Morro Bay, California | |
|---|---|
 Morro Bay viewed fromMorro Rock | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: "Three Stacks and a Rock" | |
| Motto: Come Get Salty in Morro Bay[1] | |
 Location inSan Luis Obispo County and the state ofCalifornia | |
  Morro Bay Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:35°22′02″N120°50′48″W / 35.36722°N 120.84667°W /35.36722; -120.84667 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Luis Obispo |
| Founded | 1870 |
| Incorporated | July 17, 1964[2] |
| Named after | Morro Rock |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager[3] |
| • Body | Morro Bay City Council |
| • Mayor | Carla Wixom[3] |
| • City Manager | Yvonne Kimball[4] |
| • Council Members[3] | List
|
| • Assemblymember | Dawn Addis (D)[5] |
| • State Senator | John Laird (D)[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.32 sq mi (26.74 km2) |
| • Land | 5.33 sq mi (13.80 km2) |
| • Water | 5.00 sq mi (12.95 km2) 48.41% |
| Elevation | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 10,757 |
| • Density | 2,019/sq mi (779.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 93442–93443 |
| Area code | 805 |
| FIPS code | 06-49362 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1661062 |
| Website | www |
Morro Bay (Morro,Spanish for "Hill")[9][10][11] is a seaside city inSan Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on theCentral Coast ofCalifornia, the city's population was 10,757 as of the2020 census, up from 10,234 at the2010 census. The town overlooks Morro Bay, a naturalembayment with an all-weather, small-craft, commercial and recreational harbor.
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The prehistory of Morro Bay relates toChumash settlement, particularly near the mouth ofMorro Creek. At least as early as theMillingstone Horizon thousands of years before present, an extensive settlement existed along the banks and terraces above Morro Creek.[12] A tribal site on present-day Morro Bay was namedtsɨtqawɨ,Obispeño for "Place of the Dogs".[13]
Thefirst recordedFilipinos to visit America arrived at Morro Bay on October 18, 1587, from the Spanish galleonNuestra Señora de la Esperanza;[14] one of whom was killed by local Native Americans while scouting ahead.[15]
The first European land exploration ofAlta California, the SpanishPortolá expedition, came down Los Osos Valley and camped near today's Morro Bay onSeptember 8, 1769.Franciscan missionary and expedition memberJuan Crespí noted in his diary, "we saw a great rock in the form of a round morro".[16]
While governed by Mexico, largeland grants split the surrounding area into cattle and dairyranchos, which needed shipping to bring in dry goods and to carry their crops, animals, and other farm products to cities.
The town of Morro Bay was founded by Franklin Riley in 1870 as a port for the export of dairy and ranch products. He was instrumental in the building of a wharf, which has now become the Embarcadero.[17] During the 1870s,schooners could often be seen at the Embarcadero, picking up wool, potatoes, barley, and dairy products.[citation needed]
A subspecies of butterfly, the "Morro Bay Blue" or " Morro Blue" (Icaricia icarioides moroensis) was first found at Morro Beach by entomologistRobert F. Sternitzky, in June 1929.[18]
DuringWorld War II, a U.S. Navy base,Amphibious Training Base Morro Bay, was on the north side of Morro Rock, where sailors were trained to operateLCVPs. The breakwater on the southwest side of the rock was built in 1944–45 to protect the LCVPs entering and leaving the harbor. Soldiers fromCamp San Luis Obispo came to Morro Bay and practice loading into the LCVPs. Many of those men were atNormandy onD-Day.
In the 1940s, Morro Bay developed anabalone-fishing industry; it peaked in 1957; stocks of abalone had declined significantly due to overfishing.[19]Halibut,sole,rockfish,albacore, and many other species are still caught by both commercial and sport vessels. In addition,oysters are grown byaquaculture in the shallow back bay.
