Atascadero, California
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Atascadero ( Spanish for "
Mire A peatland is a type of wetland whose soils consist of Soil organic matter, organic matter from decaying plants, forming layers of peat. Peatlands arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, du ...
") is a city in
San Luis Obispo County, California San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a County (United States), county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo ...
, United States, located on
U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...
. Atascadero is part of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses the extents of the county. Atascadero is farther inland than most other cities in the county, and as a result, usually experiences warmer, drier summers, and cooler winters than other nearby cities such as
San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...
and
Pismo Beach Pismo Beach (Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Pismuʔ'') is a city in the southern portion of San Luis Obispo County, California, San Luis Obispo County, in the Central Coast (California), Central Coast area of California, United States. Its esti ...
. The main freeway through town is U.S. 101. The nearby State Routes 41 and 46 provide access to the Pacific Coast and the Central Valley of California. Founded by E. G. Lewis in 1913, the city grew to 29,773 people as of 2020. Atascadero State Hospital is located in the city.


History

The Spanish word loosely means "
bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...
" or "
mire A peatland is a type of wetland whose soils consist of Soil organic matter, organic matter from decaying plants, forming layers of peat. Peatlands arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, du ...
", from the verb , which means "to become stuck or hindered". On the other hand, in the
Obispeño language Obispeño (also known as ) is one of the extinct Chumash people, Chumash Native Americans in the United States, Native American languages previously spoken along the coastal areas of California. The primary source of documentation on the languag ...
, the site was named , which translates into a "place of much water". The area was originally home to the
Chumash Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, Indigenous languages of California See also

* Pentateuch (dis ...
and Salinan Native Americans. Between 1769 and 1823, the Spanish Franciscans established 21 missions along the California coast, including the nearby Mission San Miguel Arcángel and
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa () is a Spanish mission founded September 1, 1772 by Father Junípero Serra in San Luis Obispo, California. The mission was named after San Luis, obispo de Talosa (Saint Louis, bishop of Toulouse, France). Th ...
. In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain, and California became the Mexican province of Nueva California (later
Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
). In 1833, the Mexican government secularized the mission lands. Mexican governor Juan Alvarado granted Rancho Atascadero to Trifon Garcia in 1842, and
Pio Pico Pio or PIO may refer to: Places * Pio Lake, Italy * Pio Island, Solomon Islands * Pio Point, Bird Island, south Atlantic Ocean People * Pio (given name) * Pio (surname) * Pio (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer * Pio (footballer, ...
granted Pedro Estrada Rancho Asuncion in 1845. Patrick Washington Murphy held ownership of at one time.
Edward Gardner Lewis Edward Gardner Lewis (March 4, 1869 – August 10, 1950) was an American magazine publisher, land development promoter, and political activist. He was the founder of two planned communities that are now cities: University City, Missouri, and Atas ...
, a magazine publisher from the East, founded Atascadero in 1913 as a
utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', which describes a fictional island soci ...
, planned colony. He had previously created such a community at
University City, Missouri University City (colloquially, U. City) is an inner-ring suburb of the city of St. Louis in St. Louis County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was measured at 35,065 by the 2020 census. The city is one of the older suburbs in th ...
. After purchasing the Atascadero Ranch in 1912, Lewis put together a group of investors, paid J.H. Henry , and celebrated acquisition of the ranch on July 4, 1913. As investors came to homestead the land that they had bought with their down payments, the area was transformed into a "tent city", with tents situated on land now occupied by Century Plaza and Bank of America. Lewis employed the services of experts in agriculture, engineering and city planning to develop his dream colony for the anticipated 30,000 residents. In 1914, the land was surveyed and subdivided. Beginning with the 1914 deed, sale of all land in Atascadero was restricted to only whites. Thousands of acres of orchards were planted, a water system was installed, and construction began on an road (now Highway 41 west) through the Santa Lucia Mountains to the ocean (
Morro Bay Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city's population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 ...
), where Lewis built cottages and a beachfront hotel called the Cloisters. The first civic building in Atascadero, the Atascadero Press Building, had the first
rotogravure Rotogravure (or gravure for short) is a type of intaglio printing process, which involves engraving the image onto an image carrier. In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a cylinder because, like offset printing and flexography, it u ...
presses west of Chicago. Lewis then published the Atascadero News newspaper and the Illustrated Review, a photo/news magazine. The centerpiece of Lewis' planned community was an Italian Renaissance-style building, which was the home to Atascadero City Hall and the Museum until it was damaged in the 2003 earthquake. After significant upgrades and renovations, the building was reopened in August 2013. Built between 1914 and 1918 with bricks made from local clay, this unique and beautiful building has become one of California's Historical Landmarks (No. 958). Founded in 1913 by
Edward Gardner Lewis Edward Gardner Lewis (March 4, 1869 – August 10, 1950) was an American magazine publisher, land development promoter, and political activist. He was the founder of two planned communities that are now cities: University City, Missouri, and Atas ...
and incorporated in 1979, the Atascadero Colony as it was known at the time was originally envisioned as a model community. Little evidence of Atascadero's original architecture and urban design remain, as historic buildings and homes have been torn down to make way for more modern developments and the Sunken Gardens bisected by
U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...
. One of the few surviving examples of original urban design can be found, however, in the Rotunda Building located near the junior high school on Palma Avenue in the Sunken Gardens public park. Designed by Walter D. Bliss of
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, construction was completed in 1918 at a cost of $180,000. It was the headquarters for the Atascadero Colony, built of reinforced concrete and locally produced brick, it had also served as a private school for boys, a veteran's memorial building, and county offices. A
6500 Palma Ave.
this building was purchased by San Luis Obispo County in the 1950s as a Memorial Building. The building housed the county library, Atascadero Historical Social Museum and then the city offices following incorporation in 1979. The historic city hall is adorned with a dome atop the third story, originally intended to house the library. The building was designated a
California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...
. The city hall was damaged by the magnitude 6.5 San Simeon earthquake on the morning of December 22, 2003. Another example of Atascadero's early architecture is the Carlton Hotel, built in 1929, located just west of the Sunken Gardens on El Camino Real, the city's main commercial street. Vacant since 1987, the building was rejuvenated, costing an estimated $15 million and completed in 2003. The Skytherm house was developed in Atascadero. This private home pioneered solar powered cooling and heating using an integrated rooftop water system. Solar roof ponds are unique solar heating and cooling systems developed by Harold Hay in the 1960s. A basic system consists of a roof-mounted water bladder with a movable insulating cover. This system can control heat exchange between interior and exterior environments by covering and uncovering the bladder between night and day. When heating is a concern the bladder is uncovered during the day allowing sunlight to warm the water bladder and store heat for evening use. When cooling is a concern the covered bladder draws heat from the building's interior during the day and is uncovered at night to radiate heat to the cooler atmosphere. The Skytherm house in Atascadero uses a prototype roof pond for heating and cooling.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.24 percent, is water. Atascadero is geographically the largest 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 United States census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo. Junípero Serra fou ...
. Atascadero is near the
Carrizo Plain The Carrizo Plain ( Obispeño: ''tšɨłkukunɨtš'', "Place of the rabbits") is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately long and up to across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, about northwest of Lo ...
.


