sept-2017

194 195 T he resilient City of Los Banos, California is capitalizing on lo- cation– experiencing popula- tion growth due to its proxim- ity to the Monterey Bay area, especially San Jose and the Silicon Valley, where housing supply is low and prices are through the roof. Ergo, the workforce is setting its sights elsewhere and Los Banos has become the bedroom com- munity of the Silicon Valley. Stacy Souza Elms, Community & Economic Development Director for the City of Los Banos, acknowledges, “We’ve been a bedroom community for the better part of two decades, but as the recession occurred we were hit drasti- cally with the housing crisis, and about two thirds of our stock was in some form of foreclosure. Now, we’re seeing the economy turn around, demand in the Bay area is increasing, and there’s a demand for housing here in Los Banos. LOS BANOS, CALIFORNIA AT A GLANCE LOS BANOS, CALIFORNIA WHAT: City of 10.4 square miles, popula- tion just under 40,000 WHERE: San Joaquin Valley, central Cali- fornia WEBSITE: www.losbanos.org LOS BANOS, AT THE CROSSROADS OF CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA