San Luis Obispo County, California

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County of San Luis Obispo
—  County  —

Seal
Motto: Not For Ourselves Alone
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country  United States
State  California
Region California Central Coast
Incorporated February 18, 1850[1]
County seat San Luis Obispo
Area
 • Total 9,364.2 km2 (3,615.54 sq mi)
 • Land 8,558.1 km2 (3,304.32 sq mi)
 • Water 806.1 km2 (311.22 sq mi)
Population (2010)
 • Total 269,637
 • Density Bad rounding here29/km2 (Bad rounding here75/sq mi)
Time zone Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Website www.slocounty.ca.gov

San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637. The county seat is San Luis Obispo, with about 46,000 residents.

The county's distance from the large metro areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles has helped it to retain its rural character and reminders of old California abound. Commonly referred to as "the Central Coast," the area is more rural and agricultural than many other coastal regions in California. Father Junipero Serra founded the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in 1772 and the Mission is today an active part of downtown San Luis Obispo (popularly referred to as SLO or SLO-town). The small size of the county's communities, scattered along the beaches, coastal hills, and mountains of the Santa Lucia range, provides a wide variety of coastal and inland hill ecologies to support many kinds of fishing, agriculture, and tourist activities.

The mainstays of the economy are California Polytechnic State University with its almost 20,000 students, tourism, and agriculture. San Luis Obispo County is the third largest producer of wine in California, surpassed only by Sonoma and Napa Counties. Wine grapes are by far the largest agricultural crop in the county, and the wine production they support creates a direct economic impact and a growing wine country vacation industry.

The town of San Simeon is located at the foot of the hill where newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst built the famed Hearst Castle. Other coastal towns (listed from North to South) include Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, and Los Osos (Baywood Park is considered to be Los Osos by the majority of locals). The city of Morro Bay and the village of Los Osos share the bay that has been made famous by Morro Rock. Surprisingly, the Village of Los Osos has a bigger population by roughly 4 thousand residents. These cities and villages are located northwest of San Luis Obispo city, and Avila Beach and the Five Cities to the south: Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Oceano, Pismo Beach and Shell Beach. Nipomo, just south of the Five Cities, borders northern Santa Barbara County. Inland, the cities of Paso Robles, Templeton, and Atascadero lie along the Salinas River, near the Paso Robles wine region. San Luis Obispo lies south of Atascadero and north of the Five Cities region. Just south of Cambria lies Harmony, one of the smallest towns in California with a population of 18.

Contents

History [edit]

The prehistory of San Luis Obispo County is strongly influenced by the Chumash people who had significant settlement here at least as early as the Millingstone Horizon thousands of years before the present age. Important settlements existed, for example, in many coastal areas such as Morro Bay and Los Osos.[2][3]

The entrance lobby and belfry of the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. A statue of Fray Junípero Serra stands outside the church.

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded on September 1, 1772 in the area that is now the city of San Luis Obispo.

San Luis Obispo County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.

The Salinas River Valley, a region that figures strongly in several Steinbeck novels, stretches north from San Luis Obispo County. The remote California Valley near Soda Lake is the region most untouched by modernity. Travels through this area and the hills east of highway 101 during wildflower season are very beautiful and can be incorporated with wine tasting at local vineyards.

On December 7, 1987, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashed in San Luis Obisop County after a passenger shot 5 people on board, including the pilots, then intentionally crashed the plane. All 43 on board, including the gunman, were killed.

Geography [edit]

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 3,615.54 square miles (9,364.2 km2), of which 3,304.32 square miles (8,558.1 km2) (or 91.39%) is land and 311.22 square miles (806.1 km2) (or 8.61%) is water.[4]

San Luis Obispo
Sand dunes - Oceano CA
Avila Pier
Morro Bay Docks

Incorporated Cities [edit]

Unincorporated Census-designated places [edit]

Unincorporated Communities not Census Designated Places [edit]

Adjacent counties [edit]

Counties and bodies of water adjacent to San Luis Obispo County, California

National protected areas [edit]

Marine Protected Areas [edit]

Transportation Infrastructure [edit]

Major highways [edit]

Public transportation [edit]

San Luis Obispo County is served by Amtrak trains and Greyhound Lines buses. The San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority provides countywide service along US 101 as well as service to Morro Bay, Los Osos, Cambria and San Simeon.

