unWired Community Spotlight: Lodi, CA

unWired Community Spotlight is a series highlighting the communities that make Central California a great place to live. unWired is proud to provide fast and reliable Internet to homes and businesses in Lodi and the surrounding areas.

Like many Central California towns, Lodi was originally settled in the mid-1800s along the Central Pacific Railroad, originally beginning with just 12 acres of land. Although there are several theories surrounding where Lodi got its name, the most likely one is that some of the original families that settled in Lodi were from Lodi, Illinois. The city of Lodi was officially recognized in 1906.

Lodi is perhaps most famous for being a wine-growing appellation with over 100,000 acres of vineyards in the surrounding areas. Many vineyards have century old grapevines, as grapes have been growing in Lodi since as early as the 1850s. The Lodi region originally produced cheaper wines, but in recent years, has been lauded as a more prestigious wine region, especially for the Zinfandel variety. The region’s increasing popularity is thanks in part to being awarded Wine Region of the Year in 2015 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Grapes aren’t the only crop grown in Lodi! Other top crops in the area include almonds, dairy and walnuts. San Joaquin County, where Lodi is located, is one of the top 10 ag-producing counties in the country.

Lodi is also the birthplace of A&W Root Beer, which was first served at a hot dog stand at a World War I veterans’ parade in 1919. Popularity quickly grew and root beer stands opened up in nearby Stockton and Sacramento shortly after. A&W went on to be one of the first franchised restaurants in the US and has since grown to over 900 locations in US, Australia and Southeast Asia. You can find a plaque in downtown Lodi commemorating the spot where A&W root beer was first served.

Photo source: www.visitlodi.com

About unWired Broadband

unWired Broadband is the leading Internet provider for rural and underserved areas in Central and Northern California. Their network includes over 200 towers connecting communities that have been ignored by cable and fiber Internet providers. Since their inception in 2003, they have expanded their connectivity suite to also include redundancy solutions, a data center and most recently, fiber Internet.