County of San Luis Obispo
—  County  —
Official seal of County of San Luis Obispo 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	29/km2 (75/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. Just south of Cambria lies Harmony, one of the smallest towns in California with a population of 18.

History[link]

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.

Geography[link]

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

Morro Bay Docks

Incorporated Cities[link]

• Arroyo Grande
• Atascadero
• Grover Beach
• Morro Bay
• Paso Robles
• Pismo Beach
• San Luis Obispo

Unincorporated Census-designated places[link]

• Avila Beach
• Blacklake
• Callender
• Cambria
• Cayucos
• Creston
• Edna
• Garden Farms
• Lake Nacimiento
• Los Berros
• Los Osos
• Los Ranchos
• Nipomo
• Oak Shores
• Oceano
• San Miguel
• San Simeon
• Santa Margarita
• Shandon
• Templeton
• Whitley Gardens
• Woodlands

Unincorporated Communities not Census Designated Places[link]

• California Valley
• Cholame
• Halcyon
• Harmony
• Pozo

Adjacent counties[link]

National protected areas[link]

• Carrizo Plain National Monument (part)
• Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Los Padres National Forest (part)

Marine Protected Areas[link]

• Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area
• Cambria State Marine Conservation Area
• White Rock (Cambria) State Marine Conservation Area
• Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area and Morro Bay State Marine Reserve
• Point Buchon State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area

Transportation Infrastructure[link]

Major highways[link]

• U.S. Route 101
• State Route 1
• State Route 41
• State Route 46
• State Route 58
• State Route 166
• State Route 227
• State Route 229

Public transportation[link]

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[link]

• San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) is located just south of the City of San Luis Obispo. Commercial flights are available.
• Paso Robles Municipal Airport (PRB) is located north-east of the City of Paso Robles and is home to California Highway Patrol, CAL-FIRE and the Estrella Warbirds Museum.
• Oceano County Airport (L52) is located on the coast in the 5 Cities area.

Politics[link]

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 Obama's victory, the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Coastal San Luis Obispo is part of California's 23rd congressional district, which is held by Democrat Lois Capps, while the inland is part of the 22nd district, which is held by Republican Kevin McCarthy. In the state legislature, San Luis Obispo is part of the 33rd Assembly district, which is held by Republican Katcho Achadjian, and the 15th Senate district, which is held by Republican Sam Blakeslee.

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[link]

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).

Demographics[link]

2010[link]

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]

2000[link]

As of the census^[7] 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[link]

California portal

• List of museums in the California Central Coast
• List of school districts in San Luis Obispo County, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in San Luis Obispo County, California

References[link]

San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau

External links[link]

• Economic Vitality Corp.
• Official San Luis Obispo County website
• SLOweather.com has weather conditions, web cams, and weather forecasts for the County seat and surrounding areas

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

v t e Municipalities and communities of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States County seat: San Luis Obispo Cities Arroyo Grande Atascadero Grover Beach Morro Bay Paso Robles Pismo Beach San Luis Obispo CDPs Avila Beach Blacklake Callender Cambria Cayucos Creston Edna Garden Farms Lake Nacimiento Los Berros Los Osos Los Ranchos Nipomo Oak Shores Oceano San Miguel San Simeon Santa Margarita Shandon Templeton Whitley Gardens Woodlands Unincorporated communities Adelaida Asuncion Baywood-Los Osos Bee Rock Bern Bromela California Valley Cambria Pines Cholame Chorro Halcyon Harmony Huasna Pozo

v t e California Central Coast Counties Monterey San Benito San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Santa Cruz Cities and towns 100k-250k Salinas Santa Maria Cities and towns 25k-100k Atascadero Goleta Hollister Lompoc Marina Monterey Orcutt Paso Robles San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Santa Cruz Seaside Soledad Watsonville Cities and towns 10k-25k Arroyo Grande Baywood-Los Osos Capitola Carpinteria Greenfield Grover Beach Isla Vista King City Live Oak Montecito Morro Bay Nipomo Pacific Grove Prunedale Scotts Valley Sub-regions Big Sur Monterey Bay Santa Maria Valley Counties in italics sometimes included in the definition of the Central Coast

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