San Luis Obispo, California

City of San Luis Obispo
City
The city of San Luis Obispo looking east from the top of Bishop Peak.
Flag Official seal of City of San Luis Obispo Seal
Nickname:  SLO
Location in San Luis Obispo County and the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Luis Obispo
Incorporated	February 16, 1856
Government
• Mayor	Jan Howell Marx
• State Senate	Sam Blakeslee (R)
• State Assembly	Katcho Achadjian
Area
• Total	12.930 sq mi (33.489 km2)
• Land	12.777 sq mi (33.093 km2)
• Water	0.153 sq mi (0.396 km2)  1.18%
Elevation	233 ft (71 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	45,119
• Density	3,500/sq mi (1,300/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	93401-93403, 93405-93410, 93412
Area code	805
FIPS code	06-68154
GNIS feature ID	1652788
Website	http://www.slocity.org/

San Luis Obispo (/sæn ˈluːɪs ˈbɪspoʊ/; Spanish for St. Louis, the Bishop) is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities. The city, referred to locally as San Luis or SLO, and is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University. It has been referred to as "the happiest city in America" by Oprah Winfrey and the National Geographic book Thrive by Dan Buettner. The population was 45,119 at the 2010 census.

History

The City in 1876

Earliest human inhabitants of the local area were the Chumash peoples. One of the earliest villages lies south of San Luis Obispo, and reflects the landscape of the early Holocene when estuaries came farther inland and sea levels were higher. These Chumash people exploited marine resources of the inlets and bays along the Central Coast and inhabited a network of villages including sites at Los Osos and Morro Creek.

During the Spanish Empire expansion throughout the world, specifically in 1769, Spanish Franciscan Junipero Serra, received orders from Spain to bring the Catholic faith to the Natives of Alta California, the idea was to unify the empire under the same religion and language. Mission San Diego was the first Spanish mission founded in Alta California that same year.

On September 7–8, 1769 Gaspar de Portola traveled through the San Luis Obispo area on his way to rediscover the Monterey Bay. The expedition’s diarist, Padre Juan Crespi, recorded the name given to this area by the soldiers as llano de los Osos, or the level of the bears (Bear Plain) as this was an area with an abundance of bears. Since then, various translations of the Crespi Diary have called this area La Cañada de Los Osos (The track of the Bears) which has been further mistranslated as the Valley of the Bears. In 1770, Junipero Serra founded the second mission, San Carlos Borremeo, in Monterey which was moved to Carmel the following year. As supplies dwindled in 1772 at the then four missions, the people faced starvation. Remembering the Valley of the Bears, a hunting expedition was sent to bring back food in the summer of 1772. Over 25 mule loads of dried bear meat and seed was sent north to relieve the missionaries, soldiers, and neophytes (baptized Natives). The Natives were impressed at the ease by which the Spaniards could take down the huge grizzlies with their weapons. Some of the meat was traded with the local people in exchange for edible seed. It was after this that Junipero Serra decided that La Cañada de Los Osos would be an ideal place for the fifth mission. The area had abundant supplies of food and water, the climate was also very mild, and the local Chumash were very friendly. With soldiers, muleteers, and pack animals carrying mission supplies, Junipero Serra set out on a journey to reach the Valley of the Bears. On September 1, 1772, Junipero Serra celebrated the first Mass with a cross erected near San Luis Creek. The very next day, he departed for San Diego leaving Fr. Jose Cavaller, with the difficult task of building the mission. Fr. Jose Cavaller, five soldiers and two neophytes began building what is today called Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and would become later the town of San Luis Obispo.

After Junipero Serra left, the difficult task of actually building the mission remained. The mission was built with adobe and tile structures. The mission included: the church, the priest's residence, the convento, the storerooms, residences for single women and families from Spain, soldiers' barracks, and mills. The mission also had land for farming and raising livestock, as the whole community of priests, Natives and soldiers needed to produce goods for their own livelihood.

When the Mexican War for Independence from Spain broke out in 1810, all California missions were virtually self-sufficient, receiving few funds from Spain.

With the independence from Spain there was little left of the thriving community of earlier times. Soon after Mexico won her independence from Spain (1821), the Missions were secularized by the Mexican Government. However, the community remained in the same location of what is today San Luis Obispo.

