The Happiest Place on Earth

San Luis Obispo (Spanish for St. Louis, the Bishop) is a city in California, located roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junípero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest commu-nities. The city, referred to locally as San Luis or SLO, is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University. The population was 45,119 at the 2010 census. The earliest human inhabitants of the local area were the Chumash peoples. One of the earliest villages lies south of San Luis Obispo, and reflects the landscape of the early Holocene when estuaries came farther inland. These Chumash people exploited ma-rine resources of the inlets and bays along the Central Coast and inhabited a network of villages including sites at Los Osos and Morro Creek.

The happiest place on earth.

San Luis Obispo (Spanish for St. Louis, the Bishop) is a city in California, located roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junípero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest commu-nities. The city, referred to locally as San Luis or SLO, is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University. The population was 45,119 at the 2010 census. The earliest human inhabitants of the local area were the Chumash peoples. One of the earliest villages lies south of San Luis Obispo, and reflects the landscape of the early Holocene when estuaries came farther inland. These Chumash people exploited ma-rine resources of the inlets and bays along the Central

San Luis Obispo

by Jane Smith, Travel Writer for Coastal Adventures

Coastal Adventures, May 2012

San Luis Obispo’s sunsets are a perfect way to spend an evening with someone special. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel 32

Coast and inhabited a network of villages including sites at Los Osos and Morro Creek. San Luis Obispo was also a popular stop on both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 with the rise of car culture. Due to its popularity as a stop, it was the location of the first motel, the Milestone Mo-Tel. Among San Luis Obispo’s historical build-ings is the former San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library, located at 696 Monterey Street. The San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library was built in 1905 with a grant of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie, who funded the establishment of 142 California libraries in the early 1900s. The Romanesque style building was designed by architect W. H. Weeks of Watsonville, California and was built by contractor Joseph Maino of San Luis Obispo. The 2010 United States Census reported that San Luis Obispo had a population of 45,119. The population density was 3,489.4 people per square mile (1,347.3/km²). The racial makeup of San Luis Obispo was 38,117 (84.5%) White, 523 (1.2%) African American, 275 (0.6%) Native American, 2,350 (5.2%) Asian, 65 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,973 (4.4%) from other races, and 1,816 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,626 persons (14.7%). The Census reported that 43,937 people (97.4%

of the population) lived in households, 967 (2.1%) lived in non-institutional-ized group quarters, and 215 (0.5%) were institu-tionalized. There were 19,193 households, out of which 3,178 (16.6%) had chil-dren under the age of 18 living in them, 5,690 (29.6%) were opposite-sex married couples liv-ing together, 1,336 (7.0%) had a female householder with no hus-band present, 586 (3.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,104 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 124 (0.6%) same-sex married

couples or partnerships. There were 20,553 hous-ing units at an average density of 1,589.5 per square mile (613.7/km²), of which 7,547 (39.3%) were owner-occupied, and 11,646 (60.7%) were

occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 17,225 peo-ple (38.2% of the popula-tion) lived in owner-occu-pied housing

units and 26,712 people (59.2%) lived in rental housing units. The Madonna Inn is a famous local landmark. Established by Alex Madonna in 1958,

the inn is famously eccen-tric. The Fremont Theater, a historic Art Deco theater from the 1940s, still plays first run

Sunny days and perfect waves keep surfers coming back to San Luis Obispo year after year. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel

You will find many dog-friendly beaches to let your furry friends out for some exercise. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel

33

“It’s great to have a place that you can

take your dog to run around at the end of

the day.”

LEE ANNLocal Dog Owner

movies on the huge screen. Murals adorn the walls of the main theater while neon swirls light the ceiling. The Palm Theatre boasts solar heating and is home to the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. Another destination is Bubblegum Alley. Since about 1960, people have been sticking chewed gum on the walls of this alley. The doctor’s office on the corner of Santa Rosa and Pacific streets is one of very few com-mercial buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. San Luis also has a Carnegie Library which is now home to the San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum. A sculpture of a child and bear at the Mission in downtown San Luis Obispo. A fish was added after the photograph was taken. Lots of mystery surrounds the “underground city”, or the series of tunnels that exists beneath the city. One of the largest Mardi Gras parades West of the Mississippi used to be held in San Luis Obispo,

