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Claremont
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, this
quaint little town possesses an East Coast charm. Students at the six
prestigious CLAREMONT COLLEGES (Pomona College, Claremont Graduate School,
Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Pitzer
College) make up a good percentage of the town's population, but generations
of families also call this tight-knit commu nity of Victorian homes and
peaceful wide streets home. Claremont's old fashioned downtown, dubbed
THE VILLAGE (between First and Fourth Streets and Yale and Harvard Avenues),
is a fun place to window shop, with clothing boutiques, art galleries,
and antique stores. While yuppies
with strollers wander past The Village's sidewalk cafes, neighborhood
coffeehouses are filled with caffeinated students working on laptops.
Gardening enthusiasts will enjoy a day at the RANCHO SANTA ANA BOTANIC
GARDENS (1500 N College Avenue; 909/625-8767), which is dedicated to native
California plants and flowers. Amidst its 82 acres
gardens are broken down into three areas: Indian Hill Mesa, a flat-topped
hill featuring wild lilacs, desert manzanitas, and California cultivars;
EastAlluvial Gardens, featuring plants native to California deserts, the
garden's largest oak tree, a fan palm oasis, and plants indigenous to
the Channel Islands; and Plant Communities, filled with plant life from
Baja and the Mojave Desert, Joshua trees, oak woodlands, and chaparral.
Visit from February through June when the gardens are in bloom.
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