“We’re Losing Our Community”: Short-Term Rentals Are Ruining Three Rivers, Residents Say

In the early 1970s, Three Rivers was a quiet foothill town where cattle ranchers sparred with a wave of tie-dyed newcomers looking for open space and a slower way of life. Back then, the biggest changes came from the clash of cultures. Today, the struggle is more existential: how to balance the demands of millions of tourists drawn to nearby Sequoia National Park with the needs of a community of just over 2,000 people, according to SF Gate.

Three Rivers’ beauty — the tumbling Kaweah River, rolling green hills in spring, and proximity to the park’s giant sequoias — has made it an increasingly popular destination. A quick search on Airbnb turns up hundreds of listings, from canvas tents pitched in backyards to 11-bedroom riverfront mansions. On summer afternoons, visitors line up for frozen yogurt and craft beer, cars squeeze into makeshift roadside parking, and restaurants overflow. The town feels bustling, but nearly everyone visible will be gone in a matter of days.

The SF Gate article says that the constant churn has left many locals uneasy. Residents say the explosion of short-term rentals has eroded neighborhood ties, driven up housing costs, and even led to more encounters with bears rooting through tourist trash. The issue boiled over last year when the Tulare County Board of Supervisors struck down a proposed ordinance that would have set stricter limits on short-term rentals. The rules would have capped occupancy, tightened noise and trash restrictions, and required rental owners — many of whom live hours away in Los Angeles or the Bay Area — to post contact information.

“The trash is all over the place, and we don’t know who to call because the owners are all out of town,” one resident complained at the time. “And the guests come here to party, but that’s secondary to me. The primary one is we’re losing our community.”

For longtime locals, the changes are especially stark in the schools. Nancy Brunson, who has lived in Three Rivers for three decades, remembers when about 250 children were enrolled in the local elementary and middle school. Now, she estimates the number is closer to 70. High schoolers are bused half an hour to Woodlake in the Central Valley, and some traditions — like the annual field trip to San Francisco — have disappeared due to dwindling participation. “It changes the nature of a class tremendously, because the smaller the group of kids, the less diverse of an experience they have,” Brunson said. She ties the decline to the lack of affordable housing for young families, many of whom are priced out by vacation rental demand.

But others see short-term rentals as a lifeline. Cara Brown, who rents out a studio on her property while living in the main house, has hosted guests for nearly a decade. She bristles at the idea that all Airbnb operators are absentee investors. For her and her husband, the extra income makes it possible to stay in their home through retirement. “Nobody wants cheesy hotels,” she said, arguing that tourists sustain local businesses in a town otherwise isolated from major cities.

That doesn’t mean hosts and critics don’t share frustrations. One common grievance is where the money goes. In 2024, Three Rivers generated more than $1.3 million in short-term rental taxes, but because the town is unincorporated, all of it flowed back to Tulare County. Locals say that leaves them without funding for basics like walking paths or beautification projects. “We’re all upset about that,” Brown admitted.

The debate in Three Rivers echoes fights happening across California, from South Lake Tahoe to Santa Barbara, where residents are also pushing for tougher rules on rentals. Yet the stakes feel different here. Three Rivers is relatively isolated, with no neighboring towns to absorb overflow housing needs. Many residents fear the fabric of the community itself is fraying — not just its housing stock.

As Brunson put it, the challenge isn’t whether tourists belong in Three Rivers. It’s whether families still do.