San Luis Obispo once had a burgeoning Chinatown in the vicinity of Palm St. and Chorro St. Laborers were brought from China by Ah Louis in order to construct the Pacific Coast Railway, roads connecting San Luis Obispo to Paso Robles and Paso Robles to Cambria, and also the 1884 to 1894 tunneling through Cuesta Ridge for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The town's Chinatown revolved around Ah Louis Store and other Palm Street businesses owned and run by Chinese business people. Today, Mee Heng Low chop suey shop is all that remains of the culture, although a slightly Chinatown-themed commercial development is being planned. A display of some of the unearthed relics from this period can be seen on the first floor of the Palm Street parking garage, which was built over the location where Chinatown once stood. The San Luis Obispo Historical Society (adjacent to the Mission) also contains rotating historical exhibits.

San Luis Obispo was also a popular stop on both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 with the rise of car culture. Due to its popularity as a stop, it was the location of the first motel, the Milestone Mo-Tel.

Among San Luis Obispo's historical buildings is the former San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library, located at 696 Monterey Street. The San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library was built in 1905 with a grant of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie, who funded the establishment of 142 California libraries in the early 1900s. The Romanesque style building was designed by architect W.H.Weeks of Watsonville, California and was built by contractor Joseph Maino of San Luis Obispo. As one of numerous California public buildings designed by W. H. Weeks, it shares features with Carnegie libraries in nearby Lompoc and Paso Robles. The San Luis Obispo Carnegie building served as the city library until 1955, when a new public library was built at the corner of Palm and Morro Streets. It has been home to the San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum since 1956. The Carnegie Library building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

San Luis Obispo's largest and oldest voluntary organization is the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, which also is the oldest and largest voluntary organization in San Luis Obispo County. As an independent non-profit corporation (not affiliated with government or any other agency), the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce uniquely serves the needs of its 1,400 members. For more than 105 years, it has been dedicated to enhancing the economic health of the San Luis Obispo area and the prosperity of its members.

Geography

San Luis Obispo is located at 35°16'27" North, 120°39'47" West (35.274305, −120.663192).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.93 square miles (33.5 km²), of which, 12.78 square miles (33.1 km²) of it is land and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km²) of it (1.18%) is water.

San Luis Obispo is on the West Coast of the United States and in the Central Coast of California. The Pacific Ocean is only about 11 miles (18 km) west of San Luis Obispo. The Santa Lucia Mountains lie just east of San Luis Obispo.

San Luis Obispo is a seismically active area; there are a number of nearby faults including the San Andreas Fault. The Nine Sisters are a string of hills that partially run through San Luis Obispo. They are geologically noteworthy for being volcanic plugs. Six of the nine peaks are open to the public for recreation.

360° panorama of Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo, CA taken from the top of Poly Canyon; Cerro San Luis and Bishop Peak in the middle with Cal Poly below.

Climate

San Luis Obispo experiences a cool Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb). On average it has 50 days with measurable rain per year – mostly during winter months. Summers are generally warm and sunny, often with morning fog from the Pacific coast. Winters are generally mild, though below freezing lows may be expected 4 nights per year. Temperatures do, however, vary widely at any time of the year, with 80 °F (27 °C) readings in January and February not uncommon. Storms of any kind are rare (although in October 2009 an unusually powerful early-season storm drenched the city with nearly 8 inches (200 mm) of rain).

Climate data for San Luis Obispo
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	64.6 (18.1)	65.9 (18.8)	66.8 (19.3)	70.8 (21.6)	73.2 (22.9)	77.6 (25.3)	80.3 (26.8)	81.7 (27.6)	81.8 (27.7)	78.7 (25.9)	72.0 (22.2)	66.4 (19.1)	73.3 (22.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	41.9 (5.5)	43.6 (6.4)	44.5 (6.9)	45.4 (7.4)	47.5 (8.6)	50.6 (10.3)	52.7 (11.5)	53.3 (11.8)	52.8 (11.6)	49.8 (9.9)	45.5 (7.5)	41.6 (5.3)	47.4 (8.6)
Average rainfall inches (mm)	5.28 (134)	5.41 (137)	4.48 (114)	1.31 (33)	0.47 (12)	0.09 (2.3)	0.03 (0.76)	0.08 (2.0)	0.44 (11)	0.99 (25)	2.17 (55)	3.61 (92)	24.36 (619)
Average rainy days	9.0	8.5	9.1	4.5	2.3	0.6	0.5	0.4	1.4	2.8	5.2	5.9	50.2
Source:

