Topic: Local Food Trends in Arcata

Edited 12/31/2013

Arcata, in the North Coast Lowlands culinary region of California, is probably one of the more aggressively local-minded cities in the state when it comes to food.  For one thing, there are only a few zoning areas in the city that allow chain restaurants.  Nearly all local restaurants have some locally-sourced menu items.  There are three farmer's markets in Arcata, quite a few for such a small town.

The largest of the three farmer's markets in Arcata.

 The last posts have largely been focused on how food shapes a culture's identity, belonging, and connections with other places in the world.  But it goes the other way as well; identity shapes food in almost every way imaginable.  In this case, it is the independent identity and recently progressive nature that shapes Arcata that drives its local food movement.

Arcata started as a small logging town.  When Humboldt State University was founded, the major draw was the Forestry Department.  But at the formation of the Environmental Studies department, the two departments were at odds.  Outside the campus were worldwide protests against the cutting of the endangered redwood forests, known as the Redwood Summer.  Inside the campus were more protests that often turned violent, known by locals as the Timber Wars.  Eventually, the activists came out on top, things settled, and Arcata has been a very progressive-minded town ever since.

Local movements are both progressive and independent, so given its history, it is not surprising that Arcata is a haven for locally-sourced food.  Multiple nearby family farms and CSA (community-supported agriculture) programs also are factors.