| This is a regional geography of Napa County in California. It explores the diversity of the physical, historical, cultural, and economic phenomena that make up Napa County's cultural landscape, which is described as an American Eden.The principal conclusion drawn from this study is that the Napa County landscape possesses a remarkable stability. However, six problems affecting the stability of the landscape were discussed: (1) vineyard destruction by Phylloxera infestation, (2) competing land uses, (3) economic overdependence upon tourism, (4) incongruent winery architecture, (5) population growth pressures, and (6) elastic land use controls. Napa County's growth control measures can provide useful models for land use planners and growth management advocates.The principal objective of this study was to examine the many forces that created the Napa County cultural landscape. The research included four elements: (1) primary sources provided the historical narrative, (2) U.S. Census data were summarized, (3) touristic elements of Napa's cultural landscape were inventoried, and (4) land ownership was examined to determine landscape stability. Seven distinct cultural landscape regions were identified. The seven regions discussed in this study include: Napa, a classic California suburb St. Helena, a California agricultural village Calistoga, a spa resort Yountville and Silverado, the commercial crossroads Carneros and American Canyon, a corridor for development Anguin and the Pope and Chiles Valleys, residual landscapes and Lake Berryessa, landscape of the American West. |
