DIXON — This agricultural town is more likely to have a tractor driving its streets than a high-dollar convertible.
Clinging to the small-town feel, the city still has only one high school and shows off the rustic roots with the Dixon May Fair. The downtown area boasts a few watering holes where locals gather to swap hunting tales and talk about the crop yield.
The first settlement in the Dixon area was Silveyville, founded in 1852 by Elijah S. Silvey. When the lines were drawn for the Vaca Valley railroad in 1870, they didn’t cross Silveyville but rather land owned by Thomas Dickson.
So residents picked up their things and moved closer to the tracks in order to grow. Dickson donated 10 acres for a train station and for a town to be named after him. However, the first shipment of merchandise arrived with the misspelling of “Dixon.” The name stuck and Dixon was born.
Although primarily a farming town, many of the jobs are housed within the Campbell’s Soup processing and distribution center as well as the West Coast’s biggest lamb processing plant in Superior Farms.
With only a symbol to mark the history of it, the Milk Farm sign is a nod to Dixon’s days as the “Dairy City.” The Milk Farm was an integral part of life in Dixon during World War II and even had milk drinking contests. The restaurant has closed but the sign remains along Interstate 80.
The rural areas of eastern Dixon have been identified as an area that could be greatly affected if the state chooses to divert water to Southern California. State and local leaders have worked hard to preserve the area.
It is home to the Dixon May Fair — the oldest continually running agricultural fair in the state. The fair also attracts big-name musicians to the little town. Dixon is fun to get lost in, too. The Cool Patch Pumpkins corn maze has held the Guinness World Records title for four years as the world’s largest corn maze. Now becoming a tradition, the Grillin’ and Chillin’ event closes down the main drag for a chili and rib cook-off.
Dixon’s total population is 18,351 with 70 percent white, 40 percent Hispanic or Latino, 3 percent Asian and 3 percent black. It has one of the warmest temperatures in the county, with an average summertime temperature in the high 90s and the average winter temperatures in the mid-50s.
Danny Bernardini can be reached at 427-6935 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dbernardinidr.
City Hall: 600 E. A St., 678-7000
Website: http://www.ci.dixon.ca.us
City Manager: Jim Lindley, 678-7000, ext. 101, [email protected].
City Council: Mayor Jack Batchelor, [email protected] (elected 2008, term expires 2012)
Councilman Dane Besneatte, [email protected] (elected 2010, term expires 2014)
Councilman Thom Bogue , [email protected] (elected 2010, term expires 2014)
Councilman Mike Ceremello, [email protected] (elected 2008, term expires 2012)
Councilman Rick Fuller, [email protected] (elected 2008, term expires 2012)
