Jamie and I stayed in Visalia, en route to see the redwoods in Sequoia National Park. Our stop involved a little bit of family history, too.
Visalia was the first place our Eastern European ancestors lived in California. Oscar and Augusta Reinstein settled in Visalia in 1852, among the town's very first inhabitants. Oscar worked as a merchant, selling goods to farmers and gold miners. My great grandmother, Lena Reinstein, was born in Visalia in 1861, several years before the family moved to San Francisco.
Fewer than 600 people lived in the Reinstein's Visalia, while today the town boasts a population of over 140,000. Like many Central Valley towns, farming is still an important part of the local economy. In addition, we strolled and sampled the downtown restaurants, coffee shops and breweries. These businesses benefit fom tourists heading to nearby Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
