California Valley, California

California Valley was an attempt at development of the high and dry Carrizo Plain, a wide, remote valley in the mountains west of the San Joaquin Valley. In the 1950's and 1960's, house lots were sold for small sums, often to buyers who were acquainted with the site only by brochures. Most of the lots were never built on, and the motel and gas station in town are open only occasionally. Much of this valley is now managed by the Nature Conservancy. Recently the area has become the site for a number of major solar power plants, due to the large parcels of undeveloped land to be found there, as well as the bountiful supply of uninterrupted sunshine available throughout the year.