March 4, 2004

Street Scene: Camelia Drive

By Miranda Schultz
Staff Writer

Camelia Drive is a long and winding street nestled in the Almaden Valley, behind the Almaden Community Center and Simons Elementary School.  With no shortage of views, rolling green hills and a serene collection of natures finest creations. 

Progressive potluck dinners and the annual Almaden Art and Wine Festival, which is within walking distance to the residents of Camelia drive, are a couple of things that allows Camelia neighbors to get to know each other.

Rich Crowley and his wife Nancy have lived on Camelia since September of 1979, and over the years have seen the cycle of families raising families and moving on.

"We've seen the revitalization, over and over.  We've seen young parents move in and raise their children, and we've watched as the kids leave the nest and the parents move out.  Now we have a lot of younger families, there are more kids around which is nice to see," says Crowley.

The Crowley's have raised their three daughters in the Almaden Valley, two graduated from Leland High School and one from Pioneer. 

There are many schools in the area, Castillero Middle School is right around the corner, and Leland and Pioneer are very close as well.  Simonds Elementary, where Nancy is a second grade teacher, is within walking distance. 
The neighbors don't get together on a regular basis, but many of them are involved in the community.  Not that they are unfriendly, Crowley says, "We have a phone list of many of the people on the street, and we talk when we see each other on the street rather than just saying hello.  Sometimes, there are more projects going on than others.  Even so, all of us feel pretty comfortable asking for anything we may need."

Crowley says that during the Art and Wine Festival, there is a bit of traffic along the street, with cars parking on the curb. "No one has complained about it that I know of.  I think everyone on this street enjoys the festival, and definitely takes advantage of what it has to offer.  The traffic during that time doesn't seem to be a problem for anyone," he says. 

With all of the schools around, he also mentions that there is a little bit of traffic during commute times, but speeding really isn't too much of a problem. "Occasionally, people drive a little fast, but there have been signs up for a while now, and those radars that tell people how fast they're going seems to work," says Crowley.

The neighbors do some typical things for each other, such as pet sitting. "Their son watches our dog when we're not here, and it's nice to have that available so we don't have to put the dog in a kennel," he says.

Crowley, who works for Ventura Barnett Properties, keeps a sharp eye on real estate values in his neighborhood.  One smaller home, about 1,900 square feet, which had very little remodeling, recently sold for $625,000 and is undergoing major remodeling at the moment.  Others further up the street, which are larger, and are more expansive in their additions go for up to $1.2 million.