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San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaExplore more photos from the story |
Population: 42,963 (2006 estimate)
Percentage of retirees: 14.4%
Cost of living index: Substantially above average
Public libraries: 1
Public transportation: Downtown trolleys operate on a loop every 20 minutes at a cost of $.25. Buses on SLO Transit city bus line and Central Coast Area Transit offer services to Santa Maria. Amtrak offers daily services to San Francisco, LA and San Diego.
Access to airports: San Luis Obispo Airport has daily scheduled flights to nearby cities. Access to the airport is available by taxicab and shuttle bus.
Tax breaks: In California, Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits are exempt. There is a 2.5% tax on early distributions and qualified pensions. All private, local, state and federal pensions are fully taxed.
Number of museums: 7
Number of cinemas: 4
Cultural Highlights: Focused on annual festivals and performing arts.
Access to Healthcare: Fair
Climate: Pleasant year-round
Annual precipitation: 24.36 inches
Nearby Attractions: Pacific beaches 10 minutes away, San Simeon and Hearst Castle and wine country within an hours" drive, and Santa Barbara about an hour and a half.
Useful link: City of San Luis Obispo
In the Know: "It's the downtown feel-streets, awnings, sidewalks-of 40 or 50 years ago, and people enjoy that. It's unspoiled. San Luis Obispo people have a pride. We're smart but not snobbish. We live in a rural setting, but we're worldly. San Luis has that social vibrancy. It's a very special place."
-Karen Kile, executive director of the San Luis Obispo Art Center
The fact that the town's 235-year-old mission, while no longer Spanish, continues to function in the heart of town says a lot about the character of San Luis Obispo. History and a contented small-town ambience permeate this community wedged into the Los Osos Valley. The presence of the California Institute of Polytechnics at the north edge of town adds an additional dynamism to the mix, with respected touring companies stopping in at its Performing Arts Center.
The historic downtown, threaded by San Luis Creek, is filled with galleries, shops, restaurants and venerable adobe structures from the Spanish colonial era, all of them concentrated in a walkable few blocks. These streets and the old mission plaza are the site of a number of outdoor events, including the Plein Air Painting Festival, a weekend-long gathering of artists; the month-long Mozart festival; book-and-author festivals; and the city's weekly Farmers Market. That takes place every Thursday night and spreads through eight blocks of downtown. Not only farmers but local performers and restaurateurs get into the spirit, serving up their particular specialties streetside. A further convenience in this small place is the presence of a downtown Amtrak station, with daily stops by north- and southbound trains.
The city has preserved a number of green spaces in town, and close by are several natural reserves that offer extensive trails for hiking, mountain biking, and wildlife watching. This is also serious wine country, and vineyards line the green hills north and south of town.
Comments
San Luis Obispo is NOT the sweet, laid back town that the Chamber of Commerce is touting. It is expensive, there are gangs who come up from LA, the Mardi Gras celebration was discontinued after many years, it is downwind from the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant which is built on an earthquake fault line, beaches have been closed due to e-coli and sharks, the big box stores are moving in at a fast pace and the downtown is suffering, the traffic has gotten worse and worse and the travel time (driving) to anywhere substantial is a minimum of 3 hours. Flying is worse because there are NO direct flights to anywhere beyond, LA, SF or Salt Lake City. It might be sunny and pleasant during the day but you always have to bring an extra layer of clothes for the evening. That means you can leave your summer evening dresses in the closet. Need I go on???
Posted by Melissa Alter on April 23,2008 | 02:13 AM
Let us think of everything bad that has ever taken place in SLO county in the last twenty years and list it!! Do not forget to list off any other inactive fault lines where other safe and super-efficient and power plants may reside. I remember one time where half the town had a cold during winter- I went through half a box of kleenex myself! Who could forget the another time when a tropical storm hit, and left foliage in the middle of the streets causing chaos and panic as residents were forced to drive around such piles until they were removed and/or biodegraded.
