Groveland, CA

Groveland is the Tuolumne County community on the Highway 120 approach to Yosemite, with Big Oak Flat and Pine Mountain Lake close enough to share the same mountain orbit. The older CDP name, Groveland-Big Oak Flat, reflected that cluster; after the CDP was retired before the 2010 census, Groveland and Pine Mountain Lake became separate census-designated places. On the ground, the connection still makes sense: Groveland's Main Street is the service and gathering strip for a spread-out foothill area, while Highway 120 continues toward Yosemite and the Stanislaus National Forest.

ATTRDon Ramey Logan / CC BY 4.0

September brings the annual 49er Festival to Main Street and Mary Laveroni Park, with a parade, local food and drink, makers, music, and a community auction. The event's Gold Rush theme ties the town to Tuolumne County's history before statehood, while its vendors and performers come from across the county. The Yosemite Chamber and local nonprofits use the festival to support the highway gateway and local projects, so the event works as a meeting point for the wider area. That is the Groveland giveaway: Big Oak Flat, Pine Mountain Lake, Yosemite traffic, and one September parade all meet on the same Main Street.