San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo is a city and the county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California. It is eleven miles from the Pacific Ocean along the Central Coast of California. It has a cool Mediterranean climate with warm and sunny summers and mild winters. The city is in the midst of California's beautiful wine country, it has 25 miles of trails perfect for hiking, biking and riding.  The city has several nicknames like SLO, San Luis and SLO Town. The city has been home to many notable residents including actor Zac Efron, Olympic athlete Stephanie Brown Trafton, writer Jack Kerouac, mixed martial artist Scott Lightly and musician and band member Peter Buck of R.E.M.

The city name, San Luis Obispo, is Spanish for St. Louis, the Bishop. The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Chumash tribes. In September of 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portola came to the area that would one day be San Luis Obispo and traveled north along San Luis Creek. In 1770, the Presidio of Monterey was established by de Portola and other missions soon followed and Spain quickly took control of the area. The area remained under Spanish control until Mexico gained their independence from Spain. After winning their independence, Mexico controlled the area breaking it into large land grants and ranchos. The community that began with the mission remained and grew into the city of San Luis Obispo. The railroads came through in the late 1800s and brought with it many Chinese laborers whose numbers soon led to a thriving Chinatown area within the city. Sadly little of that culture remains in the city today.

The city spans 12.930 square miles which is primarily land area. The city has a council-manager style of government with a five member council. According to the 2009 City Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top five employers are California Polytechnic State University, the County of San Luis Obispo, the California Men's Colony, Pacific Gas and Electric and the Cal Poly Corporation. In 2000, the median household income was $31,926, the median family income was $56,319 and the per capita income was $20,386. In 2010, the population of San Luis Obispo was 45,119 and the population density was 3,489.4 people per square mile. By 2013, the city population was e 46,377. In the same year, the estimated household income was C$44,618 and the estimated per capita income was $26,011. The estimated house or condo value, in 2013, was $530,947, the estimated mean housing price on all units was $470,680 and the median gross rent was $1,222.

The city features thousands of acres of protected open spaces, the beautifully preserved Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and a number of other historic sites, State Parks and a National Forest. It is part of the San Luis Coastal Unified School District and features public transportation by bus and through ride share programs. Homes for sale are primarily upper middle class or higher in size and design. Contact Robert Sousa at 805-460-3000 for assistance in finding the home of your dreams today in sunny SLO.