The stunning mountain town with no ski resort, no stoplights, no Starbucks - and where a dog named Max is mayor

A small California mountain town has become a popular place to visit after setting itself apart from other neighboring tourist hotspots. 

Idyllwild, which is located in the San Jacinto Mountains around two hours from Los Angeles and boasts a population of just 4,000 people, has no ski resort, no Starbucks and no stoplights, SFGate reported. 

Chris Perreault, a a 30-year resident and volunteer with the Idyllwild Area Historical Society, told the outlet: I very much think that we like it that way. We like being little. We like being different. We like not being huge. 

But what is even more unusual about the town is that it is governed by a young golden retriever. 

Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller III, also known as Mayor Max, is the third official animal mayor of Idyllwild.

Phyllis Mueller, 72, and her husband, Glen Warren, 59, serve as the mayors co-chiefs of staff and caretakers. 

Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller III, also known as Mayor Max, is the third official animal mayor of Idyllwild, California

Phyllis Mueller, 72, and her husband, Glen Warren, 59, serve as the mayor’s co-chiefs of staff and caretakers

Maxs appointment is a part of a tradition that began back in 2012, when a group named Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends started a fundraiser to elect a mayor without any human candidates. 

We don’t have local politicians except for Mayor Max. If we need something done, we create a group and get it done, Mueller told The Hollywood Reporter. 

Local political decisions in the unincorporated town, which is nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains towering over Palm Springs, are handled by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

The mayors out in the public every day and on weekends. We just do kind and loving things for people. But we do it all day long, Mueller added.

To participate in the election, voters are required to be residents of Idyllwild or the nearby towns of Fern Valley, Pine Cove or Mountain Center and pay a dollar. 

Max successfully defeated 13 other dogs and two cats with 21,132 votes - while raising over $31,000. 

Mueller also added that with Maxs nonpartisan election and unique role, the town is seeing greater political interest and event turnout. 

Meadow Mighty-Dog Mueller (right), Mayor Maxs sister from the same litter, also acts as vice mayor of Idyllwild

Local political decisions in the unincorporated town, which is nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains towering over Palm Springs, are handled by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors 

Max successfully defeated 13 other dogs and two cats with 21,132 votes - while raising over $31,000

When you become the president of the United States, half the people in the country hate you on the first day - thats not fun,

But it would be fun to be able to create a mayoral office without anybody pushing an agenda on you that you have to be one way or another.

If I were mayor of Idyllwild and I told people that I was going to be downtown at 2pm to meet the people, most people wouldnt come and they certainly wouldnt come every day. 

If I publish that Mayor Max is going to be downtown at 2pm, hundreds of people will come because it’s interesting and unusual to see a dog as a mayor, she told the Los Angeles Times.

Mayor Max usually makes public appearances in downtown Idyllwild on Thursdays, Fridays and weekends, while his calendar is filled with private appearances at schools, nursing homes, hospice organizations and businesses year-round. 

To participate in the election, voters are required to be residents of Idyllwild or the nearby towns of Fern Valley, Pine Cove or Mountain Center and pay a dollar

The current mayor, Maximus III, began his term on December 9, 2022 at the age of three months and remains in office

Max also stops by birthday parties and weddings, said Mueller, who manages to hand out over 12,000 novelty neckties and around 10,000 Mayor Max calendars in a year. 

Taylor Brechtel, owner/curator of Recht Gallery, noted: Just by having his support, having his draw here, will bring more people to the gallery and help spread the word about the gallery in this community of Idyllwild so Im grateful.

The dog is the third Max to be mayor. 

The first Mayor Max, who was elected on July 1, 2012, was soon diagnosed with cancer and was put down in April 2013. 

Mueller and Warren then adopted another purebred golden retriever, who was named Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II. 

The first Mayor Max, who was elected on July 1, 2012, was diagnosed with cancer and was put down in April 2013

Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II took office as a two-month-old and ended his term at the age of nine, when he was diagnosed with cancer

Maximus II took office as a two-month-old and ended his term at the age of nine, when he was diagnosed with cancer. 

The current mayor, Maximus III, began his term on December 9, 2022 at the age of three months and remains in office. 

Meadow Mighty-Dog Mueller, his sister from the same litter, also acts as vice mayor of Idyllwild. 

Mayor Max III is a labor of love for me and were not going anywhere as long as hes loved and adored the way he is, Mueller said. As long as we believe that we’re really helping so many people around the globe live a happier life, I’m not going to end it.