Roseville, California: Nostalgic Power

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It’s an early Tuesday evening in Roseville. As the sun slides below a backdrop of telephone poles and chugging freight trains that whistle in the wind, Vernon Street comes to life. Diverse crowds check out classic cars as the sounds of rock, reggae and bluegrass mingle with the smells of hot links, tri-tip sandwiches and garlic fries.
    “It’s for nostalgia,” says Joel Davis, 59, who moved from San Jose four years ago and sat with his wife beside their 1957 Chevy Bel Air. “It takes us back to the good ol’ days.”
    Downtown Tuesday Nights is a summer tradition about 10 years old, but more than that, it reflects the old-fashioned flavor of Roseville. Residents have stayed for years for the small-town feel of the city, where neighbors know each other by name and everything is nearby.
    Sixteen miles north of Sacramento in Placer County, Roseville covers about 30.5 square miles and hugs the base of the Sierra Nevada foothills. It lures residents from large cities and foreign lands, and many remain here for decades. Born in Mexico City, Francisca Becerra moved to Roseville in 1963 with her father, who used to work for the railroad company. Even now, she has no plans to leave because she is comfortable here.
    “In my neighborhood, we kind of watch out for each other,” says Becerra, 55, a banker. “I still feel safe leaving my door open.”
    In the mid-1800s, miners came to the area’s rolling hills and grasslands, searching for gold. At the turn of the century, Roseville grew as a major railroad center in the West when repair facilities and switching yards were relocated from Rocklin. Suddenly, the rural village evolved into a bustling town of thousands.
    It’s been booming ever since.
    Today, about 106,300 people live in Roseville, which has expanded on all sides. For the last 20 years, city officials have worked to redevelop the downtown core and revitalize historic areas. Hundreds of public and private projects are in the works, including retail stores, libraries, hotels and parks. People come for work (Hewlett-Packard, Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Roseville Medical Center are the top three employers) and stay for the shops. Westfield Galleria at Roseville is in the middle of a $240 million expansion project, which will bring in 100 new stores and restaurants such as Apple Store and the Cheesecake Factory.
    “It’s been on a track that no one thought would happen,” says Stephanie Ringey, the mall’s marketing director. “We have the explosive growth in the residential area but also the desire for additional retail. That’s what we’re going to build.”
    But as more and more people migrate north from the Capital City and surrounding areas, longtime residents say that Roseville has lost some of its appeal. “When I came here, it was a small town,” says Ed Betancourt, 65, a retired truck driver and a resident since 1982. “I know all of my older neighbors, but the newer ones, they don’t want to associate. They open the garage door, go in and close it.”
  RUSSELL NICHOLS

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