Demographics

Cerro San Luis as seen from Bishop's Peak. A montage of two photos taken in September 2006 and March 2007. (The differences between plant cover in the hot and the cold season are typical for the city's Mediterranean climate.)

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that San Luis Obispo had a population of 45,119. The population density was 3,489.4 people per square mile (1,347.3/km²). The racial makeup of San Luis Obispo was 38,117 (84.5%) White, 523 (1.2%) African American, 275 (0.6%) Native American, 2,350 (5.2%) Asian, 65 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,973 (4.4%) from other races, and 1,816 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,626 persons (14.7%).

The Census reported that 43,937 people (97.4% of the population) lived in households, 967 (2.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 215 (0.5%) were institutionalized.

There were 19,193 households, out of which 3,178 (16.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,690 (29.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,336 (7.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 586 (3.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,104 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 124 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6,213 households (32.4%) were made up of individuals and 1,957 (10.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29. There were 7,612 families (39.7% of all households); the average family size was 2.81.

The population was spread out with 5,522 people (12.2%) under the age of 18, 15,670 people (34.7%) aged 18 to 24, 9,630 people (21.3%) aged 25 to 44, 8,866 people (19.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,431 people (12.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.5 years. For every 100 females there were 109.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.2 males.

There were 20,553 housing units at an average density of 1,589.5 per square mile (613.7/km²), of which 7,547 (39.3%) were owner-occupied, and 11,646 (60.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 17,225 people (38.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 26,712 people (59.2%) lived in rental housing units.

2009

As of the 2009 censusTemplate:GR, there are 44,750 people, 18,639 households, and 7,697 families residing in the city. The population density is 4,144.5 people per square mile (1,600.0/km²). There are 19,306 housing units at an average density of 1,811.3 per square mile (699.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 84.1% White, 5.3% Asian, 1.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.8% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. 11.7% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 18,639 households out of which 17.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them. 31.3% are married couples living together, 7.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 58.7% are non-families. 32.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 2.86.

In the city the population is spread out with 14.2% under the age of 18, 33.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 106.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $31,926, and the median income for a family is $56,319. The median household income in San Luis Obispo County is $60,534, and the median family income is $72,327. Males have a median income of $41,915 versus $27,407 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,386. 26.6% of the population and 7.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Government

Local

San Luis Obispo is an incorporated as a charter city. It is also the county seat of San Luis Obispo County. The city charter provides for a "Council-Mayor-City Manager" form of municipal government. The City Council has five members, a mayor who is elected to two year terms, with each mayor limited to serving no more than four consecutive terms, and four city council members who are elected to four year terms, with each council member limited to serving no more than two consecutive terms. The fire department of San Luis Obispo was first organized in 1872 and now has 45 full-time firefighters and four fire stations (as of 2007).

Fire department

The SLO City Fire Stations are staffed with three-man ALS engine companies and a four-man ALS Truck company. Each apparatus has at least one paramedic on duty each day. The department responds to over 4,500 calls each year. The San Luis Obispo City Fire Department also maintains a bike medic program which is used at the Farmers' Market and other special events throughout the city. Four members of the Fire Department are also on the San Luis Obispo SWAT Team as SWAT Medics and respond using Squad 1 (an ALS equipped ambulance which also carries some light rescue gear and other specialty tools) The front-line members of the department are represented by the San Luis Obispo City Firefighters' IAFF Local 3523.

