Santa Barbara County
Cities and Towns
Source: Wikipedia
Santa Maria
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. Santa Maria's estimated population in November 2008 was 111,972 and has surpassed that of Santa Barbara, making it the largest city in the county. The estimated population of the area is about 161,227, which includes the Santa Maria Valley, the city of Guadalupe, the unincorporated township of Orcutt. Nipomo is also considered part of the Santa Maria area, as it is adjacent to Santa Maria on the north in San Luis Obispo County. The city is notable for its wine industry and Santa Maria Style Barbecue.
History
In 1769, the Portola exploration party
came through the Santa Maria Valley on its trek up the coast of
California to find the Monterey Bay. After Mission San Luis
Obispo was established in 1772 and Mission La Purisima was
established in what is now Lompoc in 1787, settlers were
attracted to the Santa Maria Valley by way of the gold fields
elsewhere in California. Rather than rich soil, they were
attracted here by the possibility of free land. In 1821, when
Spain granted Mexico its independence, mission lands were made
available for private ownership.
Before the Spanish cattle grazing explorers and settlers came to
the Santa Maria Valley, it was a stretch of sagebrush, deer,
bears and rabbits stretching from the Santa Lucia Mountains
toward the Pacific Ocean. The Chumash Indians made their homes on
the slopes of the surrounding hills among the oaks and sycamores
where there was more moisture and shelter, and along the beach
areas. In the 1800s, when California gained statehood (in 1850),
the rich soil drew farmers and other settlers, and the Santa
Maria River Valley became one of the most productive agricultural
areas in the state. Agriculture is still a key component of the
economy for the city and the entire region.
Between 1869 and 1874, four of the valley's prominent settlers,
Rudolph Cook, John Thornburg, Isaac Fesler, and Isaac Miller,
farmed the land that today corners on Broadway and Main Street.
The townsite map was recorded in Santa Barbara in 1875. The new
city was first called Grangerville, then Central City. The city's
name was changed to "Santa Maria" on February 18, 1885,
because mail for the community was being sent by mistake to
Central City, Colorado. "Santa Maria" comes from the
name that settler Juan Pacifico Ontiveros had given to his
property 25 years earlier.
The Santa Maria Valley saw oil exploration begin in 1888, leading
to large-scale discoveries around the turn of the century. In
1901, Union Oil and a number of smaller companies began pumping
for oil. By the end of 1903, Union Oil, the major player in the
region, had 22 wells in production. Several significant
discoveries followed. For the next 80 years, thousands of oil
wells were drilled and put into production in the area. Oil
development intensified in 1930s, spurring the City's growth even
further. By 1957 there were 1,775 oil wells in operation in the
Santa Maria Valley, producing more than $64 million worth of oil.
Today, the Santa Maria Valley remains a major agricultural hub in
California and the city of Santa Maria has continued to add major
"destination" retail outlets to its existing retail
offerings. Santa Maria is the leader in Santa Barbara County in
terms of retail sales growth.
Geography and climate
Santa Maria is located at 34°57'5?N 120°26'0?W.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a
total area of 19.8 square miles, of which, 19.3 square miles of
it is land and 0.4 square miles of it (2.23%) is water.
Santa Maria is situated north of the unincorporated township of
Orcutt, California, and south of the Santa Maria River (which
serves as the line between Santa Barbara County and San Luis
Obispo County). The valley is bordered on the west by the Pacific
Ocean and to the east by the San Rafael Mountains and the Los
Padres National Forest. The city of Guadalupe, California is
approximately 9 miles to the west of Santa Maria.
Economy
Agriculture plays an important role in the city's economy. The
Santa Maria area is home to an increasing number of vineyards,
wineries and winemakers and is centrally located to both the
Santa Ynez and Foxen Canyon areas of Santa Barbara County's wine
country, and San Luis Obispo County's Edna Valley-Arroyo Grande
wine country.
The agricultural areas surrounding the city are some of the most
productive in California, with primary crops including
strawberries, wine grapes, celery, lettuce, peas, squash,
cauliflower, spinach, broccoli and beans. Many cattle ranchers
also call the Santa Maria Valley home.
In recent years, other industries have been being added to the
city's agricultural and retail mix, including: aerospace;
communications; high-tech research and development; energy
production; military operations; and manufacturing.
Demographics
According to the 2000 census, there were 77,423 people, 22,146
households, and 16,653 families residing in the city. The
population density was 4,005.8 people per square mile. There were
22,847 housing units at an average density of 1,182.1/sq mi. The
racial makeup of the city was 66.0% White, 1.87% African
American, 1.78% Native American, 4.74% Asian, 0.18% Pacific
Islander, 28.02% from other races, and 5.36% from two or more
races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.3% of the
population.
