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Traveler Photos: Brady Teufel Editorial: Wikipedia
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SLOtraveler.org
Welcome
There’s No Place Like SLOme...
San Luis Obispo (Spanish for St. Louis,
the Bishop) is a city in California, located roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junípero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities. The city, referred to locally as San Luis or SLO, is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University. The population was 45,119 at the 2010 census.
The Carrizo Plain National Monument is the largest single native grassland remaining in California. SLOtraveler.org
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The earliest human inhab-
History
SLO Beginnings....
itants of the local area were the Chumash peoples. One of the earliest villages lies south of San Luis Obispo, and reflects the landscape of the early Holocene when estuaries came farther inland. These Chumash people exploited marine resources of the inlets and bays along the Central Coast and inhabited a network of villages including sites at Los Osos and Morro Creek. San Luis Obispo was also a popular stop on both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 with the rise of car culture. Due to its popularity as a stop, it was SLOtraveler.org
the location of the first motel, the Milestone Mo-Tel. Among San Luis Obispo’s historical buildings is the former San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library, located at 696 Monterey Street. The San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library was built in 1905 with a grant of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie, who funded the establishment of 142 California libraries in the early 1900s. The Romanesque style building was designed by architect W. H. Weeks of Watsonville, California and was built by contractor Joseph Maino of San Luis Obispo.
Pirates Cove is an attraction in San Luis Obispo where many residents will go to hang out.
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One of the many great views from a one of the many great places to hike in SLO.
Culture
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SLOtraveler.org
Getting to know the SLO vibes
County Historical Museum. he Madonna A sculpture of a child Inn is a famous local and bear at the Mislandmark. Established sion in downtown by Alex Madonna San Luis Obispo. A in 1958, the inn is fish was added after famously eccentric. the photograph was The Fremont Thetaken. ater, a historic Art Deco theater from Lots of mystery surthe 1940s, still plays rounds the “underfirst run movies on the ground city”, or the huge screen. Murals series of tunnels that adorn the walls of the exists beneath the city. main theater while One of the largest neon swirls light the Mardi Gras parades ceiling. The Palm West of the MississipTheatre boasts solar pi used to be held in heating and is home San Luis Obispo, but to the San Luis Obisit has been canceled po International Film recently because of Festival. Another desdifficulties related to tination is Bubblegum crowd control and Alley. Since about alcohol consumption. 1960, people have been sticking chewed Cal Poly’s open house, gum on the walls of Poly Royal, was held this alley. The doctor’s annually from 1933 to office on the corner of 1990. It was canceled Santa Rosa and Pain 1945 due to war cific streets is one of rationing. It began as very few commercial a show-and-tell for buildings designed by students to display Frank Lloyd Wright. their projects. It traces San Luis also has a its origins to the 1904 Carnegie Library Farmer’s Institute and which is now home to Picnic Basket. By the the San Luis Obispo 1980s, as the college
became “the most popular...university in the 19-campus CSU system”, Poly Royal began drawing over 100,000 people from throughout the state, including 126,000 people in 1985. Concerts, parties, and other entertainment were added and it earned $3–4 million in revenue for the city every year.
revelers demanding alcohol. The second night was much larger than the first as people were leaving a concert on campus and parties off-campus were broken up and revelers flooded the streets. Mayor Dunin called the events “the worst experience in the history of San Luis Obispo.” After a meeting between Mayor Dunin Following a “mini-ri- and University Presot” in 1989 at an ident Warren Baker off-campus apartment the following Monday, during Poly Royal, the Poly Royal was canevents in 1990 would celed from that point cancel the event “inforward. The name definitely.” Two nights Poly Royal returned of rioting on April in 2001 as “Open 28–29 led to 127 arHouse Presents Poly rests, over 100 injuries Royal”, a scaled down and 14 police injuries version that was deon top of “several signed for students hundred thousand and parents. San dollars” worth of damage. A liquor store near campus, Campus Bottle, was destroyed by
SLO residents love going to Farmer’s on thursday nights.
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Luis Obispo has been home of several other events, including a stop on the way of the Olympic Flame Relay, the Tour of California bicycle race, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, an annual Mozart festival, held every July, and a long-standing Christmas Parade. Another attraction is the development of Edna Valley into a well-known wine region. Just south of the city, people can spend an afternoon wine tasting several wineries in the area with a very short drive. The wine region extends north beyond Paso Robles (30 miles north) and south to Santa Ynez (70 miles south).