Notable ordinances

In June 1990 City Councilman Jerry Reiss proposed a city ordinance to ban smoking in all indoor public areas. Following a failed effort by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to defeat the ordinance, the City Council voted 4–1 in favor on June 19, 1990 with only Mayor Ron Dunin dissenting. As a result, on August 2, 1990, San Luis Obispo became the first municipality in the world to ban smoking in all public buildings, including bars and restaurants. This statute has been a catalyst worldwide in anti-smoking legislation. In April, 2010, San Luis Obispo strengthened its anti-smoking legislation, making smoking in public, excepting for certain conditions, a citable offense beginning on June 20, 2010.

In 1982, following public hearings, the City Council approved an ordinance forbidding the construction of "drive-through" businesses. In-N-Out Burger opened a restaurant in the nearby town of Atascadero because of the ban. In 2008 the City Council voted 3–2 to keep the ban. The first fast food chain restaurant in San Luis Obispo, a McDonald's, has closed.

In 1982 a city ordinance was passed that prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages at any business selling gasoline, with the exception of one Mobil (now Union 76) service station on South Higuera Street that was grandfathered in prior to the ordinance. The city council voted 3–2 to abolish the ordinance in 2004.

In April 2010, an "unruly gathering" ordinance passed with a vote of 4–1. This ordinance poses a fine for the hosts of $700 for gatherings of more than 20 people on private property which create a substantial disturbance in a significant amount of the neighborhood. Unlawful conduct includes excessive noise; public drunkenness; serving alcohol to minors; fighting; urinating in public; crowds overflowing into yards, sidewalks, or streets; or similar unlawful behaviors.

State and federal

In the state legislature San Luis Obispo is located in the 15th Senate District, represented by Republican Sam Blakeslee, and in the 33rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Katcho Achadjian. Federally, San Luis Obispo is located in California's 23rd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +9 and is represented by Democrat Lois Capps.

Economy

San Luis Obispo County’s economy is truly a post-industrial economy (http://www.sloevc.org) (see Economic Strategy). It could be better categorized as a service economy.

What the government classifies as “service jobs” account for 38% of the county’s jobs, the true service sector is larger. Government jobs accounts for 20.7% of the County, which is also recognized as a service sector. The presence of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate sector can also be classified as a service sector. Services and Retail combined accounts for 75% of county jobs. Manufacturing jobs now represent less than 6% of the county jobs.

For more information on San Luis Obispo County's Economic Profile, visit ECONOMIC VITALITY CORPORATION (http://www.sloevc.org).

Downtown San Luis Obispo is centered around the carefully restored Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. The downtown area also has many eclectic shops and boutiques. New downtown shopping centers have been added in recent years. The Court Street Center and Downtown Center house stores that belong to nationwide chains.

One of the primary draws of this area for students, visitors, and residents alike is the plethora of outdoor sports such as hiking, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, diving, sailing, and kite boarding.

Scenes from the 1990 film My Blue Heaven were filmed in commercial areas of San Luis Obispo.

Southwest of the town center, several large shopping centers have developed since 2003.

Takken's Shoes is headquartered in San Luis Obispo.

Ernie Ball's Music Man factory is located in San Luis Obispo.

Top employers

According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	California Polytechnic State University	2,693
2	County of San Luis Obispo	2,570
3	California Men's Colony	2,000
4	Pacific Gas and Electric (Diablo Canyon)	1,719
5	Cal Poly Corporation	1,641
6	Cuesta College	1,559
7	Tenet Healthcare	1,100
8	San Luis Coastal Unified School District	873
9	City of San Luis Obispo	583
10	Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County	403

Education

Cal Poly Performing Arts Center

All public K-12 institutions in San Luis Obispo are operated by San Luis Coastal Unified School District, which contains seven elementary schools, one junior high school, and one high school, San Luis Obispo High School. There are also two private elementary schools and one private high school, Mission College Prep.

San Luis Obispo is also home to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), a public university enrolling nearly 20,000 students. The community is also served by Cuesta College, a community college a short driving distance away.

