San Luis Obispo, California

San Luis Obispo
The city of San Luis Obispo looking east from the top of Bishop Peak.
Flag of San Luis Obispo Flag Official seal of San Luis Obispo Seal
Location of San Luis Obispo, California
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Luis Obispo
Government
• Mayor	Dave Romero
Population  (2000 census)
• Total	44,174
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
Website	http://www.slocity.org/

San Luis Obispo, (Spanish for St. Louis, the Bishop) is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. The city, referred to locally as SLO or "San Luis," is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). As of the 2000 census, the city population was 44,174. The city boasts a tree-lined downtown shopping area full of restaurants and locally owned shops as well as a growing number of chain stores.

History

The City of San Luis Obispo serves as the commercial, governmental, and cultural hub of California’s central coast. One of California’s oldest communities, it began with the founding of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in 1772 by Father Junípero Serra, on the site of a Chumash village called Tilhini, as the fifth Spanish mission in California's chain of 21 missions. The mission was named after Saint Louis, a thirteenth century bishop of Toulouse, France.

Demographics

The Jennifer Street Bridge with a monument to the Chinese workers who helped build the California railroads in the foreground.

As of the 2000 census,Template:GR there were 44,174 people, 18,639 households, and 7,697 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,600.0/km² (4,144/mi²). There were 19,306 housing units at an average density of 699.3/km² (1,811/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.11% White, 1.46% African American, 0.65% Native American, 5.28% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 4.82% from other races, and 3.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.65% of the population. The median household income was US$31,926, and the median family income was US$56,319. The per capita income was US$20,386. Although the city is quite prosperous and home to many wealthy retirees, 26.6% of the population and 7.1% of families were below the poverty line; these numbers reflect the large student population. Typically the more conservative population in the area resides in the north county, in cities such as Paso Robles and Atascadero.

Housing

Although San Luis Obispo County has sustained enormous growth over the past two decades, San Luis Obispo itself has not because of a slow growth policy. That policy combined with the need for student housing related to the university and the climate that attracts new residents from around the world, have been among factors leading to skyrocketing housing prices. As of January 2006, 7% of San Luis Obispo's residents qualified to buy the median priced home.

Being a college town, a percentage of housing has become accustomed to student use which has, in effect, driven those neighborhoods' rents much higher than they might ordinarily fetch, due to demand. It has become a common practice for the affluent parents of wealthy students to buy a house for their child to live in while they attend college, and then sell it after the student graduates. The university is addressing the housing issue with the construction of new dormitories.

Education

California Polytechnic State University ('Cal Poly' or 'Poly' for short) enrolls approximately 18,500 students.{[1]} Cal Poly's courses include Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Design, Agriculture, Science and Math, Business, and Liberal Arts. Cuesta College is a Community College within a short driving distance of downtown San Luis Obispo. Roughly one-third of San Luis Obispo's population are college age or attending college, giving the city a youthful energy and vitality, although causing many housing problems. The Cal Poly campus is rapidly growing, featuring newly constructed buildings and more advanced technology.

There are two high schools serving the city, with different feeder schools for each. Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School, commonly known as Mission Prep, is a private Roman Catholic school serving grades 9-12. Across the street from Mission Prep is Old Mission School, a Catholic elementary school which serves grades 1-8.

San Luis Coastal Unified School District provides public education for students in grades K-12. It has long been among the top performing public school districts in the state. The district operates San Luis Obispo High School, providing general education in grades 9-12. Laguna Middle School is the only public middle school in the city, serving grades seven and eight. Previously, the district had operated San Luis Junior High School, but closed it in 1982 to consolidate services with Laguna Middle School.

Transportation

The city is home to San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport which offers private and commercial air service to several major cities in the west.

Amtrak provides daily rail service here as the terminus of the Pacific Surfliner line and a stop on the Coast Starlight line.

Greyhound also maintains a bus terminal in San Luis Obispo.

Public transportation includes the city-wide SLO Transit bus lines as well as the county-wide SLO Regional Transit system. Rideshare encourages the use of the local public transit, as well as carpooling and biking.

Cycling is occasionally used as a mode of transportation in San Luis Obispo. Bike lanes are maintained on a few of the streets and the number of bike stands are increasing, especially in the downtown area.

Parking in the downtown area can be a challenge for those interested in finding a spot directly in front of their final destination. The city provides parking in three multistory parking structures throughout downtown at: Chorro and Marsh street intersection; Palm Street between Chorro and Morro streets; on Palm Street between Chorro and Osos streets. Street parking downtown is metered. The structures are free for the first hour and 75 cents per hour thereafter.

Tourism

The city of San Luis Obispo with Bishop Peak on the right and Cerro San Luis on the left.

Because of San Luis Obispo's location halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, it has long been a stopping point for travelers. In fact, the word motel was coined here when the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo was established in 1925. Since then, the pleasant year-round climate, pretty scenery, and well-preserved, walkable downtown have made the city a tourist destination in itself.

