A TRIBUTE TO
NORTH SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CA
Templeton, Atascadero, and Paso Robles

Its scenery, its lifestyle, its history, its businesses

My Personal Tribute to the County I Love
by Barbara Radisavljevic

In 1993, I had the good fortune to move to Templeton, California. Until we bought our land here in 1991, Templeton, Atascadero, and Paso Robles were only places I'd passed through on the freeway,  names without faces. Now the names have faces, each community its own special personality. I have dealt with local merchants, served local people in my business, and depended upon other businesses in the community to meet my needs.

What I like best about the north county is its lifestyle. When I shop for food,
I usually see someone I know. That is especially true at the Farmer's Markets in
Templeton (City Park on Saturday mornings, 9:30 - noon. )

When I walk into my favorite bank (Santa Lucia in Paso Robles), people greet me by name before I get to the window and sometimes recognize my voice on the phone. We are a community here. People are friendly and local merchants and business people are helpful or they don't last long.  Word spreads fast in a community.

My lifestyle can be informal. Except for church on Sunday, I don't even need a dress. I can work, eat out, and play in jeans, if I want to. (Except when I decide to work in a public place with people who are more comfortable if I dress more professionally.) If I'm bored, I can take a walk near my home and see breath-taking scenery. The weather is usually mild, though when it rains, it really rains. And on those few days during the summer when it's hot, it's really hot. But then one can head to the Lake Park in Atascadero, or even go shopping, to cool off. And the beaches in Cambria are only a half hour away. So is a cooler San Luis Obispo, where there are also many attractions.

I love the people here. Most I have met are friendly, helpful, and concerned about their neighbors. I have a church that is like an extended family.  There is community spirit, especially evident in activities such as Pioneer Day,  in October,  or The Vine Street Showcase, before Christmas, in Paso Robles. People come together for many events in Pioneer Park in Paso Robles. The Fourth of July is a big event in Templeton, where fireworks are still legal in some parts of the city.

If you've never been here, I invite you to come. Plan to relax and explore. Within an hour's drive we have beaches, lakes, Hearst Castle, great campgrounds, and much more. It's only minutes to taste local wines at our wineries, try produce, delicious baked goods and apple cider at Cider Creek Apple Farm, and talk to local craftsmen and farmers at our various local Farmers' Markets -- there are four a week within 15 minutes of my home in Templeton.  Feed the ducks, walk around the lake,   or  just relax at Atascadero Lake Park. Or visit the zoo next door to it.   Check out the fresh herbs and many gift items at Sycamore Farms down the highway    a mile from me, while your children enjoy the animals they will see there.

I invite other residents of or visitors to Templeton, Atascadero, and Paso Robles to share their own tributes on this page.    Send them to me by e-mail and we will post them.
Or, if you have favorite original scenic photos of spots in the North County, send them to me  as .gif or .jpeg e-mail attachments with a note about them
and your name so we can give you appropriate credit.