Cayucos, California

Cayucos (Spanish for "Canoes") is an unincorporated coastal town in San Luis Obispo County, California, along California State Route 1 between Cambria to the north and Morro Bay to the south. The population was 2,505 at the 2020 census, down from 2,592 at the 2010 census.

History

The area was settled by the Chumash people approximately 11000 to 10000 BC. It included a large village to the south of Cayucos at Morro Creek.

The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolà expedition, camped in the vicinity of today's Cayucos on September 9, 1769. Coming from the previous campsite near Morro Bay, Franciscan missionary and expedition member Juan Crespi noted in his diary that "In the four hours that we traveled, making at the most three leagues, we encountered eight arroyos by which the water from the mountains runs to the sea, along whose edge we traveled. We halted at the eighth watering place in a moderately broad valley, into which enters an estuary fed by an arroyo of good water coming from the mountains." Crespi translator Herbert Bolton noted the camp location as Ellysley Creek (further along the coast to the northwest), but the description sounds more like Cayucos.

Cayucos is named for the cayuco, a Spanish name for a small canoe. It was named after the canoes used by the Chumash people to fish in the bay, particularly in the rich kelp beds just north of the current Cayucos pier. The town took its name from the old Rancho Moro y Cayucos, a Mexican land grant awarded in 1842 that includes the present area of the town.

In 1867, Captain James Cass settled on of this land, and founded the town of Cayucos. Cass began developing the area with his business partner, Captain Ingals. Cass built a 900-foot pier and a warehouse to house cargo bound for San Francisco or Los Angeles. Eventually Cass returned to life on the sea and in 1875 real estate developer C.H. Phillips subdivided and sold the remaining portions of Rancho Moro y Cayucos. The original pier was swept away by a storm but has since been rebuilt.

On December 7, 1987, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, bound from Los Angeles International Airport to San Francisco, was cruising above the central California coast when a recently terminated disgruntled USAir employee aboard the plane shot his ex-supervisor, both pilots, a flight attendant and presumably PSA's chief pilot, before deliberately inducing a steep nosedive with the aircraft. The aircraft slammed into a hillside just east of Cayucos at . All 43 passengers and crew aboard perished.

In October 2009, Arthur Frommer's ''Budget Travel Magazine'' listed Cayucos as one of the "Coolest Small Towns in America".

Geography

Cayucos is located at (35.438390, -120.890647).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (10.85%) is water.

Cayucos is home to Cayucos State Beach.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Cayucos had a population of 2,505. The population density was . The racial makeup of Cayucos was 83.6% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 10.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.9% of the population.

The whole population lived in households. There were 1,244 households, out of which 15.1% included children under the age of 18, 44.9% were married-couple households, 5.4% were cohabiting couple households, 31.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.5% had a male householder with no partner present. 36.3% of households were one person, and 19.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.01. There were 695 families (55.9% of all households).

The age distribution was 12.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% aged 18 to 24, 17.8% aged 25 to 44, 27.6% aged 45 to 64, and 36.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 57.8years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males.

There were 2,382 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,244 (52.2%) were occupied. Of these, 62.9% were owner-occupied, and 37.1% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $82,778, and the per capita income was $56,928. About 1.9% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Cayucos had a population of 2,592. The population density was . The racial makeup of Cayucos was 2,366 (91.3%) White, 6 (0.2%) African American, 12 (0.5%) Native American, 54 (2.1%) Asian, 8 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 57 (2.2%) from other races, and 89 (3.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 207 persons (8.0%).

The Census reported that 2,592 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,314 households, out of which 214 (16.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 578 (44.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 105 (8.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 45 (3.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 76 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 10 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 471 households (35.8%) were made up of individuals, and 195 (14.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97. There were 728 families (55.4% of all households); the average family size was 2.53.

The age of the population was spread out, with 337 people (13.0%) under the age of 18, 169 people (6.5%) aged 18 to 24, 488 people (18.8%) aged 25 to 44, 946 people (36.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 652 people (25.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

There were 2,354 housing units at an average density of , of which 781 (59.4%) were owner-occupied, and 533 (40.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.8%. 1,555 people (60.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,037 people (40.0%) lived in rental housing units.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Cayucos is in the 17th State Senate District and the 35th Assembly District.

In the United States House of Representatives, Cayucos is in .

Economy and Culture

Tourism plays a big role in the downtown Cayucos economy. Composer Stefan Podell has even celebrated the beauty of Cayucos with an orchestral piece called "Cayucos by the Sea

The Cayucos Pier is a popular surf spot and one of the best in the county, attracting many beachgoers.

Cayucos has its own Chamber of Commerce an
website

Education

Almost all of it is within the Cayucos Elementary School District, and the Coast Unified School District for grades 9-12 only. A small piece is in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
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References

Further reading

*Reinman, F. M. (1961)
Archeological investigations at Whale Rock Reservoir, Cayucos, California. Archeological report, 2
Sacramento, Calif.: State of California. Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Beaches and Parks, Interpretive Services.

External links

Cayucos Chamber of CommerceConcerned Citizens of CayucosCayucos Community GroupsVisit Cayucos

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Census-designated places in San Luis Obispo County, California
Morro Bay
Populated coastal places in California
Census-designated places in California
Populated places established in 1867
1867 establishments in California