There were 22,146 households out of which 42% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living
together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present,
and 24.8% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up
of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years
of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the
average family size was 3.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.6% under the
age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from
45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,739, and
the median income for a family was $48,233. Males had a median
income of $28,700 versus $22,364 for females. The per capita
income for the city was $13,780. About 15.5% of families and
19.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including
26.5% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
Law and government
Courts
Santa Maria is home to one of two official Superior Court
locations in Santa Barbara County, with the other courthouse
located in Santa Barbara.
Politics
Santa Maria is split down the middle of the political spectrum as
compared to Santa Barbara, which tends to lean on the more
liberal side of the spectrum. Perhaps due to this political
division, along with irrigation and water-supply issues, many
attempts have been made to split the county in half, with the
northern portion of the county (roughly from Point Conception
north) to be named Mission County. Over the course of many years,
however, this secession movement has proved unsuccessful.
Law Enforcement
As the primary law enforcement agency for the City of Santa
Maria, the Santa Maria Police Department handles approximately
130,000 calls for service each year. The Santa Barbara County
Sheriffs Department also operates within the city and in the
surrounding communities. The SMPD is administratively divided
into the three divisions, Administration, Operations, and
Support, and has 112 sworn officers and 51 full-time support
personnel.
Transportation
Road
U.S. Route 101 (PCH), runs through the
middle of the Santa Maria Valley and is the main expressway
connecting many west coast cities. It has been improved to
freeway status (meaning all at-grade intersections have been
eliminated) within the city of Santa Maria itself. There was
recently a widening project that expanded the freeway from four
to six lanes between Santa Maria Way and the Route 135
overcrossing. The $32 million project was completed in late 2008
/ early 2009.
State Route 1 runs around the western edge of the city and
connects it to nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc. The
section of 101 in the city is a freeway, and a small part of a
nearby section of Highway 1 that runs between the city and the
base is also a freeway, but the two freeway segments do not
directly connect to each other.
State Route 135 is considered to be the major artery through the
city. It comes from Los Alamos, a town to the south of Santa
Maria, and it enters Orcutt and Santa Maria as an expressway. The
expressway runs all the way to Santa Maria Way. Highway 135 then
turns into Broadway and runs through the heart of the city and
all the way up to the Santa Maria River and U.S. 101.
Along Foxen Canyon Road. This route provides a link between the
Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valleys
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Foxen.jpg
Air
Santa Maria Public Airport offers
regular commercial flights to Los Angeles by United, Las Vegas by
Allegiant Air. Alternative airports are found at San Luis Obispo
County Regional Airport in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara
Municipal Airport in Goleta.
Rail
The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) is a shortline freight
railroad to Guadalupe. Main business includes storage of railroad
cars when northern California and southern California storage
area are full.
The nearest train station with long-distance Amtrak service is in
Guadalupe, to which Amtrak provides bus service from Santa Maria.
Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner provides twice daily service in each
direction, running to Paso Robles to the north and to San Diego
via Los Angeles to the south.
Bus
SMAT, Santa Maria Area Transit, is a local bus service provided
by both city and county-run lines, it has recently expanded its
services during the evening that stretch to 10:15 P.M.
San Luis Obispo RTA also runs the line 10 that travels between
Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo primarily on weekdays, with three
trips in each direction on Saturdays & Sundays. It costs
$1.75.
The Breeze Bus provides service to Lompoc, Vandenberg Air Force
Base, and Santa Maria.
Long-distance intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound
Lines.
Education
The Ethel Pope Auditorium at Santa Maria High School
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:11_Ethel_Pope_Aud_front.jpg
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School
District (SMJUHSD) is the oldest high school district in the
State of California and runs the 3 primary public high schools in
the area, including Santa Maria High School, Pioneer Valley High
School, and Ernest Righetti High School. There are also two
notable private high schools in the valley, St. Joseph High
School, a private Catholic high school, and Valley Christian
Academy.
Also included in the city is Allan Hancock College, a two year
community college known for its distinguished athletic programs
which have included former head football coaches John Madden and
Ernie Zampese, as well as Gunther Cunningham. The college also
home to the PCPA, one of the state's finest theatre programs. The
Orcutt Union School District operates six elementary schools and
two junior high schools: Lakeview Junior High School and Orcutt
Junior High School. In August 2008, Orcutt Academy Charter School
will open with two campuses; a K-8 grade school located in
Casmalia and a high school in Old Orcutt.
Culture
Tri-Tip and Santa Maria Style BBQ
Santa Maria is perhaps most notable for
an excellent variety of barbecued meat. The tri-tip steak has its
roots in Santa Maria. Tri-tip is a cut of beef from the bottom
sirloin. It is a small triangular muscle, usually 1.5 to 2.5 lb
(680 to 1,100 g) per side of beef. In the United States, this cut
was typically used for ground beef or sliced into steaks until
the late 1950s, when it became a local specialty in Santa Maria.