Climate

Atascadero experiences a
hot-summer Mediterranean A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typica ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Csa'') climate, with a high degree of
diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...
.


Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Atascadero had a population of 29,773. The population density was . The racial makeup of Atascadero was 73.7%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.6%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.2% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 6.4% from other races, and 14.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.6% of the population. The census reported that 98.7% of the population lived in households, 0.8% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized. There were 11,670 households, out of which 30.0% included children under the age of 18, 52.5% were married-couple households, 6.9% were cohabiting couple households, 24.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 23.7% of households were one person, and 10.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52. There were 8,030
families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(68.8% of all households). The age distribution was 20.9% under the age of 18, 6.6% aged 18 to 24, 26.7% aged 25 to 44, 25.4% aged 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 41.5years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. There were 12,227 housing units at an average density of , of which 11,670 (95.4%) were occupied. Of these, 64.6% were owner-occupied, and 35.4% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 74.6% of the population were born in California, 16.8% were born in a different state, 1.0% were born in a US territory or abroad to an American parent, and 7.6% were born outside US jurisdiction. Of those aged 5 or older, 86.9% spoke only English at home, 9.6% spoke Spanish, 1.4% spoke other
Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
, 1.0% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 92.8% were high school graduates and 30.2% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income was $88,830, and the
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
was $59,728. About 7.4% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line.


Government

Atascadero is a general law city, governed by a city council. The council consists of five members, elected at-large: a mayor (who serves a two-year term) and four council members (who serve four-year terms). In the
California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
, Atascadero is located in , and . In the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, Atascadero is in .


Transportation


Freeways and highways

Atascadero is at the intersection of U.S. 101 and State Route 41, halfway between
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
on U.S. 101 with direct eastbound access to the
San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...
and Interstate 5. Atascadero is serviced by one freeway and one highway: * U.S. Route 101 (US 101) is the most heavily used road transportation arterial for the city of Atascadero and serves as its north–south gateway. US 101 runs in a north–south direction and bisects the city (along with the Salinas River) into western and eastern portions. Traveling northward from the city, US 101 runs up to San Jose, San Francisco, and continues on along the coast up through Northern California, Oregon, and finally ends near Olympia in Washington state. Traveling southward from the city, US 101 heads down to
San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...
, Santa Barbara, and on to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, ending at the East Los Angeles Interchange. * State Route 41 (SR 41) is a major north–south highway in the State of California and runs in a northeast–southwest direction through the city. Traveling southbound, SR 41 leaves the city and gradually climbs up and over the Santa Lucia Coastal Range, where it then quickly descends and meets the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
, in the city of
Morro Bay Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city's population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 ...
at its southern terminus where it meets SR 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway). Traveling northbound, SR 41 leaves the city and intersects with SR 229. After traveling through rolling countryside for about , it climbs up the Temblor Range and
San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults, right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Paci ...
and overlaps with SR 46. About later, it crosses SR 33 and eventually
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
in the Central Valley before continuing toward
Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
.


