Letter to the Editor: Zoos are named after the city of location

Posted by Letter to Editor | Sep 10, 2025

Dear Editor,

Where, actually, is the Central Coast? Nobody knows for sure, and it is impossible to pinpoint it on a map. Our Zoo is located in Atascadero, it is owned by Atascadero, it is financed by Atascadero, is located on Atascadero property along with the Atascadero Lake, Lake Park, Lake Pavilion, Lake Bandstand, Veterans Memorial and even the Atascadero Kawanis. All zoos are named after the city of location, so why not ours? Our identity, location and history was stolen, and we want it back now or put in on the ballot for the people to decide. And who is “we”? We are the Friends of the Atascadero Zoo and the Paddock and Bishop Families. Atascadero is the only legitimate name for our zoo, so the time to correct this horrible decision is now!

Rolfe Nelson