In the 1950s, thePacific Gas and Electric Company built the Morro Bay Power Plant, which created jobs and increased the tax base and led to the city acquiring the nickname "Three Stacks and a Rock".[20] The city incorporated in 1964.[2] The plant closed in February 2014.[21]
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Morro Bay is the name of the large estuary situated along the northern shores of the bay itself. The larger bay on which the local area lies isEstero Bay, which also encompasses the communities ofCayucos andLos Osos. The city of Morro Bay is 20 km (12 mi) northwest ofSan Luis Obispo and is located onHighway 1.Los Osos Creek discharges into Morro Bay.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.3 square miles (26.7 km2), of which 5.0 square miles (12.9 km2) (48.41%) are covered by water.[6]
Morro Rock is a 576-ft-high (176 m)volcanic plug[22] located at the entrance to the harbor. The descriptive termmorro is common to the Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian languages, and the word is part of many place names where a distinctive and prominent hill-shaped rock formation exists.[23] Originally, it was surrounded by water, but the northern channel was filled in to make the harbor.[24] It wasquarried from 1889 to 1969,[25] and in 1968, it was designated a Historical Landmark.[26]
The area around the base of Morro Rock is open to visitors, with parking lots and paths. Climbing the rock is prohibited[27][28] due to risk of injury, and because it is aperegrine falcon reserve.[22][29] Morro Rock is one in a series of similar plugs that stretch in a line inland called theNine Sisters.[citation needed]
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Morro Bay is a naturalembayment with an artificial harbor constructed by theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is the only all-weather, small-craft, commercial and recreational harbor betweenSanta Barbara andMonterey. Morro Rock was originally surrounded by water, but the Army built a large artificialbreakwater and road across the north end of the harbor, linking Morro Rock and the mainland. Some of the rock used for this and for the artificial breakwaters was quarried from Morro Rock itself. Other rock was imported by barge fromCatalina Island. The bay extends inland and parallels the shore for a distance of about 6.4 km (4.0 mi) south of its entrance at Morro Rock. Morro Bay is recognized for protection by theCalifornia Bays and Estuaries Policy.[30] A small summer colony of otters ususally can be seen in the kelp near the harbor entrance.[31]
Morro Bay experiences a mildwarm-summer Mediterranean climate (KöppenCsb) characteristic of coastal California, featuring dry, warm summers and wet, mild winters. The city is located next to thePacific Ocean, which helps moderate temperatures and create an overall pleasant, mild, year-round climate, resulting in warmer winters and cooler summers compared with places farther inland, such asAtascadero. Summers in Morro Bay are cool for a city located at35°N latitude, with July averaging around 60 °F (16 °C). Winters are mild, with January averaging at 55 °F (13 °C) with around eight days of measurable precipitation.
| Climate data for Morro Bay, CA (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 89 (32) | 87 (31) | 92 (33) | 100 (38) | 98 (37) | 86 (30) | 92 (33) | 94 (34) | 101 (38) | 106 (41) | 92 (33) | 81 (27) | 106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 74.9 (23.8) | 76.0 (24.4) | 78.4 (25.8) | 81.5 (27.5) | 78.8 (26.0) | 72.7 (22.6) | 76.4 (24.7) | 79.0 (26.1) | 83.4 (28.6) | 89.4 (31.9) | 80.1 (26.7) | 72.8 (22.7) | 91.7 (33.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 65.1 (18.4) | 65.4 (18.6) | 66.0 (18.9) | 67.3 (19.6) | 66.9 (19.4) | 66.4 (19.1) | 67.2 (19.6) | 69.7 (20.9) | 71.5 (21.9) | 72.5 (22.5) | 69.1 (20.6) | 64.6 (18.1) | 67.6 (19.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 55.7 (13.2) | 56.6 (13.7) | 57.3 (14.1) | 58.3 (14.6) | 59.3 (15.2) | 60.0 (15.6) | 61.8 (16.6) | 63.2 (17.3) | 63.7 (17.6) | 63.5 (17.5) | 59.7 (15.4) | 55.4 (13.0) | 59.5 (15.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 46.4 (8.0) | 47.8 (8.8) | 48.6 (9.2) | 49.2 (9.6) | 51.7 (10.9) | 53.6 (12.0) | 56.5 (13.6) | 56.8 (13.8) | 56.0 (13.3) | 54.4 (12.4) | 50.2 (10.1) | 46.2 (7.9) | 51.5 (10.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 36.2 (2.3) | 36.3 (2.4) | 38.7 (3.7) | 39.2 (4.0) | 43.1 (6.2) | 45.6 (7.6) | 50.0 (10.0) | 49.9 (9.9) | 48.2 (9.0) | 44.6 (7.0) | 39.1 (3.9) | 34.9 (1.6) | 32.6 (0.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 23 (−5) | 22 (−6) | 28 (−2) | 31 (−1) | 33 (1) | 39 (4) | 40 (4) | 40 (4) | 41 (5) | 36 (2) | 31 (−1) | 22 (−6) | 22 (−6) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.64 (92) | 3.62 (92) | 3.19 (81) | 0.99 (25) | 0.42 (11) | 0.20 (5.1) | 0.07 (1.8) | 0.02 (0.51) | 0.09 (2.3) | 0.68 (17) | 1.33 (34) | 2.75 (70) | 17.00 (432) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 7.0 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 6.9 | 42.3 |
| Source: NOAA[32][33] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1,659 | — | |
| 1960 | 3,692 | 122.5% | |
| 1970 | 7,109 | 92.6% | |
| 1980 | 9,064 | 27.5% | |
| 1990 | 9,664 | 6.6% | |
| 2000 | 10,350 | 7.1% | |
| 2010 | 10,234 | −1.1% | |
| 2020 | 10,757 | 5.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[34] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Morro Bay had a population of 10,757. The population density was 2,019.3 inhabitants per square mile (779.7/km2). The racial makeup of Morro Bay was 78.3%White, 0.8%African American, 0.7%Native American, 3.0%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 6.3% fromother races, and 10.7% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.6% of the population.[35]
The census reported that 96.7% of the population lived in households, 1.9% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.3% were institutionalized.[35]
There were 5,038 households, out of which 17.7% included children under the age of 18, 42.6% were married-couple households, 7.0% werecohabiting couple households, 30.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 35.4% of households were one person, and 20.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.07.[35] There were 2,848families (56.5% of all households).[36]
The age distribution was 13.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% aged 18 to 24, 20.4% aged 25 to 44, 28.0% aged 45 to 64, and 32.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males.[35]
There were 6,528 housing units at an average density of 1,225.5 units per square mile (473.2 units/km2), of which 5,038 (77.2%) were occupied. Of these, 56.3% were owner-occupied, and 43.7% were occupied by renters.[35]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 5.8% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 89.4% spoke only English at home, 6.1% spokeSpanish, 3.4% spoke otherIndo-European languages, 0.8% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.3% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 93.9% were high school graduates and 46.4% had a bachelor's degree.[37]
The median household income in 2023 was $92,553, and theper capita income was $59,411. About 5.7% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line.[38]
The2010 United States census[39] reported that Morro Bay had a population of 10,234. The population density was 991.5 inhabitants per square mile (382.8/km2). Theracial makeup of Morro Bay was 87.1% White, 0.4% African American, 0.9% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.0% from other races, and 3.0%from two or more races. About 14.9% of the residents were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. The census reported that 98.4% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 1.2% were institutionalized.