The cities of San Luis Obispo, Atascadero and Paso Robles operate their own local bus services; all of these connect with SLORTA routes.

Intercity service is provided by Amtrak trains, Greyhound and Orange Belt Stages buses.

Airports [edit]

Politics [edit]

San Luis Obispo County vote
by party in presidential elections
Year GOP DEM Others
2012 48.0% 59,967 49.0% 61,258 3.0% 3,741
2008 46.1% 61,055 51.4% 68,176 2.0% 3,924
2004 52.7% 67,995 45.5% 58,742 1.8% 2,313
2000 52.2% 56,859 40.9% 44,526 6.9% 7,501
1996 46.5% 46,733 40.2% 40,395 13.3% 13,372
1992 34.7% 36,384 38.4% 40,136 26.9% 28,099
1988 55.9% 46,613 42.7% 35,667 1.4% 1,187
1984 63.7% 49,035 35.0% 26,946 1.3% 969
1980 55.6% 38,631 29.5% 20,508 14.9% 10,388
1976 51.2% 27,785 45.9% 24,926 2.9% 1,587
1972 56.0% 28,566 40.7% 20,779 3.3% 1,688
1968 51.3% 19,420 41.8% 15,828 7.0% 2,633
1964 40.1% 14,906 59.8% 22,252 0.1% 28
1960 54.0% 17,862 45.3% 14,975 0.7% 218
1956 58.5% 16,223 41.1% 11,407 0.4% 118
1952 65.4% 17,716 33.9% 9,174 0.8% 213
1948 53.5% 10,325 42.1% 8,135 4.4% 844
1944 48.9% 7,793 50.6% 8,068 0.5% 75
1940 45.3% 7,204 53.4% 8,499 1.4% 217
1936 37.3% 4,812 61.1% 7,889 1.6% 205
1932 28.6% 3,449 65.8% 7,933 5.6% 680
1928 60.8% 5,425 37.4% 3,336 1.8% 159
1924 49.0% 3,804 9.4% 731 41.6% 3,226
1920 61.3% 4,123 23.9% 1,606 14.8% 996

San Luis Obispo County, as a whole, leans toward the Republican Party in presidential and congressional elections. In 2008, however, Barack Obama won the county with 51.2 percent of the vote.[5] Prior to 2008, the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In 2012, Obama again won the county, this time with a slim plurality of the vote.

San Luis Obispo County is included in California's 24th congressional district and is represented by Democrat Lois Capps. In the state legislature, the county is part of the 35th Assembly district, which is represented by Republican Katcho Achadjian, and the 17th Senate district, represented by Democrat Bill Monning.

In April 2008, the California Secretary of State reported that there were 147,326 registered voters in San Luis Obispo County. Of those voters, 61,226 (41.6%) were registered Republicans, 52,586 (35.7%) were registered Democratic, 8,030 (5.4%) are registered with other political parties, and 25,484 (17.3%) declined to state a political preference. The cities of Grover Beach, Morro Bay, and San Luis Obispo had pluralities or majorities of registered Democratic voters, whereas the rest of the county's towns, cities, and the unincorporated areas have a plurality or majority of registered Republican voters.[citation needed]

Economy [edit]

San Luis Obispo County’s economy is primarily a service economy. Service jobs account for 38% of the County’s jobs, government jobs accounts for 20.7%, and manufacturing jobs represent 6% of the County's jobs.

Demographics [edit]

2010 [edit]

The 2010 United States Census reported that San Luis Obispo County had a population of 269,637. The racial makeup of San Luis Obispo County was 222,756 (82.6%) White, 5,550 (2.1%) African American, 2,536 (0.9%) Native American, 8,507 (3.2%) Asian (1.0% Filipino, 0.6% Chinese, 0.4% Japanese, 0.3% Indian, 0.3% Korean, 0.2% Vietnamese), 389 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 19,786 (7.3%) from other races, and 10,113 (3.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 55,973 persons (20.8%); 17.7% of San Luis Obispo County is Mexican, 0.3% Puerto Rican, and 0.2% Salvadoran.[6]

