California City was supposed to be the “the map that precedes the territory […] that engenders the territory” — Nat Mendelsohn’s dream of a hyperreal Los Angeles.

My family actually bought land in California City. At one point the city, probably in conjunction with developers or the like, held an auction to sell-off the land you observed all grid-like in fashion.

To-date the land is worthless. It has appreciated only in so far as inflation has allowed. They bought into the dream that this place would grow into a Mecca destination. For my parents, investing in this land was no small thing. They were immigrants from India newly appointed to the American lifestyle.

Their investment was made at considerable cost to their overall income at the time and I wonder how many other immigrants were sold the same dream? Since then, my parents have made many better investments; for the village saying goes the wisest make the most mistakes but learns from every. In this case of California City, my parents’ investment could be thought of has an investment in learning — learning what is and is not a good investment.