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Guadalupe, California | |
|---|---|
 Southern city limit of Guadalupe, 2005 | |
| Motto: "Gateway to the Dunes!"[1] | |
 Location of Guadalupe inSanta Barbara County, California | |
  Guadalupe, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°57′56″N120°34′23″W / 34.96556°N 120.57306°W /34.96556; -120.57306 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Santa Barbara |
| Incorporated | August 3, 1946[2] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ariston Julian[3] |
| • State senator | Monique Limón (D)[4] |
| • Assemblymember | Gregg Hart (D)[4] |
| • U. S. rep. | Salud Carbajal (D)[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.32 sq mi (3.41 km2) |
| • Land | 1.31 sq mi (3.39 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km2) 0.32% |
| Elevation | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 8,057 |
| • Density | 6,160/sq mi (2,380/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 93434 |
| Area code | 805 |
| FIPS code | 06-31414 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1652715,2410672 |
| Website | cityofguadalupe |
Guadalupe is a small city located inSanta Barbara County, California. According to the2020 census, the city has a population of 8,057. Guadalupe is economically and socially tied to the city ofSanta Maria, which is about 8 miles (13 km) to the east. It is located at the intersection ofHighway 1 andHighway 166, immediately south of theSanta Maria River, and 5 miles (8 km) east of thePacific Ocean.[10]
The first European land exploration ofAlta California, the SpanishPortolá expedition, camped near today's Guadalupe onSeptember 1, 1769.Franciscan missionary and expedition memberJuan Crespí noted in his diary that they found "a very large lake". The lake has since mostly filled in, leaving a low-lying plain traversed by the Santa Maria River and several tributaries.[11]
WhenMission La Purisima was established in 1787, the area became part of the mission's pasture land. In 1840, followingsecularization of the missions by the Mexican government and subsequent issuance of land grants, the area became part of theRancho Guadalupe land grant. Rancho Guadalupe was first settled by pioneers of Mexican and Spanish descent, and later, other immigrants from many unique backgrounds followed, such as the Anglo Americans, Japanese, Chinese, and Filipinos. The small town was incorporated as the city of Guadalupe on May 19, 1946. The city name honorsOur Lady of Guadalupe, which is the Catholic title given to theVirgin Mary.[12]
An ongoing construction development along the south side of town will add more than 800 homes. The project, Pasadera Homes, was first announced in 1993 and has undergone several delays. The city annexed the 209-acre site (85 ha) in 1995. When completed, it is expected to boost the city's population to the 10,000 that is considered the threshold for attracting chain stores and restaurants. In addition to homes, the plan includes a new school and commercial development.[13][14]
The city faced economic troubles in the late 2000s and early 2010s; in 2015, agrand jury urged the city todissolve.[15] Voters overwhelmingly approved the passage of three new tax and fee measures, which, along with the aforementioned residential and commercial developments, helped stabilize the city's economy.
Guadalupe is located in the northwestern extremity ofSanta Barbara County, immediately south of theSanta Maria River.[16] The landscape in the vicinity of the town is mostly flat, with the predominant land use being agriculture and oil production. Hills rise to the south of the town; on the other side of the hills isVandenberg Space Force Base. West of town, both in Santa Barbara County and north in adjacentSan Luis Obispo County, is theGuadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, a large region of dune habitat along the Pacific Ocean shore. The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center serves as the education and research facility for the natural area.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), 99.68% of it land and 0.32% of it water. The town consists of a tight cluster of buildings, surrounded completely by agricultural land.
