Recent Stories
Jess Romero
The grandchild of immigrants from Sonora and Jalisco, Mexico, Jess Romero was born in Alameda, California in 1960, and grew up here in Napa. Romero’s mother, having grown up in Oakland, didn’t like the rural lifestyle in the Napa Valley, so his…
David Reynoso
David Reynoso grew up in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and moved to Napa from East Los Angeles in 2009. Later that year, he opened Taquería María, named after the Virgin Mary and also his mother Maria. Having grown up in Mexico, he found life as an…
Maria Olvera
Maria Olvera grew up in a traditional family in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and came to the United States in 1983, after her husband had moved here to work. In 1989, Olvera and her fellow hairstylist Rosa Morales opened up Rosemery’s Haircuts,…
Rosa Morales
Rosa Morales was born in Zitacuaro, Michoacán, in Mexico and first came to the United States in 1973. “The experience I had where I grew up is that in my country, there were not many opportunities for success,” Morales explains. “I always had the…
Francisco Matias
Francisco Matias was born in Tecomán, Colima, Mexico and moved to Napa in 1990, when he was five years old. At that age, he was already developing an affinity for martial arts by watching Bruce Lee movies and other action films. After practicing…
Ernesto Martinez
Ernesto Martinez left his home in Mexico City for the Napa Valley at age 16. After spending a few nights sleeping on park benches, he found work as a dishwasher at Brava Terrace. By 2003, he was working as a sous chef at the Culinary Institute of…
Featured Stories
Fagiani's
The building locally known as Fagiani’s was the site of one of Napa’s grizzliest murders and longest running mysteries. It stood shuttered, lost in time for more than thirty years until reopening in…
Napa Register Building
While not Napa’s first newspaper, the Napa Register is without a doubt Napa’s longest running and most influential daily. The building at 1202 First St. is today the site of law offices and a…
Napa Opera House
In June 2002 the Napa Opera House re-opened to great fanfare with a performance of Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. In the Opera House’s return to grandeur and cultural life in Napa, the press…
Take a Tour
Mineral Springs
4 Locations ~ Curated by Napa County LibraryHecho Aquí/Made Here
20 Locations ~ Curated by Napa Valley Latino Heritage CommitteeHistoric Downtown Napa
17 Locations ~ Curated by Napa County LibraryExplore Napa
A project by Napa County LibraryExplore Napa is a free mobile app and website from the Napa County Library that allows you to explore the rich history of Napa County. With Explore Napa you can learn the stories of Napa's everday places and look through a window into the past with historical images and documents. This project was made possible through a NorthNet Library System Innovation Grant. Read more About Us