San Luis Obispo County, California
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California_map_showing_San_Luis_Obispo_County.png
Image:California map showing San Luis Obispo County.png
San Luis Obispo County is a county located on California's central Pacific coast, between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. As of 2000 its population was 246,681. The county seat is San Luis Obispo, with about 45,000 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. 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. The small size of the county's communities and the way they are scattered along the beaches, coastal hills, and in the 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 Cal Poly with its 18,000 students, plus tourism, agriculture, and other government services (including the California Mens Colony, a penal institution). San Luis Obispo County is the third largest producer of wine in California as of 2004, 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 not only creates a direct economic impact, but also supports a growing wine country vacation industry.
Cambria is a small resort town on the coast, with several small resort hotels and bed and breakfasts right on the coast, where a visitor can look out from their window and view sea otters frolicking in the surf. Just north of Cambria is San Simeon which lies at the foot of the Enchanted Hill where newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst built Hearst Castle. Other beach towns include Morro Bay and Cayucos to the north of San Luis Obispo city, and Pismo Beach and the 5 cities to the south. Inland, the cities of Paso Robles, Templeton, and Atascadero lie along the Salinas River, near the Paso Robles wine region.
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History
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.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 9,364 km² (3,616 mi²). 8,558 km² (3,304 mi²) of it is land and 806 km² (311 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 8.61% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 246,681 people, 92,739 households, and 58,611 families residing in the county. The population density is 29/km² (75/mi²). There are 102,275 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (31/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 84.60% White, 2.03% Black or African American, 0.95% Native American, 2.66% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 6.21% from other races, and 3.44% from two or more races. 16.29% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 92,739 households out of which 28.20% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.40% are married couples living together, 9.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.80% are non-families. 26.00% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.49 and the average family size is 3.01.
In the county the population is spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 13.60% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 105.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 105.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $42,428, and the median income for a family is $52,447. Males have a median income of $40,726 versus $27,450 for females. The per capita income for the county is $21,864. 12.80% of the population and 6.80% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.40% of those under the age of 18 and 5.90% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns
- Arroyo Grande
- Atascadero
- Baywood-Los Osos
- California Valley
- Cambria
- Cayucos
- Grover Beach
- Halcyon
- Harmony
- Lake Nacimiento
- Morro Bay
- Nipomo
- Oceano
- Paso Robles (El Paso de Robles)
- Pismo Beach
- San Luis Obispo
- San Miguel
- San Simeon
- Shandon
- Templeton
See also
External link
- Official San Luis Obispo County website (http://www.co.slo.ca.us)
- County of San Luis Obispo Tourism Info (http://www.sanluisobispocounty.com/)
