Subdividing Meant Survival for Some
The orange groves being replaced by tract homes in the 1940s was a blessing in disguise for many growers [“Winners and Losers of the Century,” Careers: Work in Progress, Nov. 21].
Their once beautiful groves were starting to shrivel up and die. It was called quick decline. Some blamed it on the smog, which was starting to become a problem, but no one really knew the cause.
This occurred right about the time that subdividers were looking for land on which to build houses. Selling to them was the only way out of financial disaster for some growers. Many of them were not losers but were survivors.
BARBARA CARPENTER
La Verne
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