For most Americans, life without a car is unthinkable. However, tucked away in a small harbor town in California lies an island community where there’s a 25-year waiting list for a permit to own one. The 3,000 residents of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island have built themselves a paradise that’s a stark contrast to the chaotic 12-lane freeways that are commonplace is nearby Los Angeles. Avalon is, in fact, the only city in California that puts strict limits on the number of cars on its road. Even if you’re approved to have a residential vehicle, you’ll then face restrictions on the size of it. A “full-size” vehicle can measure no more than 200 inches in length — including the bumpers — and 80 inches in width. Most full-sized SUVs and mid-sized trucks are far longer than 200 inches. That’s why most residents have settled for having golf carts as their primary mode of transportation. There are no gas stations in Avalon, as well as no highways, no drive-thrus, and no exhaust fumes. In fact, the only large vehicles that can be found in Avalon are cruise ships. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are typically the days when the giant luxury liners loom over the smaller sailboats and other watercraft that dot the city’s semi-circle harbor. Cruise ships dock nearly a mile out, and passengers are then ferried to shore by smaller boats. Their arrival can double the population of the city in a matter of minutes. Before the era of cruise ships, Catalina was an island that functioned almost as an exclusive getaway for the celebrities of Hollywood, including Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and Clark Gable, who were regular visitors. So, if you want to make Avalon your home, make sure you have time to wait for a car permit.
