"When George Tomi came to Three Rivers in the early 1970s, the biggest local conflict he noticed were scraps between hardened cattle ranchers and a tie-dye-adorned wave of newly arrived hippies. Tomi himself came to town on that wave, hoping to live somewhere slow paced and surrounded by nature. There aren't many hippies left, Tomi said. In fact, there aren't many people left in general."
"If you look up Three Rivers on Airbnb, hundreds of listings, ranging from backyard canvas tents to 11-bedroom riverfront mansions, appear. The town sits a few miles down Highway 198 from the entrance to Sequoia National Park, and for years has been a weekend hotspot for tourists hoping to stay as close to the park as possible while still having access to restaurants, stores and air conditioning."
"The town is bustling in the high season. When I visited on a recent Tuesday afternoon, cars fought for makeshift roadside parking spots and diners packed into restaurants along the riverbank. For an unincorporated community of just over 2,000, the place felt lively - but it was also clear that nearly everyone I saw there would be gone within a few days, myself included."
Three Rivers sits a few miles from Sequoia National Park and features the Kaweah River and surrounding hills. Hundreds of Airbnb listings appear for the town, from backyard tents to 11-bedroom riverfront homes. The town becomes crowded in high season with cars vying for roadside parking and diners filling riverside restaurants, but most visitors stay only a few days. Long-term residents report declining year-round population and many neighboring homes converted to short-term rentals. The influx of short-term rentals has reduced permanent neighbors and increased pressure on local housing, amenities, and community cohesion.
#short-term-rentals #airbnb-proliferation #tourism-near-sequoia-national-park #community-displacement #rural-demographic-change
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