Central Coast | |
|---|---|
 South Coast ofSanta Barbara County | |
 Location of the Central Coast inCalifornia (The lighter shaded area includesSouth Coast counties that are included in some definitions) | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Population | 2,348,601 (All 6 counties combined) |
TheCentral Coast is an area ofCalifornia, roughly spanning the coastal region betweenPoint Mugu andMonterey Bay. It lies northwest ofLos Angeles and south of theSan Francisco Bay Area, and includes the rugged, rural, and sparsely populated stretch of coastline known asBig Sur.[1]
From south to north, there are six counties that make up the Central Coast:Ventura,Santa Barbara,San Luis Obispo,Monterey,San Benito, andSanta Cruz.[2][3]
The Central Coast is the location of theCentral Coast American Viticultural Area.
Geographically, the actual midpoint of the California coast lies north of Santa Cruz, nearAño Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County.[4] Neither the popular use of the term Central Coast nor that of theCalifornia North Coast include theSan Francisco Peninsula counties of San Mateo and San Francisco.
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The Central Coast area was inhabited byChumash,Ohlone,Esselen,Salinan, and other Native American people since at least 10,000BC.[5] Many of these communities were coastal, where the people utilized marine resources and dwelt near freshwater inflows to the Pacific Ocean. For example, there were significant communities near the mouth ofMorro Creek andLos Osos Creek.[6]
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed north along the coast and landed in Santa Barbara County in 1542.[7]
After the Spanish established theCalifornia missions in 1770, they baptized and forced the indigenous population to labor at the missions. While living at the missions, the aboriginal population was exposed to diseases unknown to them, likesmallpox andmeasles, for which they had no immunity, devastating the indigenous population and their culture. Many of the remaining indigenous peoples assimilated with Spanish and Mexican ranchers in the nineteenth century.[8]: 264–267
Under Spanish law, the indigenous people were technically free individuals, but they could be compelled by force to labor without pay. With the help of the soldiers who guarded the mission, theIndigenous Californians who lived near the mission were forcibly relocated, conscripted, and trained as plowmen, shepherds, cattle herders, blacksmiths, and carpenters on the mission. Disease, starvation, over work, and torture decimated the tribe.[9]: 114
The region is known primarily foragriculture andtourism. Major crops includewine grapes,lettuce,strawberries, andartichokes. TheSalinas Valley is one of the most fertile farming regions in the United States. Tourist attractions includeCannery Row inMonterey, theMonterey Bay Aquarium, the theatres, galleries and white sand beaches ofCarmel-by-the-Sea, the golf courses ofPebble Beach and theMonterey Peninsula, the rugged coastline ofBig Sur andHearst Castle inSan Simeon. Further south isMorro Rock and the port city ofMorro Bay, which is adjacent to college townSan Luis Obispo. TheSanta Ynez Valley is home to the Central Coast Film Society,[10] which celebrates filmmakers, cinema and media arts that are from the region, also known as "Hollywood's Backyard."
The area is not densely populated. The largest city in the region isOxnard in Ventura County, with a population estimated at 203,007 in 2013.[11]
University of California campuses are found inSanta Barbara andSanta Cruz, near the south and north edges of the region respectively.California State University, Monterey Bay, founded in 1994, uses facilities donated whenFort Ord was converted from military to civilian uses.California Polytechnic State University, inSan Luis Obispo, was founded in 1901.California State University Channel Islands opened inCamarillo in 2002, as the 23rd campus in the California State University system.
The six counties that make up the Central Coast region had an estimated population of 2,348,601 according to the 2020 census.[12]
| County | FIPS code[13] | County seat[14] | Established[14] | Formed from | Etymology[15] | Population[12] | Area[14] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura County | 111 | Ventura | 1872 | Santa Barbara | The city of Ventura, itself an abbreviation of San Buenaventura, Spanish forSt. Bonaventure. | 843,843 | 1,846 sq mi (4,781 km2) |  |
| Santa Barbara County | 083 | Santa Barbara | 1850 | Original | The city of Santa Barbara, itself Spanish forSaint Barbara. | 448,229 | 2,738 sq mi (7,091 km2) |  |
| Monterey County | 053 | Salinas | 1850 | Original | Monterey Bay, itself a Spanish compound meaning "royal mountain", frommonte ("mountain" or "hill") andrey ("king"). | 439,035 | 3,322 sq mi (8,604 km2) |  |
| San Luis Obispo County | 079 | San Luis Obispo | 1850 | Original | The city of San Luis Obispo, itself Spanish forSaint Louis, the Bishop. | 282,424 | 3,304 sq mi (8,557 km2) |  |
| Santa Cruz County | 087 | Santa Cruz | 1850 | Original | The city of Santa Cruz, itself Spanish for "holy cross" | 270,861 | 446 sq mi (1,155 km2) |  |
| San Benito County | 069 | Hollister | 1874 | Monterey | TheSan Benito River and its valley, itself named in Spanish afterSaint Benedict. | 64,209 | 1,389 sq mi (3,597 km2) |  |
The following cities had a population over 20,000 as of the 2020 census:[16]
Travel has been almost entirely by private automobile since state and federal policy shifts away from rail transportation occurred in the early 20th century. Because of its position roughly halfway between the major cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco,San Luis Obispo is home toAmerica's first motel. The major highway isU.S. Route 101, which runs north–south from Los Angeles, through most of the major communities of the Central Coast, to San Francisco.State Route 1, a smaller but much more scenic route, connects the coastal communities, running throughSan Simeon,Morro Bay, andBig Sur.Amtrak maintains train service with theCoast Starlight andPacific Surfliner routes along theUnion Pacific RailroadCoast Line that also transports freight. There are no major airports, although Monterey, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo have regional airports with commuter service.Greyhound buses serve most of the region.
Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) operates bus services throughoutMonterey County as far south asBig Sur on the coast andKing City in the Salinas Valley. MST also offers connection service toSan Jose Diridon Station, downtown Santa Cruz, andPaso Robles andTempleton in NorthernSan Luis Obispo County via regional routes.Santa Cruz Metro offers services withinSanta Cruz County, including connections toSan Jose andSan Jose State and connection to MST service inWatsonville, heading south to Salinas.
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35°36′N121°06′W / 35.6°N 121.1°W /35.6; -121.1
