Finding the right residence in northern California was important to me because I wanted to live in a location where I could buy fresh and healthy foods, where I could visit farms and interact with growers. I also wanted to live in a town that values independent artisans and craftsmen, and where there was a strong sense of community. I was able to find such a community in Nevada City, California.

More and more small businesses, once common in the United States, have been replaced by faceless box stores and chain supermarkets. It seems, however, there has been a growing emphasis on organic farming systems, small free-range animal production, and locally made or grown. Nevada City has had a long-standing tradition of encouraging family farms, small businesses and weekly markets.

When I first began to visit the United States, I found certain things that I was used to in Africa, including local outdoor market and small businesses were less common in American lifestyles. I grew up in a country where most of our foods came from small family farms. We could see the production processes and buy nearly everything in local outdoor markets or by the roadside. As a result, I knew where our food came from, who grew our local vegetables, who made our dairy products and the source of our meat. (I will discuss this lifestyle in my next post).

Here in Nevada City and its adjacent towns finding markets and local stores with fresh and healthy foods has been a blessing.