Hello everyone,

Biography

My name is Jim Donner. I was born in Sacramento, California and attended Elk Grove High School, graduating in 1975. I have worked in the title and escrow field for the last 31 years, the past 26 years I was employed as an escrow officer. I enjoy various outdoor activities, as well as a passion for cooking. I have been married to my lovely wife, Julie, for 30 years. We have two children, our son, Jason, and daughter, Jaime. Jason lives in Oregon with his wife, Mollie, and our two beautiful grandchildren, Marissa and Jacob. Jaime lives in Newport Beach with her boyfriend Joey. We currently reside in Placerville, Ca.

Farm area

I will be farming an area known as Swansboro Country. It is located 8 miles northeast of Placerville, Ca. The majority of the parcels are 2 1/2 acres. There currently are between 300 and 400 single family homes. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with pine, oak, and madrone trees. There is a homeowner's association, which maintains the area's private ponds, park grounds and air strip. Abutting to the El Dorado National Forest, there are many outdoor activities within minutes of the subdivision.

Historical Events of Swansboro/Mosquito

SWANSBORO COUNTRY, IS A SUBDIVISION OF THE COMMUNITY OF MOSQUITO


The Community of Mosquito was a thriving community in the early years of its existence. It had a major saw milling business. The farmers of Mosquito raised a particularly fine grade of hard wheat. The Mosquito School District was established, as well as, a Post Office. As time passed by, the saw milling and wheat business faded. The School District was absorbed by Placerville Union and the Post Office closed down. Now with the present Swansboro Subdivision’s in place, it has become a mountainous bedroom community. Prior to the California Gold Rush, there was a large Miwok Indian colony in the area.

1849: By this time, mines had been discovered in Mosquito Canyon, most of the population settled in two different locations, one being Nelsonville, the other called Lowertown or Big House.

1853: The area was officially named The Community of Mosquito.

1862: The Mosquito School was started by Oliver Chubb.

1867: The swinging bridge, on Mosquito Road, over the South Fork of the American River, was built. It allowed access from Placerville to the Community of Mosquito. It is still in existence and used daily as the main route to and from the area. It is a county historical landmark.

1881: The Mosquito Public School District was established, as well as the Mosquito Post Office. Both are no longer in existence.

1905: The Swansborough family bought the Dickenson’s house. It had also been the location of the Post Office, run by the Postmistress Mrs. Dickenson.

1907: Finnon Lake, a state owned park, was created. It is no longer a state park, and is owned and operated by the Mosquito Volunteer Fire Department.

1911-1915: A phone line was constructed from Placerville to Mosquito. Mosquito was also one of the first areas in El Dorado County to have electric power.

1926: The current Swansborough house, was built on the location of the one purchased from the Dickenson’s - which had burned down in 1924.

1934: A large Civilian Conservation Corps Camp was located in Mosquito, with 200 or more boys at a time in it. The camp was operated by the U.S. Army and the United States Forest Service personnel. The U.S.F.S. had a watchman at Camp Mosquito for a few years. Then, during World War II, the camp housed conscientious objectors who acted as U.S.F.S. fire crews, with no pay, during the fire seasons.

1937: The Civilian Conservation Corps completed Rock Creek Road. Prior to that time, the only way to Placerville was via Mosquito Road.

1943 - 1960’s: A large sawmill was operated on the Pearson property, receiving logs from the National Forest and private properties as far away as Bishop, California. There were also portable mills operating in the area during these years.

1968: The Swansboro Subdivision was started, with the property being purchased by W & D Investment Co. from Ronald Darr, the Morton Family, Ray Lawyer, and the Swansborough families.

1970’s to 2009: From the time of the filing of the subdivision’s units, many homes have been built. There are still many remaining vacant parcels. Homes range from being built in the 1970’s through today, as various homes are currently under construction. There is a wide variety of homes, built by various builders, as to square footage and building style.


How did this area become to be know as Mosquito? Well, the story goes like this:

Some miners were sitting around their campfire one night, discussing things in general, and at one point the topic turned to thoughts on giving a name to the area in which they lived. They thought for it a bit, and one miner came up with the idea that the next word anybody said aloud, would be the name to be used. At that minute, someone slapped his arm and blurted “Those damn mosquitoes”, and they couldn’t call it “Damn”, could they?

All Historical accounts of the above, are as told by Lois Pearson, (Born in Mosquito in 1916 and lived there her entire life) per the Book entitled Mosquito Memories.

Swansborough House

Swansborough House

Mosquito Bridge

Mosquito Bridge

Built 1867

Mosquito Area Map

Mosquito Area Map

SCHOOLS

The Swansboro/Mosquito community lies within the Placerville Union School District, (Serving grades K through 8), and the El Dorado Union High School District (Serving grades 9 through 12).
The Placerville Union School District offers two elementary schools, Louisiana Schnell School (K-5) and Sierra School (K-6). There is one middle school, Edwin Markham School (6-8). Information, school stats, and locations for all three schools can be found on the district web site. El Dorado High School, (Go Cougars !!), has served the Swansboro/Mosquito community for nearly 85 years. Information, school stats, and location can be found on the high school web site.

POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

The Swansboro/Mosquito community is located in the unincorporated area of Placerville. It is located in District 4 of the Board of Supervisors Map. Ron Briggs is the area supervisor. Placerville Parks and Recreation offers many opportunities for the residents to connect, learn, and the use of its many facilities and parks through the City of Placerville. Utilities for this area include: Refuse and recycling pickup through Sierra Disposal and Recycling. Electricity and gas are through PG & E. Water is serviced by El Dorado Irrigation District. Telephone service is through AT & T. Digital Television and Internet services are accessed through Dish Network or Direct TV. Properties located in the Swansboro Subdivisions are subject to CC & R's and Swansboro Country Property Homeowner Association has a dues of approximately $700.00 per year. There are basic restrictions as to residential requirements. Some of the parcels in the area are not located within the subdivision boundaries and therefore not under the guidelines of the CC & R's and/or the HOA. Information on the general plan 2010 is found on the City of Placerville web site. This area is ideal for anybody who loves the outdoors and foothill lifestyle. The area is full of many species of wildlife including, geese, ducks, turkeys, quail, deer and a rare sighting of bear and mountain lions in the more rural settings.

COMPETITION

The most successful agent in the area is Sally Long Johns of Coldwell Banker, Placerville branch. She currently resides in the area and has for nearly 10 years. She currently has 4 listings in the area. She has been in the real estate sales industry for at least the past 12 years. Success has come to her because she is a local resident of the area and her knowledge of it as well. Swansboro Land & Homes is located in the area, with a husband and wife team of Rusty and Debbie Harris, however, they focus more on construction and very little on real estate sales.

CHURCHES/CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

The closest Church organizations are located in Placerville. There are many denominations, some of which are:

Gold Hill Bible Church, 5121 Gold Hill Road, Placerville Ca. 95667 ( 530) 626-4844

Grace Reformed Baptist Church, 1386 Carson Road, Placerville Ca. 95667 (530) 622-5051

St Patrick Catholic Church, Sacramento & Fiske St, Placerville Ca. 95667 (530) 622-0373

Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Placerville, 6831 Mother Lode Dr, Placerville Ca. 95667
(530) 622-2446 ; www.placervillesda.org

First Lutheran Church, 1200 Pinecrest court, Placerville Ca. 95667 (530) 622-3022

Jehovah's Witnesses, 5621 Grassy Run court, Placerville Ca. 95667 (530) 642-0652

(All are well attended.)

Many charitable organizations are located in Placerville as well.

Snowline Hospice of El Dorado County, 670 Placerville Dr, Placerville Ca. 95667 (530) 621-7820
(Their thrift store and delivery site for donations is located at 455 Placerville Dr, Placerville Ca. 95667)

Food Bank of El Dorado County, Broadway, Placerville Ca. 95667 (530) 621-9950

MORE (Mother Lode Rehabiltation Enterprise) 399 Placerville Drive, Placerville Ca. 95667
(530) 622-4848

Community events and meetings take place at the Mosquito Fire Station located at 8801 Rock Creek Road, Mosquito, Ca. 95667. (530) 626-9017
There is a monthly publication called THE MOSQUITO BYTE, 9009 Orval Beckett Court, Placerville Ca. 95667-9040 (530) 626-5268. The cost of subscription is $15.00 per year. There are articles from the local Fire Chief, community event reminders, miscellaneous articles, and a classified section related to local residents.

HOUSING MARKET AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

The market stock is currently running from 80 to 250 days on the market, with a few recently listed within the last 60 days. The cost per square foot on sale homes ranges between $150 and $250. There are currently 16 homes available on the market.

The median household income, as of 2007, in El Dorado County, is $64,256.

The dominant architectural style is a single story ranch home, although there are a few A-frame cabins. There are also a few older homes in the area that are farmhouse style.

Due to the rural nature of the subdivisions and community, there are few commercial developments, other than several small home-based businesses. At this point, there is no future commercial development planned within a 5-8 mile radius.

RESIDENTIAL SURVEY

At a gathering of community members, I was able to gather several reasons why people enjoy living in this area. Many members of the community participate in an outdoor lifestyle and love the close proximity to forested lands. Since the homeowners associations owns 5 lakes throughout the subdivision, there are many opportunities to enjoy fishing, swimming, boating and picnicing year round. The abundance of wildlife, such as deer, turkeys and geese that roam freely, give people the opportunity to view nature in its natural habitat. Living in secluded areas, allow many to enjoy their privacy and yet, still have access to other community minded residents. Another favorite of the local residents is the community functions, such as a summer bar-b-que, used as a fundraiser for the Mosquito Volunteer Fire Department. There are many seasonal events that focus on children, such as a Christmas Party and Easter Egg Hunt. Personally, I love sitting on the deck with a cold adult beverage and listening to the sounds of the birds and deer walking by. Being within a half mile from forest lands and roads, I enjoy riding quads and finding new trails to explore. There are many miles of trails and forest service roads to enjoy.

Seller Profile: Sometimes residents will opt to move closer to town, due to access to convenience items. Some sellers, as they get older, need the proximity to health care and public transportation. Others may not enjoy cold and snowy winters.

Buyer Profile: This community is a great place for any age group, especially for young families. The cost of owning a home in this community is often less expensive than areas closer to Placerville, which makes obtaining homes on at least 2 acres of land more feasible. Oftentimes, retired couples purchase homes because of the secluded area and/or as a second home.

The general census for issues in this community are the travel, due to the winding roads and single-lane bridge that crosses the American River. To get into town, even though it is only 8 miles, takes at least 20-30 minutes traveling Mosquito Road or 35-45 minutes traveling Rock Creek Road. Another issue that has been discussed is the travel in the winter months, as snow is not plowed. Like other rural communities, some consider the free roaming deer a nuisance, since they love anything that is grown, especially vegetable and flower gardens.