When Harry Headrick moved into his Rancho Cordova home, he never imagined it would one day become a Pokémon hot spot.
“I need a Pokémon be gone thing,” Headrick said jokingly.
In the past few weeks, at all hours of the day, dozens of people have rolled up right in front of his house looking a specific type of Pokémon.
Headrick’s neighborhood isn’t just a neighborhood with a lot of Pokémon, it’s one that spawns a very specific digital monster, a Dratini.
In the Pokemon Go app, a player must collect the same type of Pokémon multiple times to earn ‘candies’ that help power up and evolve their Pokémon. The allure of the Rancho Cordova neighborhood near Sunrise Boulevard and Douglas Road is that Dratini pop up all over the neighborhood all the time, allowing a player to collect dozens of them in one trip.
“I was there last night and caught 90 within 2.5 hours,” one player posted on popular website Reddit.
Pokemon Go player Jason Chua and his friends drove twenty minutes from Sacramento specifically to catch Dratinis.
“[I] caught about ten each time,” Chua said. “I’ve been here four times,” he added.
Chua and his friends decided to walk the neighborhood, but many people are choosing to stay in their cars as they hunt for the creatures.
Kristen Bennion has noticed the increase in foot and car traffic in the area. She said some neighbors have been turning to neighborhood app Nextdoor to complain, and it’s divided the neighborhood.
“I think some of the neighbors aren’t very happy with all of the traffic that has been, because our neighborhood is always very quiet,” Bennion explained. “There’s a mix in our neighborhood. Some people are for the game and love it and don’t mind all the more people here the better.”
Bennion said the biggest issue is the distracted driving.
“When I have small children who are outside playing that’s when it becomes an issue,” Bennion said.
It’s easy to spot who’s playing the game while driving, according to Headrick.
“You know they drive real slow or they drive super close to the edge and they’re not paying attention,” Headrick added.
The driving and playing Pokémon go seems to be a problem outside of the neighborhood as well. On Wednesday, a road sign was put up on Folsom and Sunrise Boulevards reading “Pokémon Go when driving is a no-no. Minimum $163 fine.”
Headrick and Bennion both love that the game is bringing more people outside, but they just want people to park the car, and leave the car in one spot. If things don’t change, Headrick believes that they’ll only have to put up with it for a little longer.
“It’s a fad,” Headrick said. “I think it’ll be one of those things that’ll be hot for a while and everyone will be like ugh remember Pokémon?”
Neighbors have reached out to the Rancho Cordova Police Department and officers have been seen in the neighborhood at night asking Pokémon Go players to clear out when the parks are closed.