San Luis Obispo County, California

San Luis Obispo County is a county located on the central Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, 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 Men's 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.

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 (8.61%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

Santa Barbara County, California - south
Kern County, California - east
Kings County, California - northeast
Monterey County, California - north

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 246,681 people, 92,739 households, and 58,611 families residing in the county. The population density was 29/km² (75/mi²). There were 102,275 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (31/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 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 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 92,739 households out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.40% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.80% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% 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 21.70% 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 105.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.20 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 6.80% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

External links

Official San Luis Obispo County website
County of San Luis Obispo Tourism Info
SLOweather.com has weather conditions, web cams, and weather forecasts for the County seat and surrounding areas

California counties | San Luis Obispo County, California

Сан Луис Обиспо (окръг) | San Luis Obispo County | Comté de San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo County | Condado de San Luis Obispo