Of the 4,844 households, 19.0% had children under 18 living in them, 40.7% were opposite-sex married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present; 6.8% wereunmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0.7% weresame-sex married couples or partnerships. Of the 1,808 households, 37.3% were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.08. About 53.6% of all households were families; the average family size was 2.70.
The city's age distribution was 15.0% under 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
The 6,320 housing units had an average density of 612.3 units per square mile (236.4 units/km2), of which 53.3% were owner-occupied and 46.7% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%. About 51.0% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 47.4% lived in rental housing units.
Morro Bay High School, Los Osos Middle School, and Del Mar Elementary offer education for grades 9-12, grades 6-8, and kindergarten through grade 5, respectively.[40]
Tourism is the city's largest industry,[41] coexisting with the town's commercial fishery. A number of tourist attractions are found along the shoreline and the streets closest to it, especially the Embarcadero, including restaurants, shops and parks. Further, hospitality is the cornerstone of Morro Bay's economy. The city heavily relies on visitors staying at hotels, as tax revenues from those stays make up a significant portion of the city's General Fund.[42] The importance of travelers staying in hotels is solidified by the number and variety of accommodations. Hotels, motels, and inns within Morro Bay continuously adapt to accommodate visitors by investing in their amenities, accommodations, and conditions.
The most popular beach is on the north side of Morro Rock, north of the harbor. Also, excellent beaches are found north and south of the town, atMorro Strand State Beach andMorro Bay State Park, respectively.
Thepower plant has played a large role in Morro Bay, and in providing electricity to theCentral Coast and the Central Valley of California (primarilyFresno andBakersfield). It was built byPG&E in the mid-1950s[20][43][44] to a design by architect William Gladstone Merchant, and was expanded in the 1960s.[45] A portion of the city's budget came from taxes on thenatural gas the plant burned.[43] In 1997, PG&E sold the plant toDuke Energy under a state law requiring energy producers to reduce their assets.[43]
The 650-megawatt plant employed more than 100 workers at its peak and operated around the clock during the energy crisis of 2000, but by the mid-2010s, when it was owned byDynegy, it had become uneconomical and was operating at 5% of capacity, primarily during periods of peak energy demand. It would have required expensive upgrades by 2015 to conform to state law.[46] Duke had proposed modernizing the plant by converting it tocombined cycle power generation,[47][48] but the modernization was not carried out,[43][49][50] and Dynegy closed the plant in February 2014.[46][21]
In 2018, a joint venture of German energy company EnBW and Seattle-based Trident Winds announced its plan to obtain the power plant's grid connection to connect a 650 MW floatingoffshore wind park comprising up to 100 floating wind turbines and a floating substation situated some 30 miles (48 km) off the coast.[51] In 2022,TotalEnergies, a French energy company, entered the joint venture with Trident Winds and took over the shares previously held by EnBW.[52]
In 2021, the city council of Morro Bay voted 4–1 to take down the power plant's smokestacks by 2028.[53] The city estimated that maintaining the smoke stacks would cost around a million dollars per year.Vistra Energy, which had purchased Dynegy, agreed to tear down the stacks and plans to build a600 MWlithium-ion battery installation.[20][54][55]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Morro Bay is inthe 17th senatorial district, represented byDemocrat John Laird, and inthe 30th Assembly district, represented byDemocrat Dawn Addis.[56]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Morro Bay is inCalifornia's 24th congressional district, which has aCook PVI of D +4[57] and is represented bySalud Carbajal (D–Santa Barbara).[58]
It is in theSan Luis Coastal Unified School District.[59]
Municipalities and communities ofSan Luis Obispo County, California,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
