Otherwise a mere clod: California rural electrification

Rural electrification reached a highly developed stage in California by the mid-1920s. Farmers tried hydroelectric power, early power companies saw and exploited rural profit potentials, and farming interests assisted in developing the rural market. Elsewhere in the nation, electricity remained an urban phenomenon well into the 1940s. An explanation is given of how and why California accomplished significant rural electrification prior to the rest of the United States. Various reasons considered for this phenomenon include: the location of waterpower sites in relation to population centers, shortages and conservation of other energy resources, technical choices in electric power transmission, economic incentives and load building choices made by power companies, and both private and public support of rural electrification. It is noted that actual rural uses of electricity were also varied, with irrigation and reclamation providing the heaviest electric loads.<>