Oceano (

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 ...

: ''Océano'', meaning "Ocean") is 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) 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 ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 7,183 at the 2020 census, down from 7,286 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Oceano is located at (35.102680, -120.611471). Oceano is part of the 5 Cities Metropolitan Area. 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 has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.98%) is water. Oceano's

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 ...

is the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, a coastal

sand 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, flat ...

. As the only state park in

where visitors may drive

vehicle A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered land vehicle, human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velo ...

s on the beach, tourists are attracted from all over the United States. Activities on this beach include riding the sand dunes on all-terrain-vehicles, swimming, clamming, camping, surfing, surf fishing, hiking, and bird watching.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Oceano had a population of 7,183. The population density was . The racial makeup of Oceano was 54.3%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 1.8% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.2%

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 ...

, 20.3% from other races, and 20.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.8% of the population. The census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 2,653 households, out of which 29.9% included children under the age of 18, 42.7% were married-couple households, 8.7% 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, 30.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 26.7% of households were one person, and 12.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.7. There were 1,710

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 ...

(64.5% of all households). The age distribution was 20.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% aged 18 to 24, 26.8% aged 25 to 44, 26.0% aged 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 40.5years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. There were 3,177 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,653 (83.5%) were occupied. Of these, 54.6% were owner-occupied, and 45.4% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 16.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 70.9% spoke only English at home, 27.6% spoke

, 0.0% 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. ...

, 0.5% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 79.9% were high school graduates and 18.6% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income in 2023 was $69,448, 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 $38,764. About 12.0% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Oceano had a population of 7,286. The population density was . The ethnic makeup of Oceano was 5,105 (70.1%) White, 62 (0.9%) African American, 120 (1.6%) Native American, 165 (2.3%) Asian, 7 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,509 (20.7%) from other races, and 318 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,484 persons (47.8%). The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized. There were 2,603 households, 904 (34.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,147 (44.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 360 (13.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 197 (7.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 197 (7.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 38 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 680 households (26.1%) were one person and 266 (10.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.80. There were 1,704 families (65.5% of households); the average family size was 3.39. The population was spread out, with 1,738 people (23.9%) under the age of 18, 747 people (10.3%) aged 18 to 24, 2,028 people (27.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,870 people (25.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 903 people (12.4%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males. There were 3,117 housing units at an average density of 2,015.1 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,355 (52.1%) were owner-occupied and 1,248 (47.9%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 3,444 people (47.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,842 people (52.7%) lived in rental housing units.

History

The environs of Oceano were the home of "Halcyon," a utopian religious community established in 1903 by the theosophical

Temple of the People A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, based in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

.Amy M. Hay, Review of Paul Eli Ivey's ''Radiance from Halcyon,'' ''Journal of American History,'' vol. 101, no. 1 (June 2014), pp. 283-284. The group, which believed in channeling unseen electromagnetic forces in an effort to attain human perfection, constructed a number of buildings in association with their colonizing effort, including the Blue Star Memorial Temple and the Halcyon Hotel and Sanatorium. In 1948, Oceano, was the site of the founding by Catherine Nimmo (a registered nurse and

Doctor of Chiropractic Chiropractic education trains students in chiropractic. The entry criteria, structure, teaching methodology and nature of chiropractic programs offered at chiropractic schools vary considerably around the world. Accredited Doctor of Chiropractic p ...

who had recently moved there from the Netherlands) and Rubin Abramowitz (an engineer) of the U.S. Vegan Society, the first

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

society in the United States. The Society lasted from 1948 to 1960 and was a predecessor to the American Vegan Society.

Culture

*Irish poet and Celtic mythologist Ella Young's final years were spent in Oceano (she died there in 1956).

Government

The Oceano Community Services District provides the following services: fire and emergency, water, wastewater collection, solid waste, parks and recreation, and limited street lighting. As an unincorporated town in San Luis Obispo County, Oceano is in th
Board of Supervisors
4th District. In the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

Oceano is in , and in . 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 ...

, Oceano is in .

Education

It is in the Lucia Mar Unified School District.
Text list
/ref>

Footnotes

External links

Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreation Area - Dune Guide
{{authority control Populated coastal places in California Census-designated places in San Luis Obispo County, California Census-designated places in California