Climate Best History

  Hours

Beginning Monday, March 5, 2007:

• Mon - Thurs: 12-6 PM
• Fri - Sun: closed

By Appointment:
inquire at 650-780-7030

In the 1920's, early residents of Redwood City sensed tremendous opportunities for the growth and success of their city. The population was doubling and attracting businesses became a major goal of the city's leaders.

The Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Board each sponsored contests to find a slogan to represent and publicize the city's finest qualities, but it was the Real Estate Board which produced the winner. In 1925, the Board awarded Wilbur H. Doxsee a prize of $10 for his entry: "By Government Test, Our Climate is Best." This was later shortened to read: "Climate Best By Government Test" and placed with pride on the city's signs for all to see.

So who exactly performed this government test? Starting before World War I, the United States and German governments began conducting climate surveys and gathering meteorological data. Their findings revealed Redwood City to be at the center of one of the world's three best climates (The other two? The Canary Islands and the Mediterranean Coast of North Africa). These findings were printed by local newspapers and read by a happy public delighted to discover their climate to be the best by government test.

For more information, news clippings, and photos, please visit the local history archives at the Redwood City Public Library. For a thorough and fascinating review of this story, ask for The Sign of Our Times Project by Dr. Jeffrey K. Filippi.