The Almond City and the Birth of Pioneer Day
Near Paso Robles, California
Before it was wine country, Paso Robles was almond country. In the early twentieth century, growers planted so many almond orchards across these hills that the town earned the nickname the Almond City, boasting what was said to be the largest concentration of almond orchards in the world. Each spring, the hillsides turned white and pink with blossoms.
The almond industry declined from the nineteen thirties as orchards struggled with growing and moisture problems, and in later decades growers pulled out their almond trees and planted wine grapes in their place. But the town never forgot its agricultural roots. In October of nineteen thirty-one, in the depths of the Great Depression, local business people created a celebration called Pioneer Day to thank the ranchers and farmers whose crops and cattle kept the town alive.
It was the idea of a minister, Reverend Charles Thackeray, who wanted to bridge the gap between town and country. Pioneer Day survives to this day, complete with a parade, antique tractors, a free bean feed, and the motto: leave your pocketbook at home. It remains a long-running community celebration on the Central Coast.