Posted by Nicholas on April 25,2008 | 08:15 PM
I have noticed that no matter where I live, an attitude seems to reflect more about why YOU should or should not be there. When I was in the Navy, being from Indiana, I couldn't see how ANYONE would have living in Hawaii. The grass is truly always greener. My advice to the negative aspect people in these forums would be to list both, as people seeking new places to live are looking for an honest opinion. IF you are telling more than the article, there must be SOMETHING you like. But if you don't, please move! We all want you to be happy. I have found that people in Honolulu, San Diego, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Key West, Miami, all hate where they live. And yet, somebody idealizes that place. Not that I am a know it all, just putting in my two cents...
Posted by Nick on May 10,2008 | 01:16 PM
I can find the amount of precipitation in SLO in January and February but I can't find if this in constant drizzle, like in Seattle, or as thunderstorms and then it's over. Can anyone help? While I'm asking for help from you do you have any ideas of how to find more reasonable rentals for months of January and February for a furnished condo, house, apartment, etc? Everything I have found on-line is too high for us two senior professional women.
Posted by Sandy on June 26,2008 | 11:38 AM
you HAVE to be kidding, Heath care is third world in quality. The night my father has a serious heart attach, he waited 6 hours for care. The only interventialist cardiology was covering Santa Barbara to Atascadera.Look up on a map. 100 plus miles. the once flourishing bookstores have been repaced by the chains, and the gang violence is out of control. Why someone would put this in here is beyond me.
Posted by chuck on August 26,2008 | 02:39 AM
I love it in San Luis Obispo! I lived here when I went to Cal Poly SLO and moved back ten years later. I have lived all over California and this is by far my favorite place. The weather is really stable all year round. The temp ranges at about 70 degrees. The people are great and while it has grown up a lot since I went to college, it still has a small town feel. The people are friendly and there is always something going on. The best part is that I can go to the beach, go fishing at the lake and go hiking, all in the same day if I wanted to. (I wouldn't suggest that all in one day though) I don't know where the other poster's experience is from, but I have NEVER had any problem with gang activity. (maybe about a half hour away in Santa Maria, but not here.) Houses are not cheap, even with the current economy. That is the one downfall. The median range is $599,000 right now. Sandy wanted to know if it is drizzle or thunderstorms....it is more storms than it is over. We do get the fog rolling in sometimes from the ocean, but it burns off quickly. There is no place that I would rather be.
Posted by CyberGwen on September 10,2008 | 06:35 PM
CyberGwen is right on! This town is as close to perfect as you can find. I've lived in Wisconsin, Las Vegas & Boston enjoying all for differnt reasons, but after I first saw the ocean in 1989 I new California was where I wanted to be. About ten years ago I moved to San Luis Obispo. I will admit it took me some time to fall in love with San Luis, not because I didn't like it here, but I had come from Boston & missed the city & friends. The wheather (at first) was annoyingly perfect, I've grown to live without real seasons, see the aboved mentioned Wisconsin. The people are friendly & it's a casual town; no need to dress to impress, but there are places/occasions for that if you'd like. There are special event, of every interest, going on all the time. Cal Poly adds so much to the community with the energy of thee students, vibrant night life & countless volunteers (I work for a non-profit & we have 2-5 non-paid interns per quarter, but I know the students are volunteering all over town in a variety of capacities). The community is so active in outdoor activities including hiking, biking, surfing & kayaking. The Downtown is extreamly vibrant with many differnt types of shops, theaters, museums, special events, restaurants & people watching. I usually don't post anything, but was web surfing & came across this great article with too many negative comments. So, please take my interpretation of San Luis into consederation; you'll love San Luis or you just won't get it!
Posted by Brent on September 27,2008 | 09:08 PM
Wish I had more time to post this. San Luis Obispo has to be one of the, if not the nicest smaller cities in California I have visited. I couldn't believe how nice it was, after I had read some of the above reports about gangs (which is COMPLETELY not true). If you have any free time and want to escape the Bay area or LA, check out SLO, you won't be disappointed, and might just end up wanting to move there. It's darned near perfect. I'd recommend spending a thurday through the weekend, catch the farmers' market, stay at the Garden Street in, or Le Petit Soleil. Catch a flick at the Fremont Theater downtown, which is spectacular. The food is amazing, and the people are the nicest I've met anywhere in the country.
