
Avila Beach (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
: ''Ávila'') is an unincorporated community 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 San Luis Obispo Bay about 160 miles (257 km) northwest of ]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 about south 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 ...
. The population was 1,576 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, 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 ...
has defined Avila Beach as a census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP).[
]
History
The name Avila commemorates Miguel Ávila, who was granted Rancho San Miguelito
Rancho San Miguelito was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Luis Obispo County, California, given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Miguel Ávila, and an addition granted in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico. The grant extended along the Pacific ...
in 1842. The town was established in the latter half of the 19th century, when it served as the main shipping port for 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 ...
. Around this time, Luigi Marre built a honeymoon hotel here and steamboats brought customers from San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Although Avila Beach still has a working commercial fishing pier and the inland areas have extensive apple orchards, tourism is now the main industry. There are few historical structures remaining; among the oldest is the Point San Luis Lighthouse
The Point San Luis Lighthouse, also known as the San Luis Obispo Light Station, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Located near Avila Beach and Port San Luis on the Central Coast of California in San Luis Obispo County, it is the ...
, built in 1890 after a series of shipping accidents. During World War II the beach and port were used for Amphibious Training Base Morro Bay
Amphibious Training Base Morro Bay also called Camp Morro Bay and Morro Bay Section Base was a US Navy US Amphibious Training Base, training base for Amphibious warfare, amphibious beach Amphibious warfare, assault during World War II. The bas ...
.
In the late 1990s, Unocal
Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...
began the cleanup of decades old oil seepage discovered years earlier from corroding pipes under the township, and which had caused a massive oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...
under the town. Over 6,750 truckloads of contaminated material was sent to a Bakersfield
Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region.
Bakersfield's population as of the ...
landfill, and replaced with clean Guadalupe Dunes sand. Many of the town's homes and businesses, including several blocks of Front Street, were razed as a result of the quarter-mile-wide excavation. New buildings, homes, businesses, modern walkways and sea motif walls and benches have been constructed.
Geography
The main development in Avila Beach centers around the few blocks adjacent to the main beach. Restaurants, bars and shops line three blocks of Front Street. Homes, hotels, and small businesses are nearby. There are a few upscale housing developments inland near a golf course. Avila Beach is also known for its hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
s, which are used for resort spas Spas or SPAS may refer to:
* Spa, a therapeutic water treatment
Geography
* Spas, Russia, several rural localities in Russia
* Spas, Kalush Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, a village in Kalush Raion in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine
* Spas, Sambir ...
.
San Luis Obispo Creek, which has a watershed of much of the San Luis Obispo area, drains into the sea just west of downtown via a lagoon. Due to some agricultural runoff, it is not recommended for swimming or wading.
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 CDP covers an area of 6.0 square miles (15.6 km2), 99.71% of it land, and 0.29% of it water.
Beaches
The main beach of the town, Avila Beach is less than 0.5 miles (0.8 km) long and sheltered in San Luis Bay, which is formed by Point San Luis on the west and Fossil Point on the east. Avila Beach faces south and the 600 foot elevation of Point San Luis breaks the prevailing northwesterly winds. It is therefore usually warmer than the other beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...
es on the Central Coast.
To the west of the Cal Poly SLO pier, the Olde Port Beach is dog friendly. Given its proximity to the port, this beach is not as good for water sports as the main town beach.
Further to the west, nearest the port is the small Fisherman's Beach.
Trails
The area has three well developed trails. The Bob Jones trail connects the Avila Beach Golf Resort on the west to a trailhead on the east near Highway 101. The three mile trail follows an old railroad right-of-way. It is a part of a planned future trail connecting to San Luis Obispo.
The Shell Beach Bluff Trail connects a trailhead at the end of Cave Landing Road to Smuggler's Cave to the south, Pirate's Cove Beach in the middle, and to Bluff Drive in the Shell Beach neighborhood of 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 ...
to the east. There is a nice view of the town to be found by looking through the Smuggler's Cave.
The Pecho Coast Trail connects the Port San Luis to the Point San Luis Lighthouse. The trail's starting point is near the corner of Diablo Canyon Road and Avila Beach Drive. A docent is required for this hike.
Climate
Average temperatures vary little during the year, ranging from to from November through April, and from to from May through October. Average annual rainfall is . Along with much of the California coast, winter is the wet season, with more than 70% of the yearly rain falling from December through March, while summer brings drought conditions.
Demographics
The 2020 United States census reported that Avila Beach had a population of 1,576. The population density was . The racial makeup of Avila Beach was 85.3% 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 ...
, 0.4% 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 ...
