Josh Aleda of HP Painting rises above the umbrellas in the parklet at Walnut Avenue Cafe as he puts a fresh coat on lampposts in downtown Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz first installed electric street lighting in 1885, when the Brush Electric Co. lit 40 carbon arc lights along a 5-mile stretch of the city. The lights were hung from 390 poles that were 25-35 feet tall, and the system included 12 miles of wire. The first practical electric streetlights were carbon arc, invented by Humphry Davy in the early 19th century. It was used commercially for street and large building lighting beginning in the 1870s but was replaced by incandescent light bulbs in the early 20th century.
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