WHAT DOES AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA HAVE TO OFFER?

I'm new to blogging, so I thought I would start out with what I know best - Amador County real estate and living!

If I told some of you that I was raised in a small town of 5300 people, your reaction would be "poor thing!" But actually, I consider myself lucky! Amador County, California is a wonderful place to live, grow a family or retire and I'll tell you why - Friendly people, great real estate prices (compared to other parts of California), low crime, room to breathe, slower paced and centrally located.

Amador County is small, gold mining county, located 36 miles southeast of Sacramento, 35 minutes from Kirkwood Ski Resort, 2 hours from San Francisco and 1 1/2 hours from Tahoe. Jackson, the county seat, is infamous for being the last town in California to shut down it's gambling and "cat house" operations; We were one of the richest counties during the gold rush days, Jackson Rancheria is a well-known destination, and many people leave with a bottle of one of famous zinfandels under their arm. A recreational sports enthusiasts mecca - Amador County has 6 lakes, Kirkwood Ski Resort, horse-riding trails, Shenandoah Wine Country, camping, hiking and fishing. Wow! Why wouldn't anyone want to live here?! Well, if you are used to road rage, malls, smog and a Starbucks on every corner (though we do have 3 now), you probably won't like it here and that's fine.

But what about real estate? How reasonable is it? Well, our median sales price has dropped like everywhere else, but we had an article about us in the Sacramento Bee saying that we dropped the least of all the areas and we are still the best deal in the area. Just get on with it, what's the median sales price! Well...... can you believe..... $275,000? No, I didn't miss a "0" somwhere and yes, Amador County is in California! We aren't what people typically think of when they think of California. We aren't near Disneyland or on the ocean; movie stars arent' prevalent; Sushi and wheatgrass are not staples. Actually, we are a very beautiful part of Northern California and we have lots of open land, mountains, lakes, cattle ranches and vineyards. Our elevations range from 700 to over 4000 feet and our topography runs from flat to mountainous. We have something for everyone, I think. As a friend of mine who lived in Southern California once asked "where is all the cement"?

We have many events coming up: Dandelion Days (flea market and open house in Jackson) Daffodil Hill is opening (all sorts of beautiful daffodils in bloom) and the Jazz Festival. Come visit Amador County and remember me for your real estate needs if you decide that living here is perfect for you too!

LISTING OF THE MONTH: 5.15 flat to rolling, beautiful acres w/creek, spring-fed pond, small orchard, well, power and 20,000 gallon, spring-fed underground water storage. 5 minutes outside Plymouth, 5 minutes to Shenandoah Wine Country, 1/2 hr. to Sacramento. All this for $259,000. 80% financing available through US Bank.

THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY TANNA REYNOSO, PRUDENTIAL CALIFORNIA REALTY.