This region experiences mildly warm and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Guadalupe has awarm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[17]
| Climate data for Guadalupe, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 85 (29) | 89 (32) | 91 (33) | 98 (37) | 102 (39) | 109 (43) | 104 (40) | 95 (35) | 106 (41) | 104 (40) | 94 (34) | 92 (33) | 109 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 62.2 (16.8) | 63.0 (17.2) | 64.1 (17.8) | 66.6 (19.2) | 68.4 (20.2) | 70.3 (21.3) | 71.6 (22.0) | 72.8 (22.7) | 73.2 (22.9) | 72.0 (22.2) | 67.7 (19.8) | 62.4 (16.9) | 67.9 (19.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 41.6 (5.3) | 43.2 (6.2) | 44.6 (7.0) | 45.6 (7.6) | 48.2 (9.0) | 51.3 (10.7) | 54.0 (12.2) | 54.5 (12.5) | 53.6 (12.0) | 50.1 (10.1) | 45.2 (7.3) | 40.9 (4.9) | 47.7 (8.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) | 20 (−7) | 23 (−5) | 28 (−2) | 27 (−3) | 35 (2) | 31 (−1) | 40 (4) | 32 (0) | 28 (−2) | 21 (−6) | 22 (−6) | 20 (−7) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.23 (82) | 3.48 (88) | 3.19 (81) | 0.98 (25) | 0.35 (8.9) | 0.05 (1.3) | 0.03 (0.76) | 0.04 (1.0) | 0.31 (7.9) | 0.60 (15) | 1.40 (36) | 2.29 (58) | 15.95 (405) |
| Source 1:[18] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:[19] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 174 | — | |
| 1950 | 2,429 | — | |
| 1960 | 2,614 | 7.6% | |
| 1970 | 3,145 | 20.3% | |
| 1980 | 3,629 | 15.4% | |
| 1990 | 5,479 | 51.0% | |
| 2000 | 5,659 | 3.3% | |
| 2010 | 7,080 | 25.1% | |
| 2020 | 8,057 | 13.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[20] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Guadalupe had a population of 8,057. The population density was 6,150.4 inhabitants per square mile (2,374.7/km2). The racial makeup of Guadalupe was 27.4%White, 0.6%African American, 4.5%Native American, 3.1%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 43.6% fromother races, and 20.6% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 88.1% of the population.[21]
The whole population lived in households. There were 2,063 households, out of which 57.8% included children under the age of 18, 53.4% were married-couple households, 9.3% werecohabiting couple households, 23.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 9.1% of households were one person, and 4.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.91.[21] There were 1,764families (85.5% of all households).[22]
The age distribution was 31.2% under the age of 18, 10.8% aged 18 to 24, 28.1% aged 25 to 44, 20.0% aged 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males.[21]
There were 2,119 housing units at an average density of 1,617.6 units per square mile (624.6 units/km2), of which 2,063 (97.4%) were occupied. Of these, 53.5% were owner-occupied, and 46.5% were occupied by renters.[21]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 30.2% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 29.0% spoke only English at home, 66.3% spokeSpanish, 1.6% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 3.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 57.1% were high school graduates and 11.1% had a bachelor's degree.[23]
The median household income in 2023 was $71,048, and theper capita income was $22,110. About 22.2% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line.[24]
The2010 United States census[25] reported that Guadalupe had a population of 7,080. The population density was 5,385.3 inhabitants per square mile (2,079.3/km2). The racial makeup of Guadalupe was 3,395 (48.0%)White, 74 (1.0%)African American, 103 (1.5%)Native American, 279 (3.9%)Asian, 5 (0.1%)Pacific Islander, 2,783 (39.3%) fromother races, and 441 (6.2%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 6,103 persons (86.2%).
The Census reported that 7,080 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,810 households, out of which 1,073 (59.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,005 (55.5%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 369 (20.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 174 (9.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 143 (7.9%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 10 (0.6%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 213 households (11.8%) were made up of individuals, and 93 (5.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.91. There were 1,548families (85.5% of all households); the average family size was 4.11.
The population was spread out, with 2,424 people (34.2%) under the age of 18, 797 people (11.3%) aged 18 to 24, 1,930 people (27.3%) aged 25 to 44, 1,362 people (19.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 567 people (8.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
There were 1,887 housing units at an average density of 1,435.3 per square mile (554.2/km2), of which 936 (51.7%) were owner-occupied, and 874 (48.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.3%. 3,483 people (49.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,597 people (50.8%) lived in rental housing units.
Agriculture is by far the leading industry in Guadalupe.[26] It has the highest percentage of agricultural- and manufacturing workers inSanta Barbara County: 31% are employed in the agriculture sector, while 24% have manufacturing jobs.[26] Apio Inc. and Obispo Cooling takeproduce in from the surrounding fields and prepare it for shipping to points across the nation as well as overseas.