"Santa Maria Style" barbecue is usually used in
reference to the seasoning of tri-tip or other meats (most
notably top sirloin, or "top block") when rubbed with
salt, pepper, and spices and cooked whole on a rotisserie or
grilled over local red oak wood. The side dishes complimenting a
typical "Santa Maria Style" barbecue generally consist
of garlic bread, pinquito beans, and a salad.
Wine: Santa Maria Valley AVA
Santa Maria, along with the neighboring
Lompoc, Los Alamos and Santa Ynez Valleys, combine to create one
of the nation's largest wine-producing regions, referred to the
Santa Barbara Wine Country.
The often foggy and windswept Santa Maria Valley is the northern
most appellation in Santa Barbara County. The region’s first
officially approved American Viticultural Area (AVA) enjoys
extremely complex soil conditions and diverse microclimates.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are two varietals which especially
benefit from the ocean’s influence, and are the flagship
wines of this appellation.
"No viticultural region in America has demonstrated as much
progress in quality and potential for greatness as... the Santa
Barbara region, where the Burgundian varietals Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir are planted in its cooler climates." - Robert
Parker Jr., "Food & Wine."
The quality of Santa Maria Valley grapes is so widely recognized
that the fruit is not just used in winemaking at wineries in the
appellation. Santa Maria Valley grapes are also used by wineries
throughout Santa Barbara County and at many wineries outside of
the county. The Santa Maria Valley name is used on labels from
wineries that are based far away from the Santa Barbara County
sunshine. The Santa Maria Valley appellation is bounded by the
San Rafael Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest to the
east, and by the Solomon Hills and the city of Santa Maria to the
west.
Some of the valley's notable table wineries include: Au Bon
Climat, Foxen, Cambria, Byron, Rancho Sisquoc and Bien Nacido
Vineyards.
Theatre
Santa Maria's Allan Hancock College is the home of The Pacific
Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA), a highly touted
theatrical school and production company. Notable alumni include:
Robin Williams, Kathy Bates, Kelly McGillis, Mercedes Ruehl, and
Zac Efron.
An additional PCPA theatre is located in Solvang, California in
the Santa Ynez Valley.
Film
The Santa Maria Valley has long been a major filming location for
Hollywood. Some of the films shot in the valley include:
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, (2007)
Voodoo Moon, (2007)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, (2006)
Sideways, (2004)
Hidalgo, (2003)
Rockets Red Glare, (2000)
Rocky & Bullwinkle, (1999)
Cowboy Up, (1998)
The Odd Couple II, (1997)
G.I. Jane, (1996)
Amelia Earhart, (1993)
Barton Fink, (1991)
LA Story, (1991)
The Rocketeer, (1991)
The Spirit of St. Louis, (1957)
The Ten Commandments, (1923)
Titus (tv sitcom), (2000)
Cafe Fx
Santa Maria is home to Cafe FX; the award-winning feature film
visual effects facility which has provided the special effects
for many films, some of which include: Pan's Labyrinth, Iron Man,
Spider Man 3, King Kong, Sin City and Hellboy.
Notable residents
Entertainment:
Jane Russell, Actress
Chris Lambert, Musician
Aurora Snow, Actress
Chuck Negron, Singer and founding member and of Three Dog Night
Robin Williams, Actor and former PCPA student
Zac Efron, Actor and former PCPA student
Kathy Bates, Actress and former PCPA student
Sports:
Gunther Cunningham, former head football coach of the Kansas City
Chiefs
Doug Bernier, Major League Baseball second baseman for the
Colorado Rockies
Ozzie Smith, Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player
John Madden, Hall of Fame NFL football coach / commentator
Ken Zampese, NFL football coach
Ernie Zampese, NFL football coach
Robin Ventura, Major League Baseball player
Jimy Williams, Major League Baseball manager
Mark Brunell, NFL football player
John Marshall, NFL coach
Bryn Smith, retired Major League Baseball pitcher. Pitched for
Santa Maria High School and Allan Hancock College.
Carlos Diaz (pitcher), retired Major League Baseball pitcher.
Marla Runyan, marathon runner
Jim Lonborg, MLB player for the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee
Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies.
Auto Racing:
Blaine Johnson late NHRA Top Fuel driver, killed in an on-track
accident in 1996
Politics:
Abel Maldonado, California State Senator
Other:
Owen W. Siler, 15th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard
(1974-1978)
Richard Perkins, Former Speaker of the Nevada Assembly
This page was last updated July 19, 2009.
