Aromas a rare land that touches down in three counties
I live in Aromas, which most people have never heard of. It is a
unique place
– one of the few communities anywhere that is situated in
several different counties.
Aromas a rare land that touches down in three counties
I live in Aromas, which most people have never heard of. It is a unique place – one of the few communities anywhere that is situated in several different counties.
There are a few places that can claim to spill over into other counties. But how many do you know that are at the junction of three counties?
Only little Aromas.
It’s the westernmost corner of San Benito County, northernmost of Monterey County, and easternmost of Santa Cruz County. And it’s just two miles away from the edge of Santa Clara County. In other words, out in the hinterlands.
Yet, it doesn’t feel that far removed from things. Hwy. 101 is just two miles away, and once you’re on it, it’s easy to get to most other places.
A very few get to live in town and work there, either at the elementary school, the Graniterock quarry or some home business. But being a small town, there aren’t a great many employers right here.
So what has happened to Aromas over the years is that it’s become a commuter village. Some people live here and work in San Jose or the Bay Area. Some work in Monterey. Some in Santa Cruz.
And yet, when the commute is done, you get to live life in the country, and in a charming little town to boot. You can move to Aromas and have a little ranchette, a few acres for your horses and goats, and have plenty of room and privacy.
Generally, it’s peaceful and quiet. At least it is at my house, other that the odd time or two when my neighbor fires up his big motorcycle with the loud stereo system. Luckily that’s not every day.
There is a real town feeling to Aromas, with a little downtown area that includes a post office, library, water district office, two markets, the elementary school, several real estate offices and an auto repair shop.
We used to have a cafe and a deli, although those have unfortunately faded away. But we do have wonderful burritos and such at Marshall’s Market.
Most people only know Aromas by the location of the Big Red Barn on the 101. (It goes like this: “I live in Aromas. Ever heard of it?” “No.” “You know where the Big Red Barn is?” “Oh yeah.” “Then go two miles west and you’ll be in Aromas.”)
That’s why I was so surprised when recently I visited the Wikipedia site on the Internet and found that someone out there in cyberspace had taken the trouble to write something about itty bitty Aromas.
Even though Aromas is not incorporated, it is still a “census-designated place,” according to the entry. It doesn’t really count Aromas as being in Santa Cruz County, only San Benito and Monterey. And its population is split almost perfectly between those two – 1,427 on the Monterey County side and 1,370 in San Benito County.
The entry includes its geographic designation, lots of statistics on population density and racial composition, and other numbers. And there is even a picture of beautiful downtown Aromas.
One little factoid that did surprise me, a little, was the notation that Aromas is the only census-designated place in California that is split between two counties.
This reinforces my notion that Aromas is, indeed, a truly unique place. Even if no one’s ever heard of it.
