San Luis Obispo County, California

San Luis Obispo County (/sæn ˌluːɪs oʊˈbɪspoʊ/ ⓘ), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,424.[10] The county seat is San Luis Obispo.[11]

San Luis Obispo County
County
County of San Luis Obispo
Images, from top down, left to right: Cerro San Luis (Mountain) in San Luis Obispo, a vineyard in Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Mission San Miguel Arcángel, Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle, Morro Rock
Flag of San Luis Obispo County
Flag
Official seal of San Luis Obispo County
Seal
Official logo of San Luis Obispo County
Logo
Motto: 
"Not For Ourselves Alone"
Interactive map of San Luis Obispo County
Location in the state of California
Location in the state of California
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionCalifornia Central Coast
IncorporatedFebruary 18, 1850[1]
Named forSaint Louis, Bishop of Toulouse
County seatSan Luis Obispo
Largest city (Population)San Luis Obispo
Largest city (Area)Atascadero
Government
 • TypeCouncil–Administration
 • BodySan Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors [2][3][4][5][6]
 • Chair[7]John Peschong (R)
 • Vice Chair[7]Debbie Arnold (R)
 • Supervisors[7]
List
  • • John Peschong (R)
    District 1
  • • Bruce Gibson (D)
    District 2
  • • Dawn Ortiz-Legg (D)
    District 3
  • • Jimmy Paulding (D)
    District 4
  • • Debbie Arnold (R)
    District 5
 • County Administrator[8]Wade Horton
Area
 • Total3,616 sq mi (9,370 km2)
 • Land3,299 sq mi (8,540 km2)
 • Water317 sq mi (820 km2)
Highest elevation
[9]
5,109 ft (1,557 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total282,424
 • Density86/sq mi (33/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area code805
Congressional district24th
Websitehttps://www.slocounty.ca.gov/
The entrance lobby and belfry of the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. A statue of Fray Junípero Serra stands outside the church.
Robert Jack House, built c. 1882

Junípero Serra founded the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in 1772, and San Luis Obispo grew around it. 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 fishing, agriculture, and tourist activities.

California Polytechnic State University has almost 20,000 students. Tourism, especially for the wineries, is popular. Grapes and other agriculture products are an important part of the economy. San Luis Obispo County is the third largest producer of wine in California, surpassed only by Sonoma and Napa counties. Strawberries are the largest agricultural crop in the county.[12]

The town of San Simeon is located at the foot of the ridge where newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst built Hearst Castle. Other coastal towns (listed from north to south) include Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, and Los Osos -Baywood Park. These cities and villages are located northwest of the city of San Luis Obispo. To the south are Avila Beach and the Five Cities region. The Five Cities originally were: Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach (then known as Grover City), Oceano, Fair Oaks and Halcyon. Today, the Five Cities region consists of Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, and Halcyon (basically the area from Pismo Beach to Oceano). Just south of the Five Cities, San Luis Obispo County 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.

History

The prehistory of San Luis Obispo County is strongly influenced by the Chumash people. There has been significant settlement here at least as early as the Millingstone Horizon thousands of years ago. Important settlements existed in coastal areas such as Morro Bay and Los Osos.[13][14]

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded on September 1, 1772, in the area that is now the city of San Luis Obispo. The namesake of the mission, city and county is Saint Louis of Toulouse, the young bishop of Toulouse (Obispo and Tolosa in Spanish) in 1297.

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 John Steinbeck novels, stretches north from San Luis Obispo County.

Geography
San Luis Obispo
Sand dunes - Oceano CA
Morro Bay Docks

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,616 square miles (9,370 km2), of which 3,299 square miles (8,540 km2) is land and 317 square miles (820 km2) (comprising 8.8%) is water.[15]

Climate
Köppen climate types of San Luis Obispo County, California, using 1991-2020 climate normals.

San Luis Obispo County has three main climate types. BSk climate can mainly be found in the eastern portions of the county, along with certain smaller areas in the north. Csa climate can mainly be found in the central portions of the counties, in communities such as Paso Robles. The rest of the county is made up of the Csb climate type.

Adjacent counties
Areas adjacent to San Luis Obispo County, California

National protected areas

Marine Protected Areas
Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, an elephant seal rookery.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850336—
18601,782430.4%
18704,772167.8%
18809,14291.6%
189016,07275.8%
190016,6373.5%
191019,38316.5%
192021,89312.9%
193029,61335.3%
194033,24612.3%
195051,41754.7%
196081,04457.6%
1970105,69030.4%
1980155,43547.1%
1990217,16239.7%
2000246,68113.6%
2010269,6379.3%
2020282,4244.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
1790–1960[17] 1900–1990[18]
1990–2000[19] 2010[20] 2020[21]

2020 census
San Luis Obispo County, California - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[20] Pop 2020[21] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 191,696 183,468 71.09% 64.96%
Black or African American alone (NH) 5,128 4,330 1.90% 1.53%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,367 1,136 0.51% 0.40%
Asian alone (NH) 8,106 10,001 3.01% 3.54%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 346 340 0.13% 0.12%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 784 1,614 0.29% 0.57%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 6,237 13,614 2.31% 4.82%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 55,973 67,921 20.76% 24.05%
Total 269,637 282,424 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010

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.[29]

2000 Census

As of the census[30] 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 people/km2). There were 102,275 housing units at an average density of 31 units per square mile (12 units/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.