Transportation

U.S. Route 101 in San Luis Obispo

The Bill Roalman (Morro Street) bicycle boulevard

The city is home to San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport which offers private air service and non-stop commercial air service to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Amtrak provides daily rail transport service here as the northern terminus of the Pacific Surfliner line from San Diego, and as a stop on the Coast Starlight line. The Amtrak train goes north to San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle, and south to Los Angeles. Greyhound closed its doors in San Luis Obispo on March 12, 2009. It still continues to service San Luis Obispo and currently uses a transit bus stop on Railroad Avenue. Public transit includes the city-wide SLO Transit bus lines as well as the county-wide SLO Regional Transit system. Rideshare encourages the use of the local public transit, as well as carpooling and cycling. Riders for the SLO Transit system are now able to plan their trips using Google Transit. [4] The SLO Car Free program provides an online one-stop-shop for all car-free vacationing needs from bus schedules and bike maps, to discounts on transportation, lodging, and attractions. [5]

U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 are the major north-south highways in San Luis Obispo, linking the city to the rest of the Central Coast region, San Francisco to the north, and Los Angeles to the south. Both enter the city from the south as a concurrency. As they head north, Highway 1 then splits towards the coast to Morro Bay, while Highway 101 stays more inland to Paso Robles. California State Route 227 provides an alternate route to Highway 101 from San Luis Obispo south to Arroyo Grande.

Bicycling is increasing as a mode of transportation. The Bill Roalman (Morro Street) Bicycle Boulevard gives priority to bicycle traffic while a special bicycle traffic signal (one of only a handful in the United States) allows bicyclists their own phase in traffic flow. The SLO County Bicycle Coalition offers a free bicycle valet service during the weekly Farmers' Market. In 2007, the city was designated as a Bicycle Friendly Community at the Silver level by the League of American Bicyclists.

The city provides parking in three multistory parking structures downtown [6]. Street parking downtown is metered except on Sundays and holidays. The city's innovative Racks with Plaques program has increased bike racks in the downtown area and has cut down on parking congestion.

Culture

The city of San Luis Obispo with Bishop Peak on the right and Cerro San Luis on the left.

The Madonna Inn is a famous local landmark. Established by Alex Madonna in 1958, the inn is famously eccentric. The Fremont Theater, a historic Art Deco theater from the 1940s, still plays first run movies on the huge screen. Murals adorn the walls of the main theater while neon swirls light the ceiling. The Palm Theatre boasts solar heating and is home to the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. Another destination is Bubblegum Alley. Since about 1960, people have been sticking chewed gum on the walls of this alley. The doctor's office on the corner of Santa Rosa and Pacific streets is one of very few commercial buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. San Luis also has a Carnegie Library which is now home to the San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum.

A sculpture of a child and bear at the Mission in downtown San Luis Obispo. A fish was added after the photograph was taken.

One of the largest Mardi Gras parades West of the Mississippi used to be held in San Luis Obispo, but it has been canceled recently because of difficulties related to crowd control and alcohol consumption.

Cal Poly's open house, Poly Royal, was held annually from 1933 to 1990. It was canceled in 1945 due to war rationing. It began as a show-and-tell for students to display their projects. It traces its origins to the 1904 Farmer's Institute and Picnic Basket. By the 1980s, as the college became "the most popular...university in the 19-campus CSU system," Poly Royal began drawing over 100,000 people from throughout the state, including 126,000 people in 1985. Concerts, parties, and other entertainment were added and it earned $3–4 million in revenue for the city every year.

Following a "mini-riot" in 1989 at an off-campus apartment during Poly Royal, the events in 1990 would cancel the event "indefinitely." Two nights of rioting on April 28–29 led to 127 arrests, over 100 injuries and 14 police injuries on top of "several hundred thousand dollars" worth of damage. A liquor store near campus, Campus Bottle, was destroyed by revelers demanding alcohol. The second night was much larger than the first as people were leaving a concert on campus and parties off-campus were broken up and revelers flooded the streets. Mayor Dunin called the events "the worst experience in the history of San Luis Obispo.” After a meeting between Mayor Dunin and University President Warren Baker the following Monday, Poly Royal was canceled from that point forward. The name Poly Royal returned in 2001 as "Open House Presents Poly Royal," a scaled down version that was designed for students and parents.

San Luis Obispo has been home of several other events, including a stop on the way of the Olympic Flame Relay, the Tour of California bicycle race, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, an annual Mozart festival, held every July, and a long-standing Christmas Parade. Another attraction is the development of Edna Valley into a well-known wine region. Just south of the city, people can spend an afternoon wine tasting several wineries in the area with a very short drive. The wine region extends north beyond Paso Robles (30 miles north) and south to Santa Ynez (70 miles south).

