The Patchen Annex
Kelley’s New Home

I came to California in the mid-1960s to be part of the Semiconductor Industry that was about to revolutionize the world of electronics. Having grown up in the farm country of southern Michigan, city life in what was to become Silicon Valley, didn’t suit me well, so we relocated our young family to the peaceful serenity of the Santa Cruz Mountains. We began to acquire unimproved land to prevent it from being overdeveloped and eventually held nine parcels, six of which were contiguous and suitable for farming – but farming what? The choices at the time were wine grapes, Kiwis, or Christmas trees[i]At the time, there were twenty or more tree farms within a 10-mile radius. Today there are fewer than a dozen, due to the inflated cost of real estate in the region. Some of the other farms are larger in acreage, but Patchen is the only profitable venture because none of the others can compare with the product offering or the attraction the Patchen brings to the market., and the latter was the beginning of Patchen California.

My daughter, Kelley was five months old when we made the move so this was home for her until after college, when she went off to raise a family of her own. Three decades later, she is back “home” and planning to build a house for her family on one of the Patchen properties.

 

  • 22197 & 22199 Old Santa Cruz Hwy Santa Clara County, CA 95033
  • APN 558-08-095/6
  • Coordinates – 37.1494697,-121.9745408  (37°8’58.091″ N   121°58’28.347″W)
  • Elevation ~1,650 feet above sea level
  • The main house will face generally east
  • ~ 500 feet from where Kelley grew up
  • An ADU will be added before or after
  • Financing Details
By: Jim
Written: 2016-2020
Published: March 2022
Revised:
Reader feedback always appreciated
footnotes
footnotes
↑i At the time, there were twenty or more tree farms within a 10-mile radius. Today there are fewer than a dozen, due to the inflated cost of real estate in the region. Some of the other farms are larger in acreage, but Patchen is the only profitable venture because none of the others can compare with the product offering or the attraction the Patchen brings to the market.