Napa County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napa_County,_California) is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa. Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Lake County in 1861. The word napa is of Native American derivation and has been variously translated as "grizzly bear", "house", "motherland", and "fish". Of the many explanations of the name's origin, the most plausible seems to be that it is derived from the Patwin word napo meaning house[citation needed], although local residents will often cite an urban legend that gives the translation as "you will always return".

Napa County, once the producer of many different crops, is known today for its wine industry, rising in the 1960s to the first rank of wine regions with France, Italy, and Spain.

This year’s Napa County Fair is perhaps the most important in the 76-year history of the traditional four-day celebration.

The fair, from July 1 to the Fourth of July parade and fireworks display, is an annual reminder that the good old Americana of yesteryear can still be enjoyed and shared with present and future generations.

Unfortunately, state budget cuts threaten the county, which threatens county funding, which makes up 18 percent of the fair’s $1.2 million annual budget. Because the county owns the fairgrounds in Calistoga, and because the county is facing its own financial crunch, pressure is building on county officials to sell the land.

Although the 63-acre fairground and golf course is not zoned for housing, fear is building in Calistoga that losing the property to development will take away some of the charm that brings visitors to the Upvalley.

And, because state funding cuts also threaten the annual Napa Town and Country Fair in Napa, it’s more important than ever to preserve the Napa County Fair in Calistoga.


http://napavalleyregister.com/star/news/opinion/editorial/article_67770a8a-97c7-11e0-a372-001cc4c002e0.html

Facing a multi-million dollar funding gap for local roads over the next two decades, Napa’s transportation planners have turned to neighboring counties for advice.

Earlier this week, Suzanne Smith — executive director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority — came before the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency’s board of directors to share Sonoma’s experience of using a voter-approved sales tax increase to pay for local transportation projects.

Widely known as “self-help” measures, these tax increases — like the quarter-cent boost authorized by Sonoma County’s Measure M — create additional roads revenue during times when state and federal sources continue to fall short.

“There’s just not as much money as there has been in the past, and I don’t see that trend shifting anytime in the future,” Smith told the board.

The discussion came months after Napa’s transit district began weighing its own self-help measure — an extension of Measure A’s half-cent flood tax that would pay for repairs on local streets and roads.

According to a district analysis, the cost of maintaining local roads throughout Napa County is expected to exceed $960 million over the next decade. During that same period, traditional funding sources — mainly the state’s gas tax — are expected to generate only $295 million.

Without adequate funding, local roads crews can’t perform necessary upkeep, meaning road quality will continue to decline while the cost of repair increases exponentially, said Paul Price, the agency’s executive director.

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/article_daaad794-9a28-11e0-b9db-001cc4c002e0.html

Gasser breaks ground on 12-screen south Napa theater

By Jeff Quackenbush, Business Journal Staff Reporter

NAPA — Construction has started on a 163,000-square-foot shopping center in southeast Napa that is expected to draw about a half-million people a year to a new 12-screen high-tech movie venue alone, according to the developer.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/3176/napacenturycinemarender.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/napacenturycinemarender.jpg/)
Artist rendering of the 12-screen Napa Century Cinema, set to open in May 2012.

Crews broke ground Monday on the 15-acre Napa Century Center project between the Napa River and the Silverado Trail at Imola Avenue, according to the Peter A. and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation. The site is across the street from the existing South Napa Marketplace center, anchored by Target, Home Depot and Raley’s Supermarket.

The 2,051-seat multiplex is set to open in late May 2012 and attract 500,000 to 600,000 movie-goers annually. Theater operator Cinemark, which acquired Century Theaters and has operated the eight-screen Cinedome theaters in downtown Napa, plans to build the new complex one of the Cinemark NextGen concept, including stadium-style seats, all-digital projectors as part of an experience the company calls Cinemark XD and self-serve concessions.

The shopping center is configured for nine other buildings, including potential for a 120-room hotel, at least two restaurants and two significantly sized retailers. Matt Connoly and Gary Van Dam of Strong & Hayden Commercial Real Estate of Napa are marketing that space for lease. They are in negotiations with two other anchor tenants.

“Preparation for this day is over 10 years in the making,” said Strong & Hayden’s Jim Henry, who brokered the theater lease for the Gasser Foundation.

Gasser Foundation plans to construct the center with environmentally friendly best practices consistent with the Sustainable Napa County initiative, which the philanthropy organization helped start. Such features will be photovoltaic panels and large cisterns to collect rainwater to minimize water use. The foundation wants the to achieve gold-level LEED certification, the second-highest of four levels.

Napa Century Center is but one of the Gasser projects along the Napa River. Just north of the site, work is finishing on the $5 million, 60-bed South Napa Shelter. Between the shelter and Soscol Avenue is set to be Napa Tulocay Square, an approved project that would bring another 110,000 square feet of stores and restaurants as well as about 500 multifamily dwellings.

About 4.5 million people visit Napa Valley annually and spend about $63 million on retail purchases, not including wine. Average household income for the 146,000 living within 10 miles of Napa Century Center is $91,900.


http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/39070/gasser-breaks-ground-on-12-screen-south-napa-theater/
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So glad to have found this thread. I have been studying about Napa Valley with my English students and wondered what the name meant...and here is the explanation!
Thanks, will surely keep returning for more news.

Some pictures of US, Canada and other places's wineries in my thread (see signature :))



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