A little stroll through Alkali Flat

Sometimes I take advantage of my lunch hour and take a walk into nearby historic neighborhoods like Alkali Flat. As Sacramento's oldest residential neighborhood, it still contains a few houses from the late Gold Rush and early Transcontinental Railroad era. There are still a few stretches where you can squint your eyes and not really see anything that is newer than 100 years old (of course, there are telephone/electrical poles, but we had those in the 1890s too.)




The J. Neely Johnson Mansion, home to two of California's first governors before the "Historic Governor's Mansion" was even built (the aforementioned J. Neely Johnson, still California's youngest elected governor, and total jerk Peter Burnett), is getting some attention after looking a bit under the weather for a while:


Nearby, the Globe Mills project's first phase is open and renting. The units are senior apartments, intended for those 55 and up. Rent is based on income but varies from $350-650. This portion is all new construction, and fills a real need for affordable housing for older adults.

The market-rate section is still a couple of months from completion but definitely coming along. The old mill section will include apartments inside the massive silos, and public areas will feature interesting bits of the mill's mechanicals left in place, like driveshafts for belt-driven equipment, electric motors, and other heavy things. A bit more interesting lobby decor than a potted plant and an end table...