San Luis Obispo, California

The city of San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo (also SLO) is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, USA. "Luis" is pronounced locally as the more anglophone "Lewis." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 44,174.

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly SLO) is located here.

The unusual Madonna Inn is a local tourist stop.

History

• Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

Geography

San Luis Obispo is located at 35°16'27" North, 120°39'47" West (35.274305, -120.663192)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.1 km² (10.8 mi²). 27.6 km² (10.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.66% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 44,174 people, 18,639 households, and 7,697 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,600.0/km² (4,144.5/mi²). There are 19,306 housing units at an average density of 699.3/km² (1,811.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 11.65% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 18,639 households out of which 17.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.3% are married couples living together, 7.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 58.7% are non-families. 32.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 2.86.

In the city the population is spread out with 14.2% under the age of 18, 33.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 106.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $31,926, and the median income for a family is $56,319. Males have a median income of $41,915 versus $27,407 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,386. 26.6% of the population and 7.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

San Luis Obispo is also home to California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly SLO for short. Cal Poly is home to approximately 20,000 students working on degrees ranging from Computer Science and Architecture to Mechanical Engineering and Animal Science.

Facts of Note

Though 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. Because of the slow growth policy, combined with many wealthy Los Angeles residents moving to San Luis, the real estate market has skyrocketed to an almost equivalent level to San Francisco. Only 19% of residents of San Luis Obispo have adequate income to sustain a loan for buying a house.

The Farmer's market is an enjoyable festival held downtown on Higuera street every Thursday year round . About 3/4 of a mile of the street is closed to cars and nearby farmers and residents of the city sell goods. Live music is almost always put on at several places up and down the street and most local restauraunts set up booths and sell food. It is a family-friendly event and an important tourist attraction. On a side note, the Libertarian Party candidate for the 2004 Presidential Election, Michael Badnarik worked at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in SLO County and was reportedly converted to his views by viewing the success of Farmer's Market.

During the summer, the city hosts "Concerts in the plaza" every friday. Musical artists of varying styles (regge, classic rock, jazz, ...) perform in the Mission Plaza in downtown San Luis Obispo. There are beverages and food for sale and attendance usually ranges from 300-700 people.

One source of tourism to San Luis Obispo is the Madonna Inn. Founded by Alex Madonna, the Inn is a marvelous building. Known for its generous helping of pink, Madonna Inn contains richly decorated rooms, themed bathrooms, and a collection of animals from around the world.

There are two High Schools in the town, SLOHS and Mission College Preparatory, and two colleges, Cuesta Community College and the well-known California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Roughly one third of the population of the town is of college age or attending college. The city of San Luis Obispo is itself somewhat liberal, but the northern part of the county is very conservative. The cities north of the Cuesta Grade, Atascadero, and particularly, Paso Robles are quite conservative. The other cities in the county are fairly moderate. Overall, the county is relatively balanced between conservatives and liberals. The mayor of San Luis Obispo is David Romero, who has served for several terms.

Diablo Canyon is a nuclear power plant located West-Southwest of the city itself.

San Luis Obispo has a bizarre attraction called Bubble Gum Alley. The alley is located downtown and since about 1960, people have been sticking their chewed gum on the walls. The alley can be found on Higuera Street, between Broad and Garden Streets. People may add their own gum to the walls, if they wish, but littering anywhere else risks a substantial fine.

The new San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is now being planted in El Chorro Regional Park. When complete, it will be one of the largest botanical gardens in the western United States. The Leaning Pine Arboretum is also nearby.

Oddworld Inhabitants, a computer game company, has headquarters in San Luis Obispo.