Vision Statement - What Ramona's about (2005)

By Dennis R. Grimes

March 10 2005 Ramona Sentinel Guest Commentary pg A5, A13

[Note to e-mail readers - This piece written by Dennis Grimes a private Ramona citizen and was originally conceived as a proposed vision and guiding statement for the Ramona Community Planning Group (RCPG). Several who have read this commentary suggested it be submitted for publication in the Ramona Sentinel as a guest commentary.

Ramona is about a unique rural community and a way of life that we must protect and foster.

Ramona is about owning a piece of land - your very own piece of dirt.

• Land for families to have horses, goats, chickens, and emus.
• Land to start a small nursery, vineyard, or the garden of your dreams.
• Land enough to need a pick-up truck, or tractor.
• Land for that "granny flat" to keep grandparents near their grandchildren.
• Land to enjoy and love your neighbors, but not be city-close.
• Land that protects and respects the rural countryside, and native wildlife habitats.
• Land that still tells the tales of Diegueno Indians, Spanish and western settlers
• Land that preserves scenic backcountry vistas, and star filled nights
• Land that prevents the sprawl of cookie-cutter suburbs, high-rise dwellings, and oppressive traffic.

Ramona is about the Rodeo, the Country Fair, horses, and children with rural 4H projects.

Ramona is about a rural character reflected in numerous feed and farm supply stores.

Ramona is about equestrian and walking trails, forming threads that hold its patchwork quilt of rural properties together - in the unique experience...

...we call Ramona.