American Canyon: Not just the gateway to Napa

NAPA, Calif. (KTVU) - Sitting on the southern end of Napa Valley, American Canyon is known as the "Gateway to Napa," but the city has an identity all its own.

Pioneer settlers first arrived in American Canyon in the 1850's to work on a railroad expansion in the area, as well as a cement plant which still stands today and where plans for a new town center are in the works.

The area was known as "Napa Junction" through most of the 1900's. It was incorporated in 1992 thanks to voters and then-Napa County supervisor, John Mikolajcik, who is widely considered the "Father of American Canyon."

American Canyon is now home to nearly 21,000 people. Walmart is the city's biggest employer, and the city also has a thriving wine bottling industry, with about 75 million cases bottled, corked and shipped every year.

American Canyon also boasts several big community events, including its 4th of July parade, which attracts hundreds of people every year.