Look Eastward, Angel

Here in Claremont, we tend to look westward for our identity. We like to think of ourselves as part of the San Gabriel Valley, and the Gold Line, if and when it's ever completed, will tie us more strongly to Eastern Los Angeles County.

But we Claremonters are also part of the Inland Empire, and when we take a regional outlook, we ought to look eastward as well. The Daily Bulletin certainly covers our neighbors in Upland and Montclair, as well as Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario, and perhaps we should pay more attention to those cities, considering how fast they have been growing.

There's a lot of talk about extending the Gold Line east to Ontario Airport, which will be a boon to people wanting an easy transit option to catch a flight. Ontario Airport will be expanding as people seek alternatives to driving to LAX for longer flights. The Claremont Courier's August 8th edition had a profile of the airport's general manager, Claremonter Jesse Romo, who has big plans for the facility, including expanding from two to five passenger terminals in the next 25 years .

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We also came across a Rancho Cucamonga blog that carries area news, including a link to another Courier article about the coming logjam in wine bars. An odd development for a town that only 40 years ago was a dry city.

Speaking of those times, a reader pointed us to an article by a former Claremont who recalled growing up during those times. We're not sure if her dates are completely correct, but she does seem to capture the spirit of the time and the place - something you might not find in Claremont historian Judy Wright's work.