Beautiful, Bucolic Benicia
Beautiful, Bucolic Benicia
— by Mary Hand, Benicia Magazine
Over the past month, news regarding the Valero refinery in Benicia has garnered significant attention across various media platforms, including television, radio, print and online outlets. The widespread coverage suggests that millions of individuals have been exposed to the developments, which means millions of people have gotten an inaccurate view of Benicia.
To paraphrase Mark Twain: the story of our demise is inaccurate.
The “non click bait” truth is just the opposite. Benicia remains a vibrant, beautiful town, full of creativity and community spirit. While it’s true that the refinery’s potential closure would have economic impacts, it does not define us.
Benicia is home to top rated schools, a gorgeous waterfront, great restaurants, local artisan shops, a unique artist community and calendar packed events year-round. We offer everything from an abundance of parks, walking and biking trails to water activities, all framed by small town charm and Bay Area accessibility.
This summer alone, Benicia’s event lineup includes music festivals, starting with Porchfest Nights (June 25, July 30 and August 27) and Waterfront Rocks (the weekend of July 26-27) followed by the biggest music festival of all, Porchfest Benicia, on September 13, which last year attracted thousands of visitors. On September 21, the annual Oktoberfest Celebration rounds out the summer.
The heritage of Benicia runs deep. As our Museum of History, Benicia likes to say: The history of California is written in the story of Benicia, once the State Capitol and a major transportation and military hub. We are also well known for our rich visual and performing arts community, home to Judy Chicago, Manuel Neri,Lisa Reinerston, Robert Arneson and many other well-known artists. The visual arts galleries and studios in the historic Benicia Arsenal house hundreds of artists. Musicians? Yes, we’ve got quite a few like David Sykes from Boston, Jeff Campitelli, from Joe Satriani.
Perfectly located less than 30 miles from both San Francisco and Napa, Benicia is not only a destination but a bridge to all of Northern California’s tourism riches. Our new water taxi has opened up new opportunities and water vistas, while SolTrans buses provide direct access to the Vallejo Ferry, BART and Amtrak. And, for cars: we’ve got parking.
Benicia is a small town with big ideas, big beauty and even bigger pride. When headlines get it wrong, we’ll be here to set the record straight and continue to tell our story of our exceptional community.
