When I was a little girl I would spend my summer days with my grandmother who lived in a little city called La Habra on the border between Orange and LA County. Then, on especially hot summer days (not everyone from the OC lived near the ocean in a million dollar home) we would go visit her sister in LA County who lived in a mobile home with an air conditioning unit.
I loved that mobile home. I loved the drive. I loved seeing the trees along the side walk. I loved pulling into the mobile home park and seeing the rows of homes.
My great aunt Caroline would always have homemade lemonade ready for our arrival. Then we would play cards next to the air conditioner. The buzzing noise seemed a little price to pay for the cool moments and great conversation. As little kids are, I was so curious about what made a mobile home- well, mobile. I remember always looking for the gas pedal and steering wheel in the kitchen, which was at the head of the home, since I figured a mobile home could be driven like a car. I never did find one, but I always enjoyed trying to uncover the mystery and playing detective.
These memories capture the essence of my first mobile home experience. It was one of luxury and curiosity that makes little kids smile.
These days folks have such a different take on the benefits and reasons to own a mobile home. It seems they are more often the butt of a bad joke or a ghetto in some television show.
Yet, despite the world around us laughing and overlooking the positive aspects of owning a mobile home, the City of Santee seems to have kept the spirit and memories of my childhood alive with the importance and .
Maybe it is because we have more than ten mobile home parks within our city limits, maybe it is because our city was built on down-to-earth principles, or maybe it is because everyone here has a great aunt, like me, that made mobile homes seem trendy.
Regardless the reason, the reality is that as a newcomer to Santee you will quickly learn that our city is proud of its mobile home communities and takes great effort in keeping them affordable and attractive. Our city even has a “Manufactured Home Fair Practice Commission” where they seek residents to serve on the board. (Which by the way has an open spot and they are currently looking for volunteers!)
Interesting enough as I sat down to write this post, I found a recent article on Sign on San Diego about a local mobile home community that is seeking to raise residents’ rent; something that hasn’t been done in a while due to rent control regulations within the City of Santee. It looks like this will be up for debate at a future .
But politics aside; like it or not, mobile homes are one of the many pieces of fabric that make-up this great city. New home development might be popping up around town, but in-town you will find many old-timers happy to have their piece of Santee carved out and mobile.
I wonder if these newer mobile homes have gas pedals and steering wheels? Still curious to find out what makes them mobile!
