Atascadero

Atascadero, California located nearly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on US Highway 101 is the brainchild of E.G. Lewis. Thought by some to have been a visionary, Lewis was considered a con artist by others. In spite of his reputation, he founded Atascadero and left in his wake a collection of unique architecture and the first planned community in the state of California. He established roads, water mains, power grids, agricultural cooperatives, and a 17-mile road to the Pacific Ocean. Atascadero was home to an early example of an enclosed shopping mall and magnificent art from the 1904 St. Louis World s Fair. Atascadero s creator also founded University City, Missouri, and Palos Verdes Estates, California."