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County
Total
Population
White
African
American
Native
American
Asian
Pacific
Islander
other
races
two or
more races
Hispanic
or Latino
(of any race)
San Luis Obispo County 269,637 222,756 5,550 2,536 8,507 389 19,786 10,113 55,973
Incorporated
cities
Total
Population
White
African
American
Native
American
Asian
Pacific
Islander
other
races
two or
more races
Hispanic
or Latino
(of any race)
Arroyo Grande 17,252 14,710 156 125 595 14 856 796 2,707
Atascadero 28,310 24,457 585 295 685 57 1,205 1,026 4,429
Grover Beach 13,156 9,964 146 186 542 35 1,582 701 3,840
Morro Bay 10,234 8,909 44 92 258 9 613 309 1,526
Paso Robles 29,793 23,158 622 297 593 56 3,916 1,151 10,275
Pismo Beach 7,655 6,976 50 41 203 11 170 204 715
San Luis Obispo 45,119 38,117 523 275 2,350 65 1,973 1,816 6,626
Census-designated
places
Total
Population
White
African
American
Native
American
Asian
Pacific
Islander
other
races
two or
more races
Hispanic
or Latino
(of any race)
Avila Beach 1,627 1,507 13 7 33 0 34 33 111
Blacklake 930 865 8 7 24 0 14 12 70
Callender 1,262 1,003 7 22 48 0 128 54 355
Cambria 6,032 5,166 18 47 78 14 557 152 1,187
Cayucos 2,592 2,366 6 12 54 8 57 89 207
Creston 94 89 0 2 1 0 0 2 6
Edna 193 185 0 3 0 0 5 0 22
Garden Farms 386 348 2 2 5 0 21 8 40
Lake Nacimiento 2,411 2,153 12 44 24 5 75 98 256
Los Berros 641 527 4 1 12 1 45 51 153
Los Osos 14,276 12,304 79 97 748 18 552 478 1,977
Los Ranchos 1,477 1,389 1 2 31 0 18 36 58
Nipomo 16,714 12,281 177 200 421 33 2,821 781 6,645
Oak Shores 337 318 3 2 4 0 4 6 31
Oceano 7,286 5,105 62 120 165 7 1,509 318 3,484
San Miguel 2,336 1,638 65 58 19 1 474 81 1,196
San Simeon 462 270 4 5 9 2 160 12 258
Santa Margarita 1,259 1,077 8 28 34 0 42 70 206
Shandon 1,295 840 34 18 7 2 352 42 693
Templeton 7,674 6,833 59 80 123 10 337 232 1,171
Whitley Gardens 285 260 1 6 1 0 13 4 43
Woodlands 576 541 7 0 18 1 3 6 27
Unincorporated
communities
Total
Population
White
African
American
Native
American
Asian
Pacific
Islander
other
races
two or
more races
Hispanic
or Latino
(of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined) 47,973 39,400 2,854 462 1,422 40 2,250 1,545 7,659

2000 [edit]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1850 336
—
1860 1,782 430.4%
1870 4,772 167.8%
1880 9,142 91.6%
1890 16,072 75.8%
1900 16,637 3.5%
1910 19,383 16.5%
1920 21,893 12.9%
1930 29,613 35.3%
1940 33,246 12.3%
1950 51,417 54.7%
1960 81,044 57.6%
1970 105,690 30.4%
1980 155,435 47.1%
1990 217,162 39.7%
2000 246,681 13.6%
2010 269,637 9.3%
[7][8][9]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 246,681 residents, 92,739 households, and 58,611 families in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 102,275 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.6% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.2% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. 16.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.9% were of German, 11.4% English, 9.7% Irish, 6.1% American and 5.7% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 85.7% spoke English and 10.7% Spanish as their first language.

There were 92,739 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.40% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,428, and the median income for a family was $52,447. Males had a median income of $40,726 versus $27,450 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,864. About 6.8% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

See also [edit]

Portal icon California portal

Footnotes [edit]

  1. ^ "Chronology". California Counties. California State Association of Counties. Retrieved 2012-05-14. 
  2. ^ Terry L. Jones and Kathryn Klar (2007) California Prehistory: Colonization, Culture, and Complexity, Published by Rowman Altamira ISBN 0-7591-0872-2, 408 pages
  3. ^ C.Michael Hogan (2008) Morro Creek, ed. by A. Burnham
  4. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
  5. ^ Map of Election Results, County-by-County: The New York Times
  6. ^ "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau. 
  7. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/ca190090.txt
  8. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov
  9. ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
  10. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

Further reading [edit]

External links [edit]

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Coordinates: 35°23′N 120°27′W / 35.38°N 120.45°W / 35.38; -120.45

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