Conversations with Calistoga

The heart and soul of any community is almost always with the young families that establish long term residence and lay the foundation for multi-generational presence.  

In the early 1990's a local general contractor applied for permission to build 44 single family homes in Calistoga.  The fascinating story how that developer chose to build 22 of the 44 homes as affordable, focusing on local residents and discouraging second home/investment buyers, is worth reviewing almost 30 years later.

This conversation is with Kevin Eisenberg, who together with his wife Mary Hastings purchased one of the first homes built in the Palisades development and continue to live there today.

The heart and soul of any community is almost always with the young families that establish long term residence and lay the foundation for multi-generational presence.  

In the early 1990's a local general contractor applied for permission to build 44 single family homes in Calistoga.  The fascinating story how that developer chose to build 22 of the 44 homes as affordable, focusing on local residents and discouraging second home/investment buyers, is worth reviewing almost 30 years later.

This second conversation of four is with Sharon Carone, co-founder of Calistoga Realty.  Sharon adds important perspective and details to the overall development and especially to the program created to allow so many Calistoga residents to purchase a family home.

The heart and soul of any community is almost always with the young families that establish long term residence and lay the foundation for multi-generational presence.  

In the early 1990's a local general contractor applied for permission to build 44 single family homes in Calistoga.  The fascinating story how that developer chose to build 22 of the 44 homes as affordable, focusing on local residents and discouraging second home/investment buyers, is worth reviewing almost 30 years later.

This first conversation of four is with Paul and Kate Coates, long established residents and, for many, beloved residents of Calistoga.

Four weeks into the remarkable lockdown, Chris Canning talks about the community, lockdown, the virus, and the steps forward to our future.

Thomas Brown has achieved cult status in a remarkably short period of time, yet retains and celebrates his small town, country roots.  He tells his story which, while uniquely interesting, will sound very familiar to anyone that loves Calistoga.

Offering his friendship and services to Calistogans for over 40 years, Joe Schneider is fully rooted in our community.   Father, Founder of Pacific Tree Care, and a most fascinating person, he offers a wide ranging conversation on life, family, the forest, and himself.

Gia Nikolova and Kendall Earmshaw recently purchased the delightful Cottage Grove Inn in Calistoga - here, Gia talks about the Inn, her background and vision for a hospitality business in 2020, and her thoughts how to best use the month-long COVID-19 hospitality shutdown.

Jim Flamson's memories reach back to the 1950's when Calistoga was defined by agriculture, High School graduated 36 students, and "Weekenders" were White Russians from San Francisco.  In conversation he reflects on that different town and time, with interesting contrasts to today.

Today we have the first of hopefully several interviews with Chris Canning, popular Mayor of Calistoga.  Chris talks about the impact of COVID-19 on our town, and then we talk about his accomplishments and the challenge of affordable housing in our town.

For over 30 years Pat Hampton has been the penultimate observer and reporter on Calistoga.  A journalist at heart, she passed through several local lives before deciding to found the Calistoga Tribune.  Usually a person who listens carefully and asks all the questions, today she offers unvarnished thoughts on everything from her background to Calistoga's Coronavirus anxieties.  

Part 1 of what will hopefully be a multi-part free ranging conversation with one of Calistoga's most interesting and influential citizens.