The majority of the small businesses in town can be found on Guadalupe Street. For half a century, the city was home to the famous Far Western Tavern (formerly the Palace Hotel), until it relocated to Old TownOrcutt in 2012, following the death of founder and philanthropist Clarence Minetti.[27][28][29] The Far Western building has since been donated to the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center.[30] It was placed on the state's Register of Historic Resources in 2019.[31]
Groceries can be bought at La Chiquita Market and at the historic Masatani's Market, which has been owned and operated by the Masatani family since 1922.[32] There is a publiclibrary on Main Street as well as many shops, businesses and services.
Guadalupe is a small town with a diverse culture and history. In addition to the Dunes Center,[33] the town contains an art museum, the Rancho de Guadalupe Historical Society, a publiclibrary, veteran's memorial, and the Masatani Mansion. Nuestra Señora De Guadalupe is the mainCatholic church, located on 11th Street and Obispo Street. There are three otherChristian churches in town, as well as aBuddhist temple. The historic building occupied by city hall and the police department used to be an elementary school. There is a very small jail building at the park near the train tracks where the water tower stands. Every year on September 16, there is a parade on Guadalupe Street to celebrateMexico's independence from Spain.
Guadalupe is also home to the historic Royal Theater, which was a single-screen 510-seatmovie theater, located on Highway 1. Built in 1939, the Royal was originally owned and managed byJapanese-American businessmen Arthur Fukuda, Jack Takeuchi, and Kiyozo Noji, who were relocated tointernment camps in 1942. The theater was then operated under a number of owners until its closure and acquisition by the city in the 1990s.[34][35] Since then, there have been several plans to refurbish the building in an effort to revitalize the downtown area.[30] Currently, the city plans to repurpose the building as a community arts center, and to have the site registered as anhistoric landmark.[36]
Former President and then-Republican Party nomineeGeorge W. Bush and his wifeLaura paid visit to Guadalupe, eating at La Simpatia restaurant as part of a two-day campaign trip during the2000 election.[37]
There is a beach near Guadalupe at the end of Main Street that is part of theGuadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. Oso Flaco Lake inNipomo is also a part of this dunes complex and is a few miles north of Guadalupe; it features aboardwalk that goes over the lake and leads to the Guadalupe beach.
South of Guadalupe on Highway 1 and right on Brown Road is Point Sal Road, which was closed due to heavy storms and has become a hiking trail through the coastal mountains. At the end of the 5-mile trail (8.0 km), which passes throughVandenberg Space Force Base, is the isolatedPoint Sal State Beach. Between Guadalupe Beach and Point Sal Beach is the even more isolated Paradise Beach, near Mussel Rock.
Parks in the area includeJack O'Connell Park, where the Bulldogs youthfootball team practices. LeRoy Park, the community center for the city and the home of the localBoys & Girls Club, sits near the town's northern city limit, and is the oldest community park in Santa Barbara County; the land was donated in 1871 by the LeRoy family, and the park is currently undergoing a major revitalization project.[38]
The GuadalupeWrestling Club was established in 1979 for the youth and has produced numerous state champions over the years. The Guadalupe Police Department runs the Gladiator's club, which provides peer-to-peer mentoring for fifth and sixth grade youth.[39] The Boys & Girls Club and the Riverview apartment tutoring program provide places for children to go after school.
TheGuadalupe Union School District operates two schools: Mary BurenElementary[40] and Kermit McKenzieJunior High School.[41] In state rankings, the two schools are in the 20th percentile.[10] Mary Buren Elementary iskindergarten tofifth grade and McKenzie Junior High issixth grade toeighth grade. The mascot of both schools is thebobcat. There is also apreschool run by the Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County.
Guadalupe is at the intersection ofCalifornia State Route 1 and166, providing easy access to cities north, east, and south, the largest of which is nearbySanta Maria. Amtrak runs through town, and theGuadalupe station is on thePacific Surfliner route. There is a large pedestrian bridge in the residential area, which gives an easy way for people to cross the tracks which split the town just east of Highway 1.
TheGuadalupe Flyer bus runs routes to Santa Maria hourly.[42]
Filmmakers have used the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes as a setting for several films, includingCecil B. DeMille's 1923Ten Commandments and in 1998The Odd Couple II. Scenes fromPirates of the Caribbean: At World's End andHidalgo have also been filmed here.
In 1993 the town was featured inCalifornia's Gold episode 401, "Buried Treasure". The episode centered around the set ofThe Ten Commandments buried underneath the Guadalupe Dunes.[43]
Municipalities and communities ofSanta Barbara County, California,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Authority control databases: National |
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