Downtown San Luis Obispo is centered around the carefully restored Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, originally built in 1772. It is one of the best preserved examples of Spanish Mission architecture and among the oldest buldings in California. Its bells are unique in that, unlike other California missions, the bell ringer stands in the bellroom with the bells when ringing the cadences. The downtown area also boasts many eclectic shops and boutiques.

Another big tourist attraction is Hearst Castle, the vast estate of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, 43 miles to the north of San Luis Obispo. The Madonna Inn is another famous local landmark. Established by Alex Madonna in 1958, the inn is a famously eccentric building known for its generous helping of pink, wildly kitschy decor, themed guest rooms, and a waterfall urinal in a men's restroom.

One famous tourist destination is Bubble Gum Alley. Since about 1960, people have been sticking their chewed gum on the walls of this alley located on Higuera Street, between Broad and Garden streets. Bubble Gum Alley has even appeared on national television.

Another big attraction is the development of Edna Valley into a well-known wine region. Just south of the city, people can spend an afternoon wine tasting several wineries in the area with a very short drive. Some of these wineries have won awards and acclaim for their vintages. The wine region extends north beyond Paso Robles (30 miles north) and Santa Ynez (70 miles south).

A field station of the Marine Mammal Center is located in San Luis Obispo to support sea rescue and beach stranding rescue operations for this section of the California coast.

One of the main draws is Farmers' Market, a large festival held downtown on Higuera Street every Thursday evening year-round from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.. About three-quarters of a mile of the street is closed to cars. Live entertainment is featured and local farmers and vendors sell goods and produce. The Farmers' Market was created in 1983 to make use of downtown streets blocked off to end a tradition of teen/collegiate cruising. Farmers and vendors were allowed to set up between barricades as a way to bring people back to the downtown area. Later, all traffic was blocked off, making the downtown Farmers' Market one long "mall," even rerouting part of a state highway to accommodate the street closures. The Farmers' Market brought a great deal of revenue and has become internationally known.

San Luis Obispo has been home of several other events, including a stop on the way of the Olympic Torch, the Tour of California bicycle race, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, as well as a long-standing Christmas Parade. A Mardi Gras parade that was well attended has been fraught with difficulties related to crowd control and alcohol consumption. Debate about the cost of the parade, and the associated crowd control, continues.

Mardi Gras has not been the only local event reined in after gaining acceptance. Cal Poly's open house, Poly Royal, was held every April until a 1990 riot of drunken revellers, many visitors to town, caused damage throughout residential neighborhoods and the business district. The university cancelled the event for several years before reintroducing a scaled-down Open House. While Poly Royal welcomed the community for hikes, carnivals, "magic" shows put on by the Chemistry Department, and other public performances, the revamped version is designed for students and parents.

Miscellanea

• Jamba Juice, famous for its fruit smoothies, was founded in this town. Formerly called Juice Club, Jamba Juice is now a national chain. Although Juice Club was not a Cal Poly senior project as some claim, three of the four co-founders, Joe Vergara, Kevin Peters, and Linda Olds did graduate from the university. Jamba Juice still exists at the original Juice Club location: 17 Chorro Street #C.
• City ordinance prevents businesses of any sort (including fast-food restaurants) from constructing new drive-up or drive-through windows or services. Two branches of one local bank are the only locations in the entire city with drive-up service; their drive-up service existed before the ordinance became law.
• The dentist office on the corner of Santa Rosa and Pacific streets is one of very few commercial buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Historic points of interest

• Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, 1772 - Monterey Street between Chorro and Broad streets
• Carnegie Library, now home to San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum, at Broad and Monterey
• Fremont Theater, an art deco theater that still plays first run movies on the huge screen. Murals adorn the walls of the main theater where neon swirls light the ceiling.

Notable residents

• Chris Pontius, Mike Kassak, and other members of the MTV show Jackass.
• Helio Fialho, founder and president of Auspient, Inc. and Uptown Jean Co.
• Jon Anderson, co-founder and lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes.
• Chuck Liddell, UFC light heavyweight champion.
• Sherwood, an Indie rock/emo band, specializing in feel-good dance rock.
• G.D. Spradlin, character actor
• Ray Mullikin, cartoonist
• Zac Efron, actor in "High School Musical" and "Summerland", was born here on October 18 1987.
• Greg Hind, founder of Hind Sportswear.
• Greg Copeland, founder of Copeland Sports.
• Ah Louis, banker and storekeep during San Luis Obispo's rail boom. Chinese laborers built a community of their own in San Luis Obispo while digging the railroad tunnels still in use along Cuesta Grade north of town. SLO's Chinatown revolved around Ah Louis Store and other Palm Street businesses owned and run by Chinese business people. Today, Mee Heng Low chop suey shop is all that remains of the culture, though Chong's Candy Store (across Chorro Street from Ah Louis store) still stands.
• Phyllis and Alex Madonna, founders of the Central Coast's landmark resort hotel, Madonna Inn.
• Rich Ferguson, award winning entertainer.

External links

• City of San Luis Obispo
• Downtown SLO Association has information about concerts in the plaza and Farmers' Market.
• San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce promotes member business and serves as the city's contracted tourism promoter. Also runs the city's Visitors Center, 1039 Chorro St.