By Sara Beth Williams–
A new mural commemorating and celebrating the history and legacy of Citrus Heights along with the 250th birthday of the United States, has been installed on the walls of Citrus Heights City Hall.
The mural, which was unanimously approved by the Citrus Heights City Council, was completed near the end of June in time for the city’s annual Stars and Stripes celebration that took place on July 27, following voting from the community at large on the design for the mural.
The center of the mural design includes “Welcome to Citrus Heights” and the date of city incorporation written in large letters positioned in front of a backdrop of an American flag fading into the sky.
The rest of the design shows grassy, open fields, oranges, orange blossoms, and a perched bird and farmhouse beneath blue skies, along with a message on the bottom that reads, “Honoring our past, building our future.”
Historically, the area became known as “Citrus Heights” thanks to a marketing ploy. In 1910, developer Walt Trainor bought large plots of farmland in what was originally known as the Sylvan district. To boost marketability and capitalize on the booming citrus popularity in neighboring Orangevale, he subdivided the land and renamed it “Citrus Heights” to attract buyers.
But Trainer needed water to make the marketing plan work, so he gathered local farmers together and formed “Citrus Heights Water Takers,” to obtain water from nearby Baldwin Reservoir, as the Orange Vale and Fair Oaks colonies were also doing.
Read more about the transition from dry farming to irrigation on the Citrus Heights Historical Society’s website here: Small Family Farm Era – Citrus Heights Historical Society
The nonprofits’ arts group Citrus Heights Arts, which has been behind the installation of multiple murals throughout Citrus Heights over the last year, first proposed collaborating with the city for the installation of a mural at City Hall to celebrate America’s 250-year anniversary back in February.
The cost for the completion of the anniversary mural was estimated to be $8,000, and the nonprofit requested a $6,000 contribution from the city’s Community Support Grant funding program. The remaining $2,000 was raised through Citrus Heights Arts’ own fundraising efforts.
Hundreds of community members voted in early June on four different rendered designs for the mural project.
The winning mural was chosen with 276 votes, Citrus Heights Arts announced on social media. Over 800 community members voted in the contest.
Related: Citrus Heights Council officially approves new City Hall mural design – Citrus Heights Sentinel
At the national level, the America250 initiative is being pushed as a bipartisan civic celebration tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In practice, a lot of local arts organizations, city governments, and artists are interpreting it in a variety of ways, Citrus Heights Director of General Services Regina Cave said.
“While the goal is to celebrate America’s 250-year anniversary, the finished mural will celebrate the history, present, and future of Citrus Heights, with the expectation the mural can remain in place long-term,” the city said, adding that the City Council and City Management have discretion in choosing whether to cover or remove the mural, or any future murals completed on city-owned or maintained property “as deemed necessary.”