Economy
Clubhair mariposa lily near SLO city, 2014

The mainstays of the economy are California Polytechnic State University with its almost 20,000 students, tourism, and agriculture.

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.

San Luis Obispo County is the third largest producer of wine in California, surpassed only by Sonoma and Napa counties. Wine grapes are the second largest agricultural crop in the county (after strawberries),[12] and the wine production they support creates a direct economic impact and a growing wine country vacation industry.

The county led the state in hemp cultivation in 2018 as hundreds of acres of the crop were grown in research partnerships.[31] In 2019, nine agricultural research permits were still active. Sixteen commercial permits were issued before a temporary ban on new applications running through June 2020 was passed by the Board of Supervisors.[32]

Politics

Voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

San Luis Obispo County leaned toward the Republican Party in presidential and congressional elections during the most of the 20th century; it has, however, become more Democratic starting in the 2000s. In 2008, Barack Obama won the county with 51.2 percent of the vote.[35] Prior to 2008, the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, although Bill Clinton won a plurality in 1992. In 2012, Obama again won the county, this time with a slim plurality of the vote. Hillary Clinton won with a larger plurality in 2016; and in 2020, Joe Biden won a solid 55% of the vote, the largest for any Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

United States presidential election results for San Luis Obispo County, California[36]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 67,436 42.22% 88,310 55.29% 3,968 2.48%
2016 56,164 40.94% 67,107 48.91% 13,931 10.15%
2012 59,967 47.61% 61,258 48.63% 4,741 3.76%
2008 61,055 45.85% 68,176 51.20% 3,924 2.95%
2004 67,995 52.69% 58,742 45.52% 2,313 1.79%
2000 56,859 52.22% 44,526 40.89% 7,501 6.89%
1996 46,733 46.50% 40,395 40.19% 13,372 13.31%
1992 36,384 34.78% 40,136 38.36% 28,099 26.86%
1988 46,613 55.85% 35,667 42.73% 1,187 1.42%
1984 49,035 63.72% 26,946 35.02% 969 1.26%
1980 38,631 55.56% 20,508 29.50% 10,388 14.94%
1976 27,785 51.17% 24,926 45.91% 1,587 2.92%
1972 28,566 55.98% 20,779 40.72% 1,688 3.31%
1968 19,420 51.27% 15,828 41.78% 2,633 6.95%
1964 14,906 40.08% 22,252 59.84% 28 0.08%
1960 17,862 54.04% 14,975 45.30% 218 0.66%
1956 16,223 58.47% 11,407 41.11% 118 0.43%
1952 17,716 65.37% 9,174 33.85% 213 0.79%
1948 10,325 53.49% 8,135 42.14% 844 4.37%
1944 7,793 48.90% 8,068 50.63% 75 0.47%
1940 7,204 45.25% 8,499 53.39% 217 1.36%
1936 4,812 37.28% 7,889 61.13% 205 1.59%
1932 3,449 28.59% 7,933 65.77% 680 5.64%
1928 5,425 60.82% 3,336 37.40% 159 1.78%
1924 3,804 49.01% 731 9.42% 3,226 41.57%
1920 4,123 61.31% 1,606 23.88% 996 14.81%
1916 2,854 40.20% 3,539 49.85% 706 9.95%
1912 13 0.23% 2,248 40.48% 3,292 59.28%
1908 2,008 50.76% 1,381 34.91% 567 14.33%
1904 2,015 54.95% 1,167 31.82% 485 13.23%
1900 1,564 45.81% 1,713 50.18% 137 4.01%
1896 1,671 43.74% 2,056 53.82% 93 2.43%
1892 1,433 38.10% 1,199 31.88% 1,129 30.02%
1888 1,689 49.68% 1,585 46.62% 126 3.71%
1884 1,233 51.44% 1,069 44.60% 95 3.96%
1880 830 47.81% 729 41.99% 177 10.20%

County voters supported Republican Meg Whitman in 2010 and Democrat Jerry Brown in 2014. The previous Democrat to carry the county in a gubernatorial election was Gray Davis in 1998.

