2008 Woodie Awards
What Arcata's like without students
Milo Shumpert'Appel
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: Culture
- Page 1 of 1
Humboldt State University student and Arcata resident Mahayla Slackerelli found the city during Thanksgiving break to be quite boring.
Her friends were out of town, slowed business meant less entertainment and fewer students meant less private parties.
"It's not as friendly," Humboldt County resident Michael Kazan said about the vacant town.
The town is not exactly dead when students leave. It's not hibernating, it's just different.
Was it a ghost town? Did local businesses starve in the void of students going home for the holiday break?
"Not really," Ryan Freitas, working at Ampt Skate Shop in Arcata, said. "It's been busier because families come to visit the students who stay here."
The earlier part of the week was slow, but it picked up with the start of holiday shopping as it had just before the week off. Roughly half of Ampt's sales included gift certificates bought by parents. Freitas also works at Round Table Pizza, where he said business slowed more severely over the break.
Kerry Young, a longtime resident of Humboldt County and waitress at Live from New York Pizza in Arcata, said that business had slowed dramatically earlier in the week. On Tuesday, there "wasn't a soul in sight." She estimates that 70 percent of Live from New York's business comes from students.
"Yeah, we need our college students," she said. Business picked back up during the usual storm of shopping on Black Friday, but by Sunday things were still slower than usual.
Slackerelli wasn't pleased that Don's Donuts was closed. Young said the East Side Deli located north of campus on L K Wood was also closed. Businesses closed because their customers and many employees are students who want to go out of the area for holidays.
Others found the peace and quiet a little relieving. "I like it 'cause it's mellow," said an unidentified "street person," as many prefer to be called.
He said he found marijuana easier to get without the students around to smoke it all.
Another street person giving the name "Dee Man" noted a drop in drunken, nighttime violence in the last week. He said he doesn't have anything against students, but has no doubt that some do drink too much, leading to "fights, screaming, and beating up hippies."
He doesn't deny that street people can be violent as well, but it's not as bad, he said. "Everybody here keeps each other in check."
University Police Sergeant Mary Dezern said the bars in town were quieter and there was less traffic. Despite an armed robbery, the usual pot smoking (only two incidents all week) and skateboarding on campus, things still slowed down. On Nov. 23, the only criminal mischief was a single case of skateboarding on campus.
Still, the town is in no way dead or empty.
Will Bagnall, 42, an Arcata High teacher said he observed more students staying in Arcata over the break, a trend that's increased since earlier decades.
Freitas said Arcata's skate park was a lot livelier, as grade-school kids were on vacation.
Milo Shumpert'Appel can be reached at swagpenguin@yahoo.com
Her friends were out of town, slowed business meant less entertainment and fewer students meant less private parties.
"It's not as friendly," Humboldt County resident Michael Kazan said about the vacant town.
The town is not exactly dead when students leave. It's not hibernating, it's just different.
Was it a ghost town? Did local businesses starve in the void of students going home for the holiday break?
"Not really," Ryan Freitas, working at Ampt Skate Shop in Arcata, said. "It's been busier because families come to visit the students who stay here."
The earlier part of the week was slow, but it picked up with the start of holiday shopping as it had just before the week off. Roughly half of Ampt's sales included gift certificates bought by parents. Freitas also works at Round Table Pizza, where he said business slowed more severely over the break.
Kerry Young, a longtime resident of Humboldt County and waitress at Live from New York Pizza in Arcata, said that business had slowed dramatically earlier in the week. On Tuesday, there "wasn't a soul in sight." She estimates that 70 percent of Live from New York's business comes from students.
"Yeah, we need our college students," she said. Business picked back up during the usual storm of shopping on Black Friday, but by Sunday things were still slower than usual.
Slackerelli wasn't pleased that Don's Donuts was closed. Young said the East Side Deli located north of campus on L K Wood was also closed. Businesses closed because their customers and many employees are students who want to go out of the area for holidays.
Others found the peace and quiet a little relieving. "I like it 'cause it's mellow," said an unidentified "street person," as many prefer to be called.
He said he found marijuana easier to get without the students around to smoke it all.
Another street person giving the name "Dee Man" noted a drop in drunken, nighttime violence in the last week. He said he doesn't have anything against students, but has no doubt that some do drink too much, leading to "fights, screaming, and beating up hippies."
He doesn't deny that street people can be violent as well, but it's not as bad, he said. "Everybody here keeps each other in check."
University Police Sergeant Mary Dezern said the bars in town were quieter and there was less traffic. Despite an armed robbery, the usual pot smoking (only two incidents all week) and skateboarding on campus, things still slowed down. On Nov. 23, the only criminal mischief was a single case of skateboarding on campus.
Still, the town is in no way dead or empty.
Will Bagnall, 42, an Arcata High teacher said he observed more students staying in Arcata over the break, a trend that's increased since earlier decades.
Freitas said Arcata's skate park was a lot livelier, as grade-school kids were on vacation.
Milo Shumpert'Appel can be reached at swagpenguin@yahoo.com
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