Betteravia, California

Betteravia was a company town founded on the former Rancho Punta de Laguna around the turn of the 20th century and existed for nearly ninety years.

[2] At one time this community supported a population of 350 residents, the vast majority of whom were employed by the Union Sugar Company, now a part of Sara Lee Corporation.

The community consisted of 65 cottages, a hotel, a church, a schoolhouse, a post office, an amusement hall, a general store, a gasoline station, and a fire department.

[3] In the early 1960s, the Union Sugar Company decided it no longer wanted to maintain the increasingly old infrastructure of the community and gave notice to all residents to evacuate.

[4][5][6] On September 8, 2008, the Santa Maria Valley Railroad moved its corporate office and yard operations to the former Union Sugar site.