During Summer months, local residents and visitors congregate in the Mission Plaza for a free outdoor concert every Friday evening. The event is called Concerts in the Plaza. Other noteworthy events include the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, Festival Mosaic, and the Plein Air Festival.

San Luis Obispo hosts a Farmer's Market every Thursday night from 6-9PM on Higuera Street, between Osos and Nipomo Streets. During this weekly event, the street is closed to vehicle traffic while vendors sell food and goods and various visual and music artists perform for the crowds.

Since June 2000, the first Thursday of every month is The Bike Happening (also known as Bike Nite) in San Luis Obispo. People gather after the Farmer's Market at the Mission Plaza with their bikes. The bikers then go around on multiple circuits on the main streets of downtown adhering to the traffic laws (for the most part). The ride is considered a fun/social ride meant to encourage people to get back on their bikes and to have fun. Each Bike Happening has a theme and a large portion of the crowd is in some costume adherent to the theme.

One of the cultural focal centers of San Luis Obispo is the Christopher Cohen Performing Arts Center built on the Cal Poly Campus, which was constructed utilizing the donations of local businesses and individuals. The Performing Arts Center consists of multiple venues, including the original Spanos Theatre. The largest venue, Harmon Hall, seats 1,300. Many high school and college programs are scheduled. Local artists perform plays, music and dance. The addition of the Performing Arts Center attracts many touring performances which are usually not found in communities of comparable size to San Luis Obispo. The Summer of 2007 was the opening concert of the Forbes Pipe Organ, which was built elevated into a side wall of Harmon Hall and required the donation of a further $3 million for purchase and installation.

Notable residents

Born or raised in San Luis Obispo

Zac Efron

• Vern Burke, football player
• Zac Efron, actor
• Robert Hunter, lyricist for the Grateful Dead
• Jim Lonborg, baseball player
• Arron Oberholser, golfer
• Chris Pontius, daredevil entertainer (Jackass)
• Paul Rachubka, soccer player
• Loren Roberts, golfer
• Chris Seitz, soccer player
• Najahe Sherman, Television News Anchor and Reporter
• Stephanie Brown Trafton,Olympic athlete
• William H. Young, labor union leader

Lived in San Luis Obispo

• Jon Anderson, musician (Yes)
• Ernie Ball, guitarist and entrepreneur
• John Barbata, musician
• Peter Buck, musician (R.E.M.)
• John Darnielle, musician (The Mountain Goats)
• Rich Ferguson, magician
• Allen Fox, tennis player (ranked as high as # 4) and coach
• Jack Kerouac, writer
• Mike Krukow, baseball player and sportscaster
• Chuck Liddell, former UFC light-heavyweight champion mixed martial artist
• Ah Louis, Chinese American pioneer and businessman
• Hannah Marks, actress
• Lee Michaels, musician
• G.D. Spradlin, actor
• The Pendragons, magicians
• Gene Romero, motorcycle racer

Attended California Polytechnic State University

For people who are associated with San Luis Obispo because they attended Cal Poly, see List of California Polytechnic State University alumni.

Notable bands

• Lakes, indie rock band
• The Sentinals, 1960s surf band
• Sherwood, an indie rock band
• Watashi Wa, pop rock band
• Still Time, an indie rock band
• Scissors For Lefty, an indie rock band

External links

• Economic Vitality Corporation of San Luis Obispo County
• The San Luis Obispo City-County Public Library
• The Tribune, the largest daily newspaper serving all of San Luis Obispo County
• San Luis Obispo New Times, alternative weekly newspaper with 100,000 circulation founded in 1986
• City of San Luis Obispo
• Downtown SLO Association has information about concerts in the plaza and Farmers' Market.
• San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce promotes member business and serves as the city's contracted tourism promoter. Also runs the city's Visitors Center, 1039 Chorro St.
• San Luis Obispo County Historical Society
• San Luis Obispo local weather
• San Luis Obispo: a history in architecture by Janet Penn Franks, 2004