San Luis Obispo County Demographics

Population, Growth Rate, Makeup, Climate, Employers, Attractions, Trivia

Location: San Luis Obispo County is located on California's Central Coast, approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

County Population: 250,000+

Population Growth Rate: 13.6%

Ethnic Makeup: 76.1% Non-Latino white; 16.2% Latinos; 2.6% Asians; 2% African-Americans; 0.1% Pacific Islanders; 0.6% American Indians; and 2.2% Multi-ethnicities.

Education: California Polytechnic State University, Cuesta College

Median Age: 37.3 years

Average Income: ~$60,000+

Median Home Price: $500,000+

Climate: San Luis Obispo County enjoys moderate and sunny weather year round, making it a popular vacation destination.

Major Employers/Industries: The largest private firm in San Luis Obispo County is Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), followed by Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Mid-State Bank. The top 10 employers are: the county government; Cal Poly; PG&E; California Men's Colony; Atascadero State Hospital; Lucia Mar Unified School District; San Luis Coastal Unified School District; Sierra Vista Regional Hospital; Atascadero Unified School District; Paso Robles Unified School District. The top industries are tourism, agriculture, small retail and light manufacturing.

Major Retailers: Gottschalks; Target; Kmart; Longs Drugs; Wal-Mart; Mervyn's; Sears; Rite Aid; Sav-On; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Vons; Albertsons; Food 4 Less; Staples; Ralphs; Ross; Cost Plus World Market; Office Max; Marshall's

Culture: The Performing Arts Center located on the Cal Poly campus, San Luis Obispo Symphony, San Luis Obispo Little Theater, Melodrama, International Film Festival, Mozart Festival, Children's Museum, San Luis Obispo Art Museum

Major Annual Events: Mozart Festival; Mid-State Fair; Mardi Gras; Paderewski Festival; Madonnari Italian Street Painting; Wildflower Triathalon; Pismo Beach Street Rod Custom Car Show; City-to-Sea mini marathon; Morro Bay Harbor Festival; Paso Robles Wine Festival; International Film Festival; Lighted Boat Parade; Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival

Tourist Attractions: San Luis Obispo and San Miguel missions; Hearst Castle (San Simeon); Paso Robles and Edna Valley vineyards and wine-tasting; Pismo Beach; Morro Rock; Madonna Inn

Night Life: Clubs, restaurants and theaters

Sports: Cal Poly and Cuesta college teams, local high schools and amateur teams

Famous Citizens: Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst; fitness guru Jack LaLanne; former Reagan National Security Advisor and Interior secretary William Clark; Cal Poly sports stars John Madden, Ozzie Smith and Bobby Beathard

Trivia: James Dean died in an automobile accident in San Luis Obispo County. Clark Gable married Lady Sylvia Stanley, widow of Douglas Fairbanks, in San Luis Obispo. The Frisbee was invented here.

Information provided by knightridder.com.