Bishop, CA: may it rest in peace(?)
Some people may think the above statement is untrue, or even offensive. However, I lived in Bishop from 1968 to 1982 (and briefly in 1988), and the Bishop that I knew is dieing. Maybe its already dead and all that’s left is a pretty carcass that looks the same but isn’t really alive anymore. A nice piece of taxidermy, you could say.
People who didn't live in Bishop during the early 1970s through the mid 1980s might wonder just what I’m talking about. After all, Bishop is thriving – or so it would seem. That is only if you consider "thriving" to mean major chains have properties in Bishop now – Vons, K-Mart, Kragen, McDonalds, etc. However, one of the things that made Bishop special was the number of local businesses – Foster’s Freeze, Village Liquor, Tiger Tote, Rick’s Automotive, Brock’s Sporting Goods (when they used to sell guns and hunting supplies), and many others. The names may have changed over the years, but not the fact that they were locally owned businesses – and now most of them have been pushed out of business by the big chains. You know, the chains that have graced Bishop with not just one, but two huge vacant store fronts. Urban blight without having to go to the big city! Thriving? Take a walk down Main Street and count the vacant storefronts and empty lots. Ironically, the population has increased considerably since I grew up in Bishop, yet this new, larger, "thriving" population is less able to support local businesses. Even the bowling ally has been cut to half the size it was.
Another thing I dislike about the "new" Bishop is the lack of open space. As much as I used to hate DWP for taking Owens Valley water, I have to give them this: they kept Bishop (and the rest of the Owens Valley as well) from growing too big. Now, the locals have "won" by getting DWP to release some of their land, which then becomes closed. Makes one wonder what they’re thinking. And, of course, much of the land that is still open is now closed to hunting.
Speaking of land, in spite of the fact that a lot of "new" land has been opened for development since the 1980’s, property values are sky high. Not that I mind if people get a good return on their real estate investment, but with property values so high, how can anyone afford to raise a family in Bishop? The Bishop I knew was a great place for a middle-income family to set down roots. How many young, middle-income families can afford a $350,000 house? Is Bishop going to become a town that is only affordable for rich people and retiries?
Is it too late for Bishop or can it be saved? Can it once again be a place that is affordable for normal people to raise a family? Can the things that once made Bishop special and unique be restored, or is it Bishop's destiny to become just another small town? I believe that Bishop can be saved, that it can retain the things that make (or made) it unique, while still changing for the better. In this paper I will explore this issue.
Updated December 19, 2006