Arroyo Grande is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 17,716 at the 2013 census.
Video Arroyo Grande, California
History
The earliest inhabitants of the Arroyo Grande Valley were Chumash Indians, who conducted extensive trade with other Native American tribes at a considerable distance.
The first Europeans to see this stretch of coast were the crew of Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, working in the service of Spain. The Spanish Portolá expedition was the first European visit by land, passing through the area on September 4, 1769. When Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was established nearby, the Portolà trail became part of the road connecting the 21 Spanish missions (today called El Camino Real). Later, agricultural activities expanded into the area. The Arroyo Grande Valley was found to have particularly fertile ground and was given the name meaning "wide riverbed" in Spanish.
Francis Ziba Branch, originally from New York, saw the area on a hunting expedition during the period when California was part of Mexico. Branch married María Manuela Carlón, and this marriage entitled Branch to file a claim for a Mexican land grant. In 1836 he, his wife, and baby son moved onto Rancho Santa Manuela. They were managing a successful cattle ranching operation when California became a U.S. territory, and then a U.S. state. But some years later they suffered financial difficulties during a drought when many cattle died. They sold off smaller parcels of land to settlers.
In 1862, the San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors established the township of Arroyo Grande. Businesses developed along a road called Branch Street to serve local agriculture. A railroad depot was built in 1882. The city of Arroyo Grande was incorporated on July 10, 1911.
Arroyo Grande experienced rapid growth in the 1970s and 1980s, partially due to the expansion of the wastewater treatment plant, under an EPA Clean Water Grant, that removed a growth constraint. This federal grant program required preparation of an Environmental Impact Report, which provided much of the initial environmental database for Arroyo Grande. Arroyo Grande is located in a coastal ecosystem within the California floristic province, and the native habitats include coast live oak woodland, central coastal scrub, willow and mixed riparian along Arroyo Grande Creek and numerous tributaries, native bunch-grass grassland, coastal prairie, dunes and intertidal zone, and non-native and agricultural areas.
Maps Arroyo Grande, California
Geography
Arroyo Grande is a small coastal town with historic, suburban, and rural elements located at 35°7?15?N 120°35?12?W (35.120878, -120.586799). It is one of the cities on the Central Coast known as the "Five Cities". The following cities are the original Five Cities: Grover Beach, previously known as Grover City, Fair Oaks (later absorbed by Arroyo Grande), Arroyo Grande, Oceano, and Halcyon. Oceano is historically one of the Five Cities, even though it is considered a Community Service District. Shell Beach, is part of Pismo Beach. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.8 square miles (15 km2), all of it land.
Climate
Arroyo Grande has a Temperate-Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb).
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Arroyo Grande had a population of 17,252. The population density was 2,956.5 people per square mile (1,141.5/km²). The racial makeup of Arroyo Grande was 14,710 (85.3%) White, 156 (0.9%) African American, 125 (0.7%) Native American, 595 (3.4%) Asian, 14 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 856 (5.0%) from other races, and 796 (4.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,707 persons (15.7%).
The Census reported that 17,078 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 62 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 112 (0.6%) were institutionalized.
There were 7,087 households, out of which 2,027 (28.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,741 (52.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 653 (9.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 275 (3.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 346 (4.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 42 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,968 households (27.8%) were made up of individuals and 1,017 (14.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41. There were 4,669 families (65.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.93.
The population was spread out with 3,633 people (21.1%) under the age of 18, 1,193 people (6.9%) aged 18 to 24, 3,704 people (21.5%) aged 25 to 44, 5,229 people (30.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,493 people (20.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.4 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
There were 7,628 housing units at an average density of 1,307.2 per square mile (504.7/km²), of which 4,686 (66.1%) were owner-occupied, and 2,401 (33.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 11,345 people (65.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,733 people (33.2%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,851 people, 6,478 households, and 4,353 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,795.3 people per square mile (1,079.4/km²). There were 6,750 housing units at an average density of 1,190.3 per square mile (459.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.45% White, 0.62% African American, 0.45% Native American, 3.08% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 3.77% from other races, and 3.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.17% of the population.
There were 6,478 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city, the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,236, and the median income for a family was $55,494. Males had a median income of $41,304 versus $30,688 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,311. About 4.3% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
In the California State Legislature, Arroyo Grande is in the 17th Senate District, represented by Democrat Bill Monning, and in the 35th Assembly District, represented by Republican Jordan Cunningham.
In the United States House of Representatives, Arroyo Grande is in California's 24th congressional district, represented by Democrat Salud Carbajal.
Notable people
- Zac Efron -- actor
- Lou Ferrigno -- TV and movie actor, including The Incredible Hulk
- Paul Flores -- last man who saw Kristin Smart alive
- Horace Grant -- former professional basketball player
- Jordan Hasay -- middle-distance runner
- Ken Napzok - Movie commentator
- Rita Quigley - film actress
- Harry Shum Jr. -- actor, dancer and choreographer
- Sheila Varian -- breeder of Arabian horses
- Robin Ventura -- former professional baseball player and manager of Chicago White Sox
- Jimy Williams - former baseball manager
See also
- Lopez Lake
- Arroyo Grande High School
- Cypress Ridge Golf Course
References
External links
- Official website
- Arroyo Grande & Grover Beach Chamber Of Commerce
- South County Historical Society
- Lucia Mar Unified School District
- Weekend Escape: The small-town charms of Arroyo Grande
Source of article : Wikipedia
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