, 0.3% Native American, 2.2% 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 ...
, 4.5% from other races, and 7.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
of any race were 10.0% of the population.
The whole population lived in households. There were 789 households, out of which 12.7% included children under the age of 18, 50.8% were married-couple households, 4.6% were cohabiting
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...
couple households, 28.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.3% had a male householder with no partner present. 35.5% of households were one person, and 20.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.0. There were 464 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 ...
(58.8% of all households).
The age distribution was 9.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% aged 18 to 24, 14.3% aged 25 to 44, 27.9% aged 45 to 64, and 42.0% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 60.6years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males.
There were 1,068 housing units at an average density of , of which 789 (73.9%) were occupied. Of these, 67.6% were owner-occupied, and 32.4% were occupied by renters.
Economy
Avila Beach and adjacent Port San Luis
Port San Luis is a harbor on the central coast of California, approximately west of Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County. The harbor is managed by the Port San Luis Harbor District which is responsible for maintaining the surrounding tideland ...
have three piers. The pier that is farthest east is the Avila Beach Pier, in length, which has been closed since 2015 due to structural engineering considerations. The middle pier is the California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, - Cites the location of the university and shows that the university ...
(Cal Poly SLO) Pier, part of the university's marine research program, is not publicly accessible. The westernmost pier is the Harford Pier, which is for commercial fishing boats to offload their wares since 1873.
The Harford Pier has become a site for whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. ...
as numbers of grays and humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...
s come into the bay around the pier to feed and draw crowds during the seasons.
Diablo Canyon Power Plant
The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is a nuclear power plant near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California. Following the permanent shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in 2013, Diablo Canyon is now the only operational nu ...
, the last remaining nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by ...
plant in California, is located in a remote area, about northwest of the beach. The access road to the plant is located near the Harford Pier.
Education
It is in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District
San Luis Coastal Unified School District is a school district primarily in San Luis Obispo, California.
Boundary
The district includes the municipalities of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay as well as the census-designated places of Avila Beach ...
.[ ]
Text list
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Tourism
The Tourism Alliance edits the portal VisitAvilaBeach.com
to attract tourists. The site is featured
on the Global Visit List
In popular culture
The Avila Beach Pier was featured in a Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
advertisement on February 7, 2010.
Avila Beach was the primary shooting location for the 1979 film ''California Dreaming
"California Dreamin" is a song written by John and Michelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in Dece ...
'', which starred Dennis Christopher
Dennis Christopher Carrelli (born December 2, 1950) is a retired American actor whose film credits include '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' Fade to Black'' (1980), ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981), '' It'' (1990), and '' Django Unchained'' (2012).
Ear ...
, Glynnis O'Connor
Glynnis O'Connor (born November 19, 1955) is an American actress. She made her big-screen debut starring in the 1973 romantic drama film, '' Jeremy''. She later starred in the short-lived CBS drama series '' Sons and Daughters'' (1974) and the te ...
, and Seymour Cassel
Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films and television shows, with a career spanning over 50 years. He first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering independent f ...
.
Gallery
File:Avila Beach pier.jpg, Port San Luis Pier. The pier also has a live fish market and harbor patrol office.
Image:Avila-Beach-CA.jpg, Avila Beach and its piers.
Image:Avila_Beach_See_Canyon_10-12-07.jpg, See Canyon in Avila Beach, with apple orchards visible in the distance.
Image:AvilaTrain.jpg, Avila Beach and Harford Pier, late 19th century. Point San Luis and Whaler's Island are visible in the near distance.
File:Humpback Whale off Avila Beach, CA.jpg, Humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...
lunge feeding off Avila Beach, 2012
Image:Diablo_canyon_nuclear_power_plant.jpg, Diablo Canyon Power Plant
See also
*List of beaches in California
This list of California beaches is a list of beaches that are situated along the coastline of the State of California, US. The information in this article draws extensively from the ''California Coastal Access Guide'', a comprehensive resource ...
*List of California state parks
This is a list of parks, historic resources, reserves and recreation areas in the California State Parks system.
List of parks
See also
* California State Beaches
* List of California State Historic Parks
* Parks in California
*California Dep ...
References
External links
Avila Beach Community Services District
Visit Avila Beach Tourist Information
Port San Luis Harbor
The Point San Luis Lighthouse
Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers
Central Coast Aquarium - Avila Beach
{{authority control
Populated coastal places in California
Census-designated places in San Luis Obispo County, California
Spa towns in California
Hot springs of California
Census-designated places in California
Beaches of San Luis Obispo County, California
Beaches of Southern California