Vacaville, named for its founder, Juan Manual Vaca, grew up next to what has become a major highway to Sacramento and points north. It became famous for its Nut Tree Restaurant, which for decades offered travelers the produce of this fertile fruit-growing region. Now the modern highway bypasses Vacaville's historic downtown, leaving it to be enjoyed by the growing population of greater Vaca Valley. Even though the modern city has grown out to engulf that new highway and an ever more diversified economy continues to thrive, old Vacaville still feels and looks like a small town of another era. Unscathed by earthquake since 1892, enlightened city officials have not only preserved much of the original downtown but have added a "Creek walk" that gives an air of quiet greenery.

In this well-researched volume, author Jerry Bowen, former volunteer of the Solano County Archives and chairman of the Solano County Records Commission, draws from the extensive photographic collections of the Vacaville Heritage Council, the Vacaville Museum, and his own personal collection. His journalistic experience as a feature writer for the Vacaville Reporter and editor of the Solano Historian informs this fascinating visual journey through Vacaville's past, from the Mexican to the modern era.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.

The book is a new, trade paperback, published in 2004 by Arcadia Publishing. It measures 9" x 6" and weighs 0.65 pounds