Small Town Way Of Life Phased Out; Canyon Post Office Faces Closure
CANYON (KCBS)— There are paved roads in Canyon, California. In fact there are two of them. Otherwise, you're pretty much on your own. There's signs posted that say the speed limit is 5 mph.
It's a hardy community of folks with about 100 families, nestled in between Piedmont and Montclair, in the western most part of Contra Costa at the border of Alameda County.
There's no cable, spotty cell-phone coverage, but there is the post office where residents let themselves in to check their mail.
"You have to want to live here because there are no other services. Everything out here is done by yourself," said resident David Chellner.
The post office here serves as more than just a place to collect letters. It's the place people gather to talk, share gossip and find out the news. But changes are coming. The longtime and beloved postmaster is about to lose her job because it's being phased out.
Hours are being reduced, and fears are it will soon be closed for good leaving residents to have to go to the post office in Moraga, five miles away.
The post office says nothing is certain; the situation is all under review. Residents of Canyon don't believe it and fear the worst. The campaign to save it is furious, because without it, some believe a way of life will die, too.