With respect to the United States House of Representatives, San Luis Obispo County is mostly in California's 24th congressional district, represented by Democrat Salud Carbajal, with the northern part of the county in California's 19th congressional district, represented by Democrat Jimmy Panetta.[37] From 2003 until 2013, the county was split between the Bakersfield-based 22nd district, which was represented by Republican Kevin McCarthy and included Paso Robles and most of the more conservative inland areas of the county, and Lois Capps' 23rd district, a strip which included most of the county's more liberal coastal areas as well as coastal areas of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

With respect to the California State Senate, the county is in the 17th Senate District, represented by Democrat John Laird. With respect to the California State Assembly, the county is in the 30th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Dawn Addis.

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.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

Fire protection
San Luis Obispo County Fire Department
Agency overview
Annual callsApproximately 20,000
Annual budget25 million
Facilities and equipment
Battalions5
Stations21
Engines17 - first run
5 - reserve
Rescues2
Tenders3
HAZMAT1
USAR2
Airport crash2
Wildland2 - type 3
Light and air1
Website
Official website

In unincorporated parts of the county, fire protection and emergency response services have been provided by the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department, a division of CAL FIRE, since 1930. The county fire department also serves Los Osos, Pismo Beach and Avila Beach.[41] The city of San Luis Obispo is served by the San Luis Obispo City Fire Department.

Transportation

Major highways

Public transportation

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.

Oceano County Airport in 2013

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

Airports

Future

In the future, SR 46 may be considered for a possible westward expansion of Interstate 40 via SR 58 from Barstow to Bakersfield, from Bakersfield to I-5 via Westside Parkway, and then following SR 46 to Paso Robles.[42] SR 46 is slowly being upgraded to Interstate standards, minus overpasses between Interstate 5 and US Route 101.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities
Pair of Bat stars near Los Osos

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of San Luis Obispo County.[43]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † San Luis Obispo City 47,063
2 Paso Robles (El Paso de Robles) City 31,490
3 Atascadero City 29,773
4 Arroyo Grande City 18,441
5 Nipomo CDP 18,176
6 Los Osos CDP 14,465
7 Grover Beach City 12,701
8 Morro Bay City 10,757
9 Templeton CDP 8,386
10 Pismo Beach City 8,072
11 Oceano CDP 7,183
12 Cambria CDP 5,678
13 San Miguel CDP 3,172
14 Lake Nacimiento CDP 2,956
15 Cayucos CDP 2,505
16 Woodlands CDP 1,933
17 Avila Beach CDP 1,576
18 Los Ranchos CDP 1,516
19 Santa Margarita CDP 1,291
20 Callender CDP 1,282
21 Shandon CDP 1,168
22 Blacklake CDP 1,016
23 Los Berros CDP 623
24 Garden Farms CDP 449
25 San Simeon CDP 445
26 Whitley Gardens CDP 325
27 Oak Shores CDP 316
28 Edna CDP 184
29 Creston CDP 98

See also

Notes
  1. Other = Some other race + Two or more races
  2. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
  3. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  4. For statistical purposes, defined by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP).

Footnotes
  1. "Chronology". California State Association of Counties. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  2. "John Peschong, Supervisor, District 1 from San Luis Obispo County, California".
  3. "Bruce Gibson, Supervisor, District 2 from San Luis Obispo County, California".
  4. "Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Supervisor, District 3 from San Luis Obispo County, California".
  5. "Lynn Compton, Supervisor, District 4 from San Luis Obispo County, California".
  6. "Debbie Arnold, Supervisor, District 5 from San Luis Obispo County, California".
  7. "Board of Supervisors - County of San Luis Obispo".
  8. "Contact - County of San Luis Obispo".
  9. "Caliente Mountain". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  10. "San Luis Obispo County, California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  11. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  12. Settevendemie, Marty. "2020 Crop Report" (PDF). San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture.
  13. Terry L. Jones and Kathryn Klar (2007) California Prehistory: Colonization, Culture, and Complexity, Published by Rowman Altamira ISBN 0-7591-0872-2, 408 pages
  14. C. Michael Hogan (2008) Morro Creek, ed. by A. Burnham
  15. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  16. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  17. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  18. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  19. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  20. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - San Luis Obispo County, California". United States Census Bureau.
  21. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - San Luis Obispo County, California". United States Census Bureau.
  22. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  23. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  24. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  25. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  26. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  27. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  28. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  29. "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau.
  30. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  31. Vaughan, Monica (June 18, 2019). "Hemp could be big money for SLO County farmers. Did politicians scare away investors?". San Luis Obispo Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  32. Wilson, Nick (October 31, 2019). "SLO County hemp harvest is in full swing, but here's why it's not as big as it could be". San Luis Obispo Tribune. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  33. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Archived July 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  34. https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/15day-recall-2021/county.pdf
  35. Map of Election Results, County-by-County: The New York Times
  36. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  37. "California's 24th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  38. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Archived December 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  39. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
  40. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  41. "San Luis Obispo County Fire Department". calfireslo.org. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  42. Report on the Status of the Federal-Aid Highway Program. United States Senate. April 15, 1970. p. 89.
  43. "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2021.

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