City Hall - From Schoolhouse to the City of Good Living
A stop on San Carlos History Walk, a free self-guided tour.
Today's City Hall stands on a spot with a long civic history: the site of the town's first real schoolhouse. A new school opened here in 1918 for the families who were finally moving to San Carlos.
Much of that growth was the work of Fred Drake. In 1917 Mercantile Trust placed 100 acres of foreclosed San Carlos land in his hands, and he set about finishing a reservoir, paving streets and bringing in gas and electricity. He helped form the school district and pushed for self-government. In 1925 about 600 residents voted to incorporate, and Drake gave the new city the motto it still uses: The City of Good Living. Locals came to call him the Father of San Carlos.
The young city kept things small. Ed Wheeler was its whole police force at first, served as police chief for 27 years and, in the early days, doubled as fire chief. Watch for the motto on city signs as you walk on.
Getting here: Walk south down Elm Street two blocks to City Hall at 600 Elm Street.
Did you know?: San Carlos grew from about 600 residents when it incorporated in 1925 to about 5,000 by 1941.
Photo op: Stand across Elm Street to frame City Hall and look for the City of Good Living motto on nearby signs.
More on Wikipedia: San Carlos, California
Stops on this tour
- San Carlos Depot - The Stone Station That Started a Town
- Arguello Site - Lamchin Land and the Rancho of Fleas
- Brittan Party House - A Bohemian Hunting Lodge
- Elm Street - Victorian Hopes for a Paper Town
- City Hall - From Schoolhouse to the City of Good Living
- Casa de Flores - A Church for a Growing Town
- Terminal Way - Where San Carlos Learned to Fly
- Brittan Avenue - Airstrip, Racetrack and Radio Tubes
- Museum of San Carlos History - The Firehouse, Rebuilt
- Laurel Street - Main Street of the City of Good Living