About San Luis Obispo County
History, Attractions, Recreation, Events, & Shopping
Beautiful San Luis Obispo is located along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, one hundred miles north of Santa Barbara, two hundred miles north of Los Angeles and two hundred thirty five miles south of San Francisco on Highway 101.
San Luis Obispo fondly referred to by many as "SLO" was founded in 1772 as a mission, and some 228 years later the historic Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is still used by worshipers . The Mission, the fifth of twenty-one California Missions built by the Catholic Church, was established by Father Junipero Serra. He located the mission along the meandering San Luis Creek in a valley surrounded by grassy peaks. The mission was built with a tile roof rather than the usual thatch roof in order to repel flaming arrow attacks by the then unfriendly Chumash Indians. Today the mission is at the heart of San Luis Obispo’s historic downtown and sits amidst many other historic building that are now home to everything from museums to retail shops. Mission Plaza has become an urban oasis hosting events throughout the year.
The city of nearly 45,000 offers residents a wonderful variety of both cultural and recreational possibilities with an emphasis on great outdoor recreation. Residents enjoy a charming small town lifestyle with a low crime rate and a pleasing climate that makes living in San Luis Obispo a pleasure, whether you are raising a family or seeking an ideal retirement environment.
The growing economy is based on a blend of agriculture, education, tourism and industry. Serving a trade area of over 250,000 people, the city is a center for commerce and medical services. Two of the largest employers are Cal Poly State University and Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. In 1998, “Money” Magazine rated San Luis Obispo as one of the west’s best places to live, and in 2004, Frommer’s "Cities Ranked and Rated" named San Luis Obispo among the best 3 places to live in North America!
San Luis Obispo grew from its roots into a real city after the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1894. Located in one of California’s finest wine regions, the city offers spectacular scenery and a mild Mediterranean climate. The area has a wonderful combination of ideal weather and soil, perfect for growing the quality grapes required to produce outstanding wines, and the vintners of San Luis Obispo county has won more than their fair share of awards.
Summers in San Luis Obispo are almost perfect with daily average highs in July in the high 70’s and mild nights in the 50’s with very little rainfall. In January, the coldest month, daily average high’s are in the 60’s with nights in the low 40’s. The area receives approximately 22 inches of rainfall annually with most of this precipitation falling from November through March. Residents experience few weather extremes with only a handful of freezing days, and maybe a dozen days each year when the temperatures climb to 90 degrees or above. The annual relative humidity is 60 percent.
However, living in paradise does have its costs. San Luis Obispo’s cost of living hovers around 130 percent of the national average. Housing cost are high; near the top ten percent of all home costs in America with a median home cost exceeding $500,000.
The city does offer a appealing variety of housing options from single family homes in attractive neighborhoods to apartments and mobile homes.
The air traveler can connect to Los Angeles and the world on American Eagle with several flights each day. Amtrak service is available north to San Francisco and south to Los Angeles and San Diego from San Luis Obispo daily.
There are three hospitals in the city. Excellent medical care is available at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, a 250-bed acute care facility and the largest general hospital in the area. The center provides a full range of medical services for optimum care including MRI, Cat Scan, ultrasound, etc.; all supported by a professional staff. The city is home to over 150 physicians and specialists representing nearly all medical and surgical specialties. There are over 400 total beds in the county between the three acute care hospitals.
Families enjoy an incredible range of recreational pursuits including over 500 acres of well planned and developed parks featuring tennis courts, sports fields, playgrounds, a lake, a public swimming pool, miles of hiking and walking trails and the excellent nine hole Laguna Lake Municipal Golf Course.
The Parks and Recreation department offers both youth and adult classes throughout the year. A recent sampling included adult classes in Jazzercise, piano, Folk Dancing, stretch & relaxation, and Tai Chi.
The city maintains several scenic hiking trails with hikes up to ten miles in length. The scenic San Luis Obispo peak trail is a relaxed three mile climb with the reward of a beautiful view of the city for your efforts. The Bishop Peak trail features a rugged three mile hike, and if you enjoy an all day event, hike the ten mile Poly Canyon Trail; moderate in difficulty.
The city swim center at Sinsheimer Park features a fifty meter by twenty-five yard outdoor pool maintained at 80 degrees year-round.
The outdoor lover will find an almost limitless array of activities to challenge and enjoy within fifteen minutes of San Luis Obispo. In addition to the 9-hole course at Laguna Lake, there are four 18-hole championship golf courses in the area including the Avila Beach Resort Golf Course, Cypress Ridge Golf Course, the Chalk Mountain Golf Course, the Hunter Ranch Golf Course, and the Morro Bay Golf Course.
The fishing enthusiast will not only find great deep sea fishing featuring one-half day, full day, and two day trips into the Pacific, but excellent fresh water fishing at several lakes in the county.
Lopez Lake is considered to be one of the best sailing and world-class windsurfing lakes in California but is also a favorite for catches of large and small mouth bass, crappie, and catfish. Nacimiento Lake has great fishing for white bass, crappie, and bluegill. This lake, located forty-five miles north of San Luis Obispo, is also a great spot for water skiing. For the horseback rider, there are miles of seemingly endless trails along the beaches, and through the forest, meadows and mountains of the county.