Posted by Pat Robinson on November 17,2008 | 10:58 PM
Moved here 20 years ago from So Cal. The truth is, because of all the hills, the points, & the shifting wind pattern between them, weather in this county is different as day & night depending on where you are. More often than not, it's a colder wind, which means count on needing a jacket most of the time (except for occasional heat wave). The economy sucks here. If it wasn't for the State prison & State university, this place would be deader than a doornail. Most people are friendly, but since being discovered by yuppies, it is becoming more pretentious all the time. The big box stores are closing down the small business man. Most people are living month to month & too many people vacation here from the valley - both groups are constantly looking to see how cheap they can satisfy their wants - meaning they think cheap, act cheap, & spend cheap. Businesses are so desperate for customers that they cater more to the out-of-towner than they do to the locals, which means we have to put up with being treated like cattle. Government is corrupt. The board of supervisors gives themselves raises while cutting back services to their constituents - all in the same week! The people are required to pay for Lakes and reservoirs for water resources, but aren't allowed to walk around, or even park for free anywhere around them without having to pay a user fee! The county is consistently chasing after people's property under one excuse after another. Law enforcement is not friendly towards the people, but immediately treat you as an inferior and suspicious.
The best thing about this place is the beach and the surrounding hills where you may be able to find a trail, if you know where to look. But watch out for ticks & mosquitos.
Like the rest of California, this place was beautiful at one time, but development, greed, and selfishness are quickly reducing it to nothing more than a financial transaction.
Posted by TruthsBeKnown on April 5,2009 | 03:51 AM
I also usually dont posbut after reading the above, felt I had to. I moved to SLO for about a year after college in North Dakota. I lived in a loft apartment and did alright financially. I loved there alone and often walked about a mile to get downtown for the evening, and then back. I never had a problem with gangs or ever felt like I was in danger. The weather was perfect. It rained just a few times in the year i was there. barely any bugs compared to ND. I usually did bring a hoodie or light coat with in the evenings, but thats better than the extremes in other parts of the country. Mostly friendly people, and always something to do. The farmers market on thursdays is great. Something different on every corner, fresh fruits and vegetables every week. Port san luis just a short drive for fresh sea food, and a ton of different foods in town for that matter. Theres a good balance of ma and pa shops and chains. And LA is just close enough for a quick weekend trip. just thought id put in my 2 cents... deffinately worth a visit, cant wait to make it back myself some day soon hopefully.
Posted by Justin 'Nodak' on August 3,2009 | 10:29 PM
Okay...... here is the rundown on san luis obispo. I grew up in Los Angeles County, went to college in San Diego and lived in Santa Barbara and Ventura. Have lived in SLO for 18 years.
Positive: It is a HIKERS PARADISE! Lots of challenging hikes within 5 min. of downtown. No Traffic! the freeway traffic is clear all the time..unbelievable compared to socal and bay area. Cool downtown with lots of college aged people walking around. Beautiful beach 15 mins at Pismo beach. Best walking beach i have ever been to. Flat sand for miles to jog or walk..dogs welcome.
Negative: Everyone says how great the weather is but if you come up from socal you will freeze. Its ALWAYS WINDY in san luis obispo... when you live here you get used to it and if you are a hiker its nice but if you like to bike ride get ready to fight the wind 365 days a year. Yeah the beach is close...Pismo 15 mins away but the surf sucks. head high and over it closes out . smaller than that is okay but bring your 4/3 wetsuit, gloves and booties ..the water is frigid year around....this is not like surfing in socal ...san diego where you wear a spring suit or vest. Bike riding: mountain bike riding there is numerous rides close to down town. road riding: Again the wind is always there. Nice ride to Avila Beach on a Class 1 bike trail.
Overall: If you like warm beaches stay in SOCAL. If you like hiking and beach walking and clear freeways come on up to SLO county..........
Posted by Craig on December 18,2009 | 12:28 AM