housing projects.Extensive Developments. Distribution centers with breathtaking square footage are consuming the land as Patterson sprawls below the California Aqueduct.Supporting the New Economy. Looking for e-commerce industrial spaces in all the right placesRemnants from the Old Days. A few local produce stands have survived the attack of e-commerce and the latest developments.
