Lovely Paso Robles (also known as El Paso de Robles), located amid rolling hills about half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, is a sleepy city that is starting to wake up, thanks to its growing reputation as the center of an up and coming wine-producing region. Originally known for its hot mineral springs and once a favorite resting stop for outlaws Jesse and Frank James, this bucolic spot is surrounded by 26,000 acres of vineyards and nearly 200 wineries, producing more than 40 varietals, everything from Cabernet Sauvignon to Zinfandel. Paso Robles (population 30,000) also sports a quaint downtown, safe neighborhoods and a quiet ambiance. The town has been growing, roughly 20% in the last 10 years, and the cost of living is 28% above the national average, thanks in part to the high quality of life enjoyed here.

Yes, California is having severe budget troubles and has been hit hard by foreclosures, but Paso Robles has weathered much of the recent economic downturn better than many other towns and the real estate market here is slowly starting to stabilize. Home prices have fallen roughly 6% in the last year, and today the median home price is approximately $315,000. Rustic not too long ago, today the city is undergoing a bit of gentrification, and residences range from restored Victorians and classic California bungalows with red tile roofs to new luxury homes popping up in the nearby hills (tract homes, though, are also finding their way here).

Paso Robles has a soothing western flavor, and with a number of events, draws tourists throughout the year. Olive festivals, Americana festivals, classic car shows, summer theater presentations in the park, farmers' markets and the fun California Mid-State Fair each July are all well-attended. The region's plentiful and eclectic wineries offer activities, from sunset wine tastings with formal string quartets to wine and gourmet cheese events with celebrity chefs, every month, attracting wine connoisseurs and their friends from around the state.

The Pacific coast is roughly 45 minutes to the west, but two lakes, Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio, are within a shorter drive and provide venues for year-round water recreation. Paso's downtown, recently renovated, is quaint and picturesque and a winner of the 2004 National Great American Main Street Award. Horse-drawn carriages add charm, and pedi-cabs are an easy way to tour the delightful restaurants, tasting rooms, shops and galleries. The city is also gaining a reputation as an equestrian center, with the National Stock Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity and the Hackamore Classic just two of several horse shows each year. With an abundance of outlying paved trails, this is also a great place for bicycle lovers. The strenuous 39-mile Vineyard Drive Loop and the gentler 21-mile Star Farms Loop are both popular rides, with picnic and wine tasting facilities found along both (no wonder they are popular). Paso Robles crime rate meets the national average.

Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, 9 miles away, is the closest hospital and is an 85-bed, full-services facility with specialties in hip and knee replacement, surgical care, stroke intervention, emergency care and radiology. It is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and has been awarded six CIGNA quality designations and two Centers of Excellence designations. Both Medicaid and Medicare patients are accepted. And residents are happy to report that Paso Robles has 244 physicians per capita (the U.S. average is 170). The closest VA hospital is in Fresno, 110 miles away.

Paso Express is the local public transit, and Amtrak serves the city.  San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, 25 miles southwest, is the closest public airport with U.S. Air and United Express making daily flights.

This is the central coast of California, and it is characterized by long, hot, dry summers (100 degrees or more during the day) and brief, sometimes cool, rainy winters with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. Autumn lingers, and spring often comes early. Summer temperature swings can be profound, as much as 50 degrees between daytime highs and overnight lows. Rainfall is only about 14 inches a year, most of it falling from October to April. Humidity dips to about 60% most afternoons, and sunshine is in abundance nearly all year long. Surrounding hills are covered in dry grassland and oak woodland, a typical California chaparral landscape. 

There is a subtle charm, but its growth has long-time residents complaining about the influx of newcomers with money and about expensive new homes covering the hillsides. Summers can be very hot, and both the water quality and the air quality are below national averages. Compared with the rest of the U.S., the town has a 1,721% greater than average chance of experiencing an earthquake and was actually struck by the San Simeon Earthquake in 2003. Damage was fairly extensive and led to the downtown being renovated (which is why it is so cute today). 

And yet, the people come, lured by the serenity and the scenery, the sunny clime and the tasty wine. California is not what it once was, but Paso Robles exudes some of that old California magic, and people here are happy to call it home.