Buellton is a small city in
Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria.
Santa Barba ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States. It is located in the
Santa Ynez Valley
The Santa Ynez Valley is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley from east to west. The Santa Ynez Val ...
, west of
Solvang. The population was 5,161 at the 2020 census, up from 4,828 at the 2010 census.
Located at the junction of
U.S. Route 101 and
State Route 246, Buellton attracts many travelers. It is a town which is home to various hotels, restaurants, parks and shops. It may be most famous for its nickname “Home of Split Pea Soup,” which is a reference to
Pea Soup Andersen's
Pea Soup Andersen's is a restaurant chain in Central California that primarily serves travelers. The chain consists of two locations along the state's two major north–south highways: U.S. Route 101 in Buellton and Interstate 5 in Santa Nella. ...
Restaurant. Buellton traces its beginnings to 1867 when a portion of a Mexican land grant was deeded Rufus T. Buell and his brother. They developed a successful cattle ranch in the 19th century.
History
Buellton is named for Rufus T. Buell, an early settler who owned the
Rancho San Carlos de Jonata
Rancho San Carlos de Jonata was a Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Joaquín Carrillo and Jose Maria Covarrubias. The grant was west of Mission Santa Inés in the Santa Yn ...
Mexican land grant. It has been a minor tourist destination since the 1920s, and became increasingly popular after the opening of Pea Soup Andersen's in 1924.
This and an abundance of fuel, lodging and other traveler services led Buellton to adopt the nickname "Servicetown, USA."
Buellton has also experienced increased notoriety due to the film
''Sideways'' (2004), which was filmed in Buellton and Solvang. The City has gained additional tourism due to many nearby wineries, two popular breweries, and the Flying Flags RV Resort.
Geography
The town is surrounded by miles of open-space land in the
Santa Ynez Valley
The Santa Ynez Valley is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley from east to west. The Santa Ynez Val ...
, and borders the
Santa Ynez River
The Santa Ynez River is one of the largest rivers on the Central Coast of California. It is long, ArcExplorer GIS data viewer. flowing from east to west through the Santa Ynez Valley, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Surf, near Vandenberg Space Fo ...
to the south. It is home to a library, one park, a golf course, fire station, Highway Patrol Office, a shopping plaza, 10 hotels and 18 restaurants.
[McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. Page 48. .]
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 t ...
, the city has a total area of , 99.96% of it land and 0.04% of it water.
It is a common stop for travelers on U.S. Highway 101, being the first town north of
Santa Barbara after the scenic and undeveloped stretch of about through the
Gaviota Coast
The Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County, California is a rural coastline along the Santa Barbara Channel roughly bounded by the city of Goleta, California, Goleta on the south and the north boundary of the county on the north. This last undeve ...
.
Demographics
2010
At the
2010 census Buellton had a population of 4,828. The population density was . The racial makeup of Buellton was 3,912 (81.0%) White, 37 (0.8%) African American, 76 (1.6%) Native American, 137 (2.8%) Asian, 5 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 424 (8.8%) from other races, and 237 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,451 persons (30.1%).
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 1,761 households, 667 (37.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,008 (57.2%) were
opposite-sex married couples living together, 168 (9.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 81 (4.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 93 (5.3%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 10 (0.6%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships. 385 households (21.9%) were one person and 189 (10.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.74. There were 1,257 families (71.4% of households); the average family size was 3.23.
The population was spread out, with 1,228 people (25.4%) under the age of 18, 391 people (8.1%) aged 18 to 24, 1,229 people (25.5%) aged 25 to 44, 1,343 people (27.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 637 people (13.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.
There were 1,845 housing units at an average density of 1,165.7 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,226 (69.6%) were owner-occupied and 535 (30.4%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 3,262 people (67.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,566 people (32.4%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
At the
2000 census there were 3,828 people in 1,433 households, including 1,000 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,483 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 81.50% White, 0.55% African American, 1.15% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 12.23% from other races, and 3.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.73%.
Of the 1,433 households, 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 23.9% of households were one person, and 10.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17.
The age distribution was 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
The median
income
Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. Fo ...
for a household in the city was $48,490, and the median family income was $54,839. Males had a median income of $46,379 versus $28,542 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,907. About 6.6% of families and 8.8% 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 10.2% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Buellton has two schools which form the Buellton Union Elementary School District. Oak Valley Elementary School serves those students in kindergarten through 5th grade while Jonata Middle School serves grades 6 through 8. The district serves approximately 600 students. In 2019, Jonata Middle School was named a
California Distinguished School while the Buellton Union Elementary School District was named a California Exemplary District.
The City is also served by the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District. Santa Ynez Valley High School is located in Santa Ynez.
Public safety
The
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
provides contract police services for Buellton, while the
Santa Barbara County Fire Department
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department (SBCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County, California, and for multiple cities within the county. Together, these areas compose ...
acts as the local fire service through the Santa Barbara County Fire Protection District.
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enforcem ...
operates an office in town. The crime rate is low.
Politics and government
As of June 2022, the current mayor of Buellton is Holly Sierra, who was elected in November 2018. Other members of the City Council include Vice Mayor Dave King, Councilmember Ed Andrisek, Councilmember Elysia Lewis, and Councilmember John Sanchez. The mayor is elected to a two-year term, while the City Councilmembers are elected at-large to 4 year terms. The Vice Mayor is selected from among the City Councilmembers each year.
The City recently changed the electoral system for Councilmembers elected beginning in November 2022. From this point forward, Councilmember will be elected by and from one of four districts, each with approximately 1,290 residents.
Activities
OstrichLand USA
OstrichLand USA is a 33-acre
Ostrich
Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There ...
and
Emu
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The emu ...
farm located in the Buellton area.
[Thornton, Stuart (2014). ''Moon Santa Barbara & the Central Coast''. Avalon Publishing. Page 119. .] Visitors can view and feed the animals.
References
External links
*
Buellton Historical SocietyBuellton Union School DistrictPea Soup Andersen's
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Cities in Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Ynez Valley
Incorporated cities and towns in California
1992 establishments in California