South Placer County has long been considered a good place to settle down and raise a family. Likewise, some companies are finding it to be a great place to settle down and raise a business.

When Kevin Marshall co-founded a real estate valuation firm in 2001, his first order of business was to bust down the walls.

When Jim and Diane Williams were forced to admit their age, they also had to admit that many things they took for granted in their younger years now needed a little more attention and discipline.

California might be facing a long-term nursing shortage of epic proportions, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find a job. Blame it on the Great Recession, but for new nurses it’s harder than ever to get a foot in the employment door.

Let the economists make all the predictions they like about 2011. It’s the businesses of California that have their budgets on the line.

If you’ve ever had to plan an office move, or even live through one, consider the challenge of doing 10 to 20 at the same time. That’s the task facing architects, construction companies and interior designers when governments consolidate far-flung operations under a single roof.

If everything goes as planned, the newest phase of the K Street redevelopment effort will open for business late next month off 10th Street, bringing a pizza place, dance club and  “dive bar” stocked with costumed mermaids and mermen to the downtown mix.