San Luis Obispo boasts many different crops grown by Central Coast farmers. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel

but it has been canceled recently because of difficulties related to crowd control and alcohol consumption. Cal Poly’s open house, Poly Royal, was held annually from 1933 to 1990. It was canceled in 1945 due to war rationing. It began as a show-and-tell for students to display their projects. It traces its origins to the 1904 Farmer’s Institute and Picnic Basket. By the 1980s, as the college became “the most popular...university in the 19-campus CSU system”, Poly Royal began drawing over 100,000 people from throughout the state, including 126,000 people in 1985. Concerts, parties, and other entertainment were added and it

earned $3–4 million in revenue for the city every year. Following a “mini-riot” in 1989 at an off-campus apartment during Poly Royal, the events in 1990 would cancel the event “indefinitely.” Two nights of rioting on April 28–29 led to 127 arrests, over 100 injuries and 14 police injuries on top of “several hundred thou-sand dollars” worth of damage. A liquor store near campus, Campus Bottle, was destroyed by revelers demand-ing alco-hol. The second night was much larger than the first as people were leaving a concert on campus and parties off-campus were broken up and revelers flooded the streets. Mayor Dunin called the events “the worst experience in the history of San Luis Obispo.” After a meeting between Mayor Dunin and University President Warren Baker the follow-ing Monday, Poly Royal was canceled from that point forward. The name

Poly Royal returned in 2001 as “Open House Presents Poly Royal”, a scaled down version that was designed for students and parents. San Luis Obispo has been home of several other events, including a stop on the way of the Olympic Flame Relay, the Tour of Cali-fornia bicycle race, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, an annual Mozart festival, held every July, and a long-standing Christmas

Parade. Another attraction is the de-velopment 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. The wine region ex-tends north beyond Paso Robles (30 miles north) and south to Santa Ynez (70 miles south). During Summer months, local residents and visitors congregate in the Mission Plaza for a free outdoor concert every Friday evening. The event is called Concerts

“The locally produced wine is what brings

many people to the San Luis Obispo area.”

JOHN KEVINLocal Winery Owner

Coastal Adventures, May 2012

34

in the Plaza. Other noteworthy events include the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, Festival Mo-saic, and the Plein Air Festival. San Luis Obispo hosts a Farmer’s Market every Thursday night from 6-9PM on Higuera Street, be-tween Osos and Nipomo Streets. During this weekly event, the street is closed to vehicle traffic while ven-dors sell food and goods and various visual and music artists perform for the crowds. Since June 2000, the first Thursday of every month is The Bike Happening (also known as Bike Nite) in San Luis Obispo. People gather after the Farm-er’s Market at the Mission Plaza with their bikes. The bikers then go around on multiple circuits on the main streets of downtown adhering to the traffic laws (for the most part). The ride is considered a fun/social ride meant to encourage people to get back on their bikes and to have fun. Each Bike Happening has a theme and a large portion of the crowd is in some costume adher-ent to the theme. One of the cultural focal centers of San Luis

California’s state flower (the poppy) loves the weather in San Luis Obispo. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel

You will often see seals and sea lions lounging at the beach. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel

Top Surf Spots Near SLO:1. San Simeon2. Pismo Pier3. Los Osos4. Morro Rock5. Cayucos Pier

35

The sunny weather in San Luis Obispo makes trail blazing very easy. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel

Coastal Adventures, May 2012

The rolling hills of San Luis Obispo are perfect for an afternoon picnic or a trail ride with friends. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel

On the rare occasion that San Luis Obispo does see rain, rainbows are a charming sight to see at the beach. Photo Courtesy of Brady Teufel

36

“San Luis Obispo is a can’t miss destina-

tion anytime you are visiting the Central

Coast.”

ANNA LEECal Poly Student and Travel

Enthusiast

Obispo is the Christopher Cohen Per-forming Arts Center built on the Cal Poly Campus, which was constructed utilizing the donations of local busi-nesses and individuals. The Perform-ing Arts Cen-ter consists of multiple ven-ues, includ-

ing the original Spanos Theatre. The largest venue, Harmon Hall, seats 1,300. Many high school and college programs are scheduled. Local artists perform plays, music and dance. The addition of the Performing Arts Center attracts many touring performances which are usually not found in com-munities of comparable size to San Luis Obispo. The Summer of 2007 was the opening concert of the Forbes Pipe Organ, which was built elevated into a side wall of Harmon Hall and required the donation of a further $3 million for purchase and installation.