Where the Old West Still Hangs Around

Paso Robles. It’s not on the Emigrant Trail. Not even the old Chisholm Trail. It was more than a thousand miles from Dodge City. Locals never saw Billy the Kid. The town owns only one covered wagon. But just because it is halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, don’t sell it short on the spirit of the Old West. It still hangs around. Western Horseman magazine ranks Paso Robles among the nation’s top ten small towns that continue to honor their horse, cattle and cowboy heritage. That list includes towns of cowboy charm and rodeo fame like Sheridan, Wyoming; Elko, Nevada; and Pendleton, Oregon.