Nearby Morro Bay, thirteen miles northwest of the city with its’ strong tidal currents and cold water offers the ocean sailor a true challenge. Or for a little less challenge, rent a sea kayak and enjoy cruising the beautiful bay. If you like the taste of fresh clams, you can dig your own at nearby Pismo Beach, home of the Pismo Clam.
If that’s not enough, you can enjoy surfing, mountain biking, camping, rock climbing, bird watching, and the biker can go it alone or join an overnight bike tour of the area. For the less adventurous, there is plenty to see and do. Visit the Morro Bay Aquarium featuring fourteen tanks filled with sea life and enjoy the antics of sea lions and harbor seals. Take a coastal harbor cruise, enjoy a carriage ride, or swim or take it easy at either Avila Hot Springs Spa or Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort.
Visit one of the many vineyards in the county or take the grandchildren to the Charles Paddock Zoo, spend the day at the Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History, or for something really different, visit the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove from October through February where you can learn about the migration of the Monarch Butterflies and view thousands of these beautiful creatures in the grove. A local favorite is the Apple Farm Mill House featuring an authentic working grist mill set amidst scenic gardens and waterfalls. In town, you can visit the beautifully restored Jack House built in 1875, an excellent example of Victorian Architecture.
The San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum offers an informative look at the county’s rich history through displays of old photographs and artifacts.
The San Luis Obispo Art Center on Mission Plaza presents works of many of the area’s best amateur and professional artists. The grandkids will have fun exploring the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum with its many fun interactive displays and exhibits.
The road to the Cuesta Ridge Botanical Preserve offers some of the most scenic views in the county. From here you can enjoy not only a beautiful view of San Luis Obispo but also Morro Bay and Seven Sisters volcanic peaks.
On Thursday evenings, four blocks of the city’s downtown are transformed into a farmers market and street fair. Farmers haul in tons of fresh fruit and vegetables, herbs, and fresh flowers for public sale. Food stands offering BBQ chicken and ribs and live entertainment ranging from bands to belly dancers provide entertainment for everyone to enjoy.
San Luis Obispo county is home to the world famous Hearst Castle. The castle built by newspaper Publishing Mogul William Randolf Hearst is a 165 room tribute to the wealthy lifestyle of the larger than life subject of Orson Well’s "Citizen Kane." The opulence of the Mansion is unbelievable, even compared with the wealth of the world’s richest people today. It is considered to be one of the most expensive and elaborate private homes in the world. The castle required 28 years to build and features 165 rooms, 127 acres of gardens, terraces, and pools. It even had a private zoo. Hearst spared no expense to build his "La Cuesta Encantada", The Enchanted Hill. The castle features ceilings from monasteries, Byzantine tapestries, Spanish and Italian art, Egyptian statues, and fireplaces from Gothic castles. Upon his death in 1951, the castle was still not completely finished. Today, it is owned by the State of California and is visited by over one million people per year.
San Luis Obispo hosts more than fifty annual events to keep residents and visitors as busy and entertained as they want. Events include the annual Central Coast Wine Festival, the Mozart Festival, the Strawberry Festival, the California Festival of Beer, and Christmas in the Plaza, just to name a few.
California Polytechnic University with an enrollment of 16,000 plus students is one of the largest Architecture undergraduate schools and engineering schools in the west. The schools offers over one hundred undergraduate and twenty Master’s degree programs to students from throughout the world. Cuesta Community College has degrees and programs at the associate level to over 8,000 students in San Luis Obispo.
Cultural activities are available throughout the year with performances at the beautiful 1350 seat Harman Concert Hall, considered by many experts to be acoustically one of the best in the world. Offerings vary from Broadway plays like "Chicago" and "Annie" to classical artists and popular entertainers like Randy Newman and George Winston. San Luis Obispo is home to five theatre groups, the Pacific Repertory Opera, the San Luis Obispo Symphony, and the San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts Ensemble. The Civic Ballet of SLO has a calendar of several performances throughout the year, and, in October, the city is host to the SLO International Film Festival.
The Mozart Festival, the biggest cultural event of the year, begins in July featuring concerts, lectures and opera for all to enjoy.
The shopper will find a great variety of shopping choices in the city’s quaint downtown district featuring hundreds of one of a kind shops galleries, and fine restaurants. There are several malls and shopping center throughout the city with a seemingly endless array of goods to satisfy just about anyone’s taste. You’ll also find excellent shopping in nearby towns such as the Historic Village of Arroyo Grande, the artsy Cambria Village, and the fishing harbor of Morro Bay.
San Luis Obispo is a charming, safe, and friendly community where residents enjoy an active interesting lifestyle in a small town atmosphere, and while living costs are quite high, the quality of life is excellent.
If this sounds like a place you would enjoy, then take a vacation to San Luis Obispo, you may just want to stay for a few days or forever.
Adapted from 2001 article at retirementamerica.com.