Rail transportation

The
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
Coast Line between Burbank (Los Angeles) and San Jose runs through Atascadero, carrying
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''
Coast Starlight The ''Coast Starlight'' is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States between Seattle and Los Angeles via Portland, Oregon, Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. The train, ...
'' passenger train through the city. The Atascadero Transit Center, at 6000 Capistrano Avenue, connects to the closest passenger railroad stations being Paso Robles station and San Luis Obispo station via
Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...
.
Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...
18 provides a daily connection to Visalia on the east, and Santa Maria on the west, with several stops in between.


Airports

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (IATA: SBP, ICAO: KSBP, FAA LID: SBP), also known as McChesney Field, is an airport located in San Luis Obispo serving San Luis Obispo County. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by three commercial airlines. Located just south of the City of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport serves areas as far north as southern Monterey County and as far south as northern Santa Barbara County. The airport is also home to full-service general aviation and corporate facilities.


Education

The Atascadero Unified School District contains seven elementary schools, two middle/junior high schools, two high schools, one college, and five or more miscellaneous school sites and programs.


Elementary schools

*Monterey Road Elementary (K-5) *San Benito Road Elementary (K-5) *Santa Rosa Road Elementary (K-5) *San Gabriel Road Elementary (preschool-5) *Atascadero Fine Arts Academy (4-8) *North County Christian School (K-6) (Not in Atascadero Unified) *Santa Margarita Elementary (K-6) (In Atascadero Unified School District, but outside of city limits) *Creston Elementary (K-6) (In Atascadero Unified School District, but outside of city limits) *Carissa Plains Elementary (K-6) (In Atascadero Unified School District, but outside of city limits)


Middle schools

*Atascadero Middle School (6-8) *Atascadero Fine Arts Academy (4-8) *North County Christian School (7-8)


High schools

* Atascadero High School (9-12) *Paloma Creek High School (9-12) *North County Christian School (9-12)


Colleges

* San Joaquin Valley College (SJVC) - Atascadero Campus


Sports and recreation

Atascadero Colony Park Community Recreational Center Lake Nacimiento is an lake located about northwest of the city, up in the Santa Lucia Range. In addition to fishing and
swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
, the lake provides ample room for waterskiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, and other water-related activities.


Parks

*Apple Valley Park *Colony Park *Atascadero Lake Park *Joy Park (all-inclusive, fenced park) *Paloma Creek Park *A-town Park (ramps and features for scooters and skateboards) *Stadium Park *Sunken Gardens *Heilmann Regional Park *Chalk Mt. park and Golf course *Dove Creek Park *"Little" Park


Facilities


Atascadero City Hall

The Atascadero City Hall, also known as the Rotunda, was constructed in 1918 per the founder E.G. Lewis's vision for the Utopian community of Atascadero. In 2003, the historic building was damaged by the
magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (mathematics), the relative size of an object *Norm (mathematics), a term for the size or length of a vector *Order of ...
6.6 San Simeon earthquake. The city took over a bowling alley for use as a temporary city hall while the building underwent extensive renovations and retrofitting. In August 2013, after ten years of closure, the original city hall building was reopened and remains in service.


Atascadero Fire Department

The Atascadero City Fire Department is an "all risk" fire department that responds to emergencies such as medical aid, structure fires, wildland fires, vehicle traffic collisions, hazardous materials incidents, technical rescues and public service assists. The fire department operates from two fire stations.


Atascadero Police Department


Colony Park Community Center

The community center includes a full-size gymnasium, teen center, café, arts and crafts center, dance room, conference rooms and restrooms.


Paramedic and ambulance services

San Luis Ambulance and Atascadero Fire Department.


In popular culture

Atascadero is the setting for the novel ''
Pay It Forward Pay it forward is an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying the kindness to others rather than paying it back to the original benefactor. It is also called serial reciprocity. The concept is old, but the particular ph ...
''. In the movie ''The Grifters'' (1990), Atascadero is mentioned as the place a former partner-in-crime of Myra Langtry, played by
Annette Bening Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. With a career spanning over four decades, she is known for List of Annette Bening performances, her versatile work across screen and stage. Bening has received List of awards an ...
, has retired to — insinuating that he became an inmate in Atascadero State Hospital for the criminally insane. The 1990 film '' My Blue Heaven'' uses the City Hall exterior to depict a courthouse and the police department lobby (which was in the City Hall at the time) to film
Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...
's character signing paperwork after being bailed out of jail. In the 2017 Netflix series '' Godless'', main character Roy Goode's older brother lives in Atascadero.


References


External links

* * * *
Visitor website''Atascadero News''
est. 1916.

{{authority control Cities in San Luis Obispo County, California Incorporated cities and towns in California Salinas River (California) Santa Lucia Range Populated places established in 1913 Populated places established in 1979 1913 establishments in California 1979 establishments in California