Remote Calif. Town to Finally Get Phone Service

Iowa Hill, Calif., will finally get land-line phone service.

The mountain town of about 150 residents is located between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, but the road there is dangerous and steep. With such a remote location, and so few customers, phone companies were uninterested in hooking up the town. Residents use cell phones, but service is terrifically spotty.

Some residents, like Cathy Morgan, have to drive 1 to 2 miles away from home to make a phone call. Those days should end this spring, when Iowa Hill will get a non-traditional microwave land-line service, thanks to a state grant.