Arroyo Grande ( Spanish for "Big Creek") is a city in

San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo. Junípero Serra founded the Mission ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. The population was 18,441 as of the 2020 census, up from 17,252 as of the 2010 Census.

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 Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo ( pt, João Rodrigues Cabrilho; c. 1499 – January 3, 1543) was an Iberian maritime explorer best known for investigations of the West Coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of the Spanish Empire. He was the firs ...

(Cabrilho in Portuguese), working in the service of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. 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 Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa ( es, Misión San Luis Obispo de Tolosa) is a Spanish mission founded September 1, 1772 by Father Junípero Serra in San Luis Obispo, California. Named after Saint Louis of Anjou, the bishop of Toulouse, the m ...

was established nearby, the Portolà trail became part of the road connecting the 21 Spanish missions (today called El Camino Real). Later,

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

activities expanded into the area. The Arroyo Grande Valley was found to have particularly fertile ground allowing a rich produce supply that continued to this day. The area was given a Spanish name that translates into multiple meanings, "Big Gulch", "Muddy Creek", "Big Ditch", Arroyo Grande was to become a prosperous and important ranch and farm community.

Francis Ziba Branch Arroyo Grande ( Spanish for "Big Creek") is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 18,441 as of the 2020 census, up from 17,252 as of the 2010 Census. History The earliest inhabitants of the Arroyo Gra ...

, originally from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, saw the area on a hunting expedition during the period when California was part of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Branch married María Manuela Carlón, and this marriage entitled Branch to file a claim for a Mexican

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

. In 1836 he, his wife, and infant son moved onto

Rancho Santa Manuela Rancho Santa Manuela was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Francis Ziba Branch. The grant encompassed present-day Arroyo Grande. History Francis Ziba Branch (1 ...

. They were managing a successful

cattle ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

operation when California became a

U.S. territory In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...

, and then a U.S. state. 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 A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

established the

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

of Arroyo Grande. Businesses developed along a road called Branch Street to serve local agriculture. A

railroad depot A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a Rail transport, railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passenger train, passengers, freight rail transport, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one r ...

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 Wastewater treatment is a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater and convert it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environme ...

plant, under an

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

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.

Geography

Arroyo Grande is a small coastal town with historic, suburban, and rural elements located at (35.120878, -120.586799). 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,

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s and

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

, and non-native and agricultural areas. It is one of the cities on the Central Coast known as the "Five Cities". Which coastal communities are commonly thought of as being the Five Cities has changed over time, as population has grown and shifted geographically. Currently, Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Oceano, Pismo Beach, and Shell Beach are generally considered to make up the "Five Cities". However, the following cities are the original Five Cities: Grover Beach, previously known as Grover City, Fair Oaks (later annexed by Arroyo Grande), Arroyo Grande,

Oceano Oceano (Spanish: ''Océano'', meaning "Ocean") is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 7,286 at the 2010 census, up from 7,260 at the 2000 census. Geography Oceano is located a ...

, 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 United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

Arroyo Grande has a

Temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Csb'').

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census Arroyo Grande had a population of 17,252. The population density was . 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, 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 one person and 1,017 (14.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41. There were 4,669 families (65.9% of households); the average family size was 2.93. The age distribution was 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 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, of the occupied units 4,686 (66.1%) were owner-occupied and 2,401 (33.9%) were rented. 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

At the 2000 census, there were 15,851 people in 6,478 households, including 4,353 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 6,750 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

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. Of the 6,478 households 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 households were one person and 14.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94. The age distribution was 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% 65 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 family income 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 The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...

, Arroyo Grande is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, Arroyo Grande is in .

Notable people

Sally Jane Bruce Sally Jane Bruce (born December 2, 1948, in Los Angeles, California) is an American former child performer, best known for playing little Pearl Harper in Charles Laughton's 1955 film noir '' The Night of the Hunter''. Life and career Sally Jan ...

- actress in '' The Night of the Hunter'' *

Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' trilo ...

- actor * Lou Ferrigno - TV and movie actor, best known for the title role in '' The Incredible Hulk'' *

Paul Flores Kristin Denise Smart (February 20, 1977 disappeared May 25, 1996; declared legally dead May 25, 2002) was a 19-year-old American woman murdered by Paul Flores at the end of her first year on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, ...

- last man who saw

Kristin Smart Kristin Denise Smart (February 20, 1977 disappeared May 25, 1996; declared legally dead May 25, 2002) was a 19-year-old American woman murdered by Paul Flores at the end of her first year on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, ...

alive *

Horace Grant Horace Junior Grant Sr. (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for Michael Reinsdorf, the president and chief operating officer of the Chicago Bulls. He attended and played college baske ...

- former professional basketball player *

Jordan Hasay Jordan Melissa Hasay (born September 21, 1991) is an American distance runner. She grew up in Arroyo Grande, California, and attended Mission College Preparatory High School in San Luis Obispo. She was unanimously selected 2008 Girls High School A ...

- middle-distance runner * Robert Hunter - lyricist and singer-songwriter * Ken Napzok - broadcaster, comedian, author of ''Why We Love Star Wars: The Great Moments That Built a Galaxy Far, Far Away'' * Rita Quigley - film actress *

Harry Shum Jr. Harry Shum Jr. (born April 28, 1982) is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and singer. He is best known for his roles as Mike Chang on the Fox television series ''Glee'' (2009–15), Benson Kwan on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anato ...

- actor, dancer and choreographer *

Sheila Varian Sheila Varian (August 8, 1937 – March 6, 2016) was an American breeder of Arabian horses who lived and worked at the Varian Arabians Ranch near Arroyo Grande, California. She grew up with a strong interest in horses, and was mentored in hor ...

- breeder of

Arabian horse The Arabian or Arab horse ( ar, الحصان العربي , DIN 31635, DMG ''ḥiṣān ʿarabī'') is a horse breed, breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is ...

s * Robin Ventura - former professional baseball player and manager of

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

* Jimy Williams - former baseball manager

References

External links

*
Arroyo Grande & Grover Beach Chamber Of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in San Luis Obispo County, California Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1862 1862 establishments in California