An Open Letter to Craigslist

Dear Craig,

I wanted to let you know that Pomona, California is not part of the Inland Empire. Yet Pomona ads appear in the Inland Empire Section of Craigslist, right beside ads from Victorville and Menifee. Pomona is nowhere near these other cities, because - as I said above - Pomona is not part of the Inland Empire.

Neither is Pomona part of the San Gabriel Valley, which is the furthest west category of the Los Angeles section of Craigslist. Yet, people are also forced to stick ads for Pomona there. The San Gabriel Valley ends at the Covinas, just west of Pomona. Perhaps the confusion is because Pomona is still in Los Angeles County even though hills separate us from the San Gabriel Valley. Another challenge is that Pomona can be found in what is called the Inland Valley: an incredibly boring and generic name for a valley. Other cities in the Inland Valley include Pomona's stepsisters La Verne, Claremont, Chino Hills, Montclair, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga (kind of a wobbler) and Chino Flats.

To live here is to know this is a very distinct area, NOT the Inland Empire, NOT the San Gabriel Valley, but SOMEWHERE all the same. Yet on Craigslist, we don't exist. There are lots of people who sell cars here, look for jobs here and give away free stuff here. In Pomona, we especially like the free stuff. But I digress...

Craig, can you please give us our own distinct category on Craigslist, so that we don't have to search both the Los Angeles version and the Inland Empire version to find ourselves? Your current location offerings are giving us an identity complex, in addition to doubling the time it takes for us to find something to buy, drive or a place to work. I assure you this new proposed Craigslist section will be healthy and active.

Sincerely,

The Goddess East of the San Gabriel Valley and West of the Inland Empire

P.S. One of the first items I sold off Craigslist was Mr. Big's train table. After I told him it had sold, Mr. Big asked me when Craig was coming by to get it. Mr. Big was still kind of confused when a mother from Claremont showed up instead, but after selling some of his own stuff on Craiglist, he definitely gets the concept now.

P.S.S. Why isn't there a direct email address for Craig of Craiglist anywhere on the internet?