LAKEPORT >> The internet has not been kind to Lake County.
A quick Google search yields the usual results: government information portals, tourism sites, a brief Wikipedia page, a link to the Record-Bee, etc. But a peek into the abyss of user comments reveals a certain trend.
Comment boards on real estate and rental sites such as Trulia, Apartments and City-Data often discuss the anomalous features of the county; opinions stretch over a wide spectrum. One City-Data quote from “Lake County Lass” seems to sum up the feel:
“For such a beautiful area, with mountains, tall trees, and such huge areas of space, it is such a shame that it is a drug infested, economically depressed locale. Even though the county is only 35 miles from Santa Rosa, and about the same to the renowned Napa Valley, it has only a winding mountain road connecting it with ‘civilization’. Hence, the natural hideout for unkempt, welfare and drug parolees.”
The comment said nothing about the cleanest air, one of the oldest lakes, rolling vineyards and wild mountains.
This is the obstacle facing those working to market the county, to manage its reputation. The differences between Lake County and the surrounding region have an appeal, and district three supervisor Jim Steele thinks those key differences haven’t been advertised or accentuated to their full potential.
“We didn’t manage our reputation over the years,” he said. “We didn’t talk about what’s good.”
He mentioned that San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles’ publications occasionally travel to Lake County simply for the sake of interviewing about crime and drugs.
“We don’t get many interviews about the positive aspects,” he said. “We need to get people to realize how unique it is, promote it for what it is.”
Yet there have been some recent victories. The Lake County Marketing Program along with the Lake County Winegrape Commission and the Lake County Winery Association and local businesses, convinced the San Francisco Chronicle to publish two Lake County focus sections. And a new program was developed to aid the groups promoting the area — in particular to help those arriving for the Lake County Wine Adventure, the Konocti Challenge, the Kelseyville Pear Festival and other events learn the positives and explore the county.
“A study showed that (tourism) was one of the areas we could most improve,” said Certified Tourism Ambassador Tony Barthel.
Barthel has a contract with Lake County; he markets and advertises many aspects of the county. The study he mentioned took place in 2011, and it spurred on the role of the Certified Tourism Ambassador in Lake County. CTAs work to answer questions about tourism and quell some of the negative rumors accrued over the years.
“‘Is it safe to go in the water? What’s there to do there?,’” Barthel said, giving examples of common tourist questions — he’s familiar with many. “Lake County is safer than so many places you’d want to go.”
Lake County currently has 369 trained CTAs, ranging from government officials to “front line” workers such as bartenders, servers and small business owners. Barthel estimated over 15,000 people involved in the program nationally. He said this program has already given Lake County a better online image and raised the county’s profile for several tourists.
He said he’s pushed Lake County’s real attraction — the natural environment, something the larger cities don’t have due to smog, light pollution and numerous cheap chain stores.
“You can go hiking out here and not see a Starbucks every mile,” he said.
The CTA program launched in 2015, after the Board of Supervisors purchased it from Mickey Schaefer & Associates. The company developed CTA for destination marketing organizations across the U.S.
Regular surveys of CTAs around the country reveal positive results. According the the county website, information gleaned from the company suggests that 90 percent of CTAs report enhanced knowledge of the destination ‘product’ and what it has to offer; 75 percent are more confident in serving visitors; and 80 percent have more pride and passion for where they live and work.
The Lake County Marketing Program, an arm of the county, began the CTA program with focus groups hosted by Marymount California University Lakeside campus .
The CTA program and other marketing efforts hope to restore the county as a destination.
“Looking at the history, there were several large resorts,” said Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee Director Kevin Ingram. “Families would stay there weeks at a time.”
Resorts were indeed luxurious, attracting bigwigs from San Francisco and beyond. According to Lake County’s official commercial site, visitors came to ‘take the waters’ and indulge in lavish parties at establishments such as Hoberg’s Resort.
Ingram said a tourism revitalization project took effect in the 1950s and 60s, but accessibility to Lake Tahoe and Lake Sonoma meant tourists didn’t need to venture so far into the mountains. With less money flowing to the shores of Clear Lake, many lakefront properties became run down, further losing their appeal to affluent sight-seers.
“The mountains aren’t going anywhere,” Ingram said. “We’re far from cities.”
He said the county might have suffered its greatest blow when Konocti Resort closed in 2009. Complete with mini golf, pools, lake access, and a world class outdoor venue, the resort attracted monster headliners and crowds to match. In the heart of Kelseyville, those crowds also catered to other stretches of Lake County.
The resort has dipped in and out of the market for several years with aggressive marketing campaigns attached, though it remains unsold.
“Konocti resort employed maybe 200-300 people,” said Lake County Chamber of Commerce CEO Melissa Fulton. “(Entertainment acts) didn’t just fill up Konocti, they filled up most of the hotels in the county. It had a huge ripple effect.”
Such losses have brought a subsequent dip in economy, Ingram said, which might attract Californians without much money.
“It’s cheaper to live up here,” he said, “if you’ve fallen on hard times.”
He said some of those people may have had recent trouble with the law, or might be looking for opportunities after incarceration.
This brings “Lake County Lass’” above comment back to light. Whether or not her opinion is accurate, it is just one of the battles those marketing the county must fight.
Fulton said many people are under the impression that surrounding cities and counties “dump” their parolees into Lake County, but as a general rule this proves false.
“Parolees are paroled into the city or area where they were sentenced,” Fulton said. “But the state can’t just send people wherever. It’s a rumor.”
As for criminal happenings, Fulton said surrounding regions and their publications have somehow painted Lake County as a criminal-infested area full of unwanted people and algae.
“I remember one headline,” she said. “It said ‘Lake County, the deadliest county in the state.”
A commercial website called “Area-Vibes” analyzes several aspects of cities and regions and issues certain ratings. Most notably, the site combines aspects’ scores into one score titled “Livability.”
Areavibes arrives at this score after gathering public data regarding real estate, amenities, entertainment, schools, cost of living, weather and of course, crime data. That data is then compared to state averages, and then national averages.
Lake County has a “Livability Score” of 63 (based out of 100) with a crime grade of “F,” stating it has 83 percent more crime than California’s average. Crime scores are calculated regarding frequency, incidents per capita, and the severity, such as the difference between violent and property crime.
Based on the sites statistics, Lakeport’s score isn’t unusual for the area: Sacramento, San Francisco and Ukiah also sport “F” ratings. Other locations, such as Santa Cruz, San Jose, Yuba City, and Napa hover in the “C” range, though their respective Livability scores aren’t much higher.
As a commercial site, the statistics and underlying algorithm shouldn’t be considered absolutes. Fulton said she believes the misconception might arise from Lake County’s rural, small-town feel.
“Social issues are the same here,” she said, “but there’s a smaller population, so it seems worse.”
Areavibe livability scores take several points into account, not only considering amenities, but access to amenities. Lake county has an exceptional score in amenities, access to those amenities and the weather in which those amenities can be utilized.
Ingram said that while people come to California for a variety of reasons, most people who visit or settle in Lake County seek peace, the outdoors, and cheap living.
“People come here to slow down,” Ingram said, highlighting some of the major differences between the county and the larger surrounding cities. “Sure, (bigger cities) might have “Trader Joe’s,” but you can’t hardly get to them.”