San Luis Obispo hosts a Farmer’s Market every Thursday night from 6-9PM on Higuera Street, between Osos and Nipomo Streets. During this weekly event, the street is closed to vehicle traffic while vendors sell food and goods and various visual and music artists perform for the crowds.
Since June 2000, the first Thursday of every month is The Bike Happening (also known as Bike Nite) in San Luis Obispo. People gather after the Farmer’s Market at the Mission Plaza During Summer with their bikes. The months, local resbikers then go around idents and visitors on multiple circuits congregate in the on the main streets of Mission Plaza for a downtown adhering free outdoor concert to the traffic laws (for every Friday evening. the most part). The The event is called ride is considered a Concerts in the Plafun/social ride meant za. Other noteworthy to encourage people events include the San to get back on their Luis Obispo Interna- bikes and to have fun. tional Film Festival, Each Bike HappenFestival Mosaic, and ing has a theme and SLOtraveler.org
Demographics
the Plein Air Festival.
The People of SLO
Hiking in SLO can lead to beautiful sights.
a large portion of the crowd is in some costume adherent to the theme.
attracts many touring performances which are usually not found in communities of comparable size to One of the cultural San Luis Obispo. The focal centers of San Summer of 2007 was Luis Obispo is the the opening concert Christopher Cohen of the Forbes Pipe Performing Arts Cen- Organ, which was ter built on the Cal built elevated into a Poly Campus, which side wall of Harmon was constructed utiliz- Hall and required the ing the donations of donation of a further local businesses and $3 million for purindividuals. The Per- chase and installation. forming Arts Center consists of multiple venues, including the original Spanos Theatre. The largest venue, Harmon Hall, seats 1,300. Many high school and college programs are scheduled. Local artists perform plays, music and dance. The addition of the Performing Arts Center
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he 2010 United States Census reported that San Luis Obispo had a population of 45,119. The population density was 3,489.4 people per square mile (1,347.3/ km²). The racial makeup of San Luis Obispo was 38,117 (84.5%) White, 523 (1.2%) African American, 275 (0.6%) Native American, 2,350 (5.2%) Asian, 65 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,973 (4.4%) from other races, and 1,816 (4.0%) from two or
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more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,626 persons (14.7%). The Census reported that 43,937 people (97.4% of the population) lived in households, 967 (2.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 215 (0.5%) were institutionalized. There were 19,193 households, out of which 3,178 (16.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,690 (29.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,336 (7.0%)
had a female householder were occupied by renters. with no husband present, The homeowner vacancy 586 (3.1%) had a male rate was 1.6%; the rental householder with no vacancy rate was 5.7%. wife present. There were 17,225 people (38.2% of 1,104 (5.8%) unmarried the population) lived in opposite-sex partnerships, owner-occupied housing and 124 (0.6%) same-sex units and 26,712 people married couples or part(59.2%) lived in rental nerships. housing units. There were 20,553 housing units at an average density of 1,589.5 per square mile (613.7/km²), of which 7,547 (39.3%) were owner-occupied, and 11,646 (60.7%) Farmer’s Market is a big attraction to both young people and families.
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Cal Poly is a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASalifornia Polytechnic State University or CU) and the National Association of State California Polytechnic State University, San Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. Cal Luis Obispo,[6] also known as Cal Poly San Poly is known for its “learn by doing” educaLuis Obispo[6] or Cal Poly,[7] is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, Califor- tional philosophy that encourages students to nia, United States. Founded in 1901 as a voca- solve real-world problems by combining classroom theory with experiential laboratory extional high school, it is currently one of only two polytechnic universities in the 23-member ercise. Cal Poly is one of four California State Universities that participate in the Big West California State University system.[8] Comprising six distinct colleges, the university offers Conference in athletics. 64 bachelor’s degrees, 32 master’s degrees, and 7 teaching credentials.[9][10] The university does not confer doctoral degrees.
From the top of Bishop’s Peak, you can see SLOtraveler.org every inch of San Luis Obispo.
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Soccer “Let’s go Poly!”
he Cal Poly Mustangs men’s soccer program represents California Polytechnic State University in men’s soccer at the NCAA Division I level. Cal Poly is coached by former US Men’s National Team and 1998 World Cup Head Coach, Steve Sampson. Like most teams from Cal Poly, they play in the Big West Conference. The Big West Conference stopped sponsoring soccer in 1991, but resumed soccer in 2001. Over this period, Cal Poly competed in a regional conference called the MPSF. Since the return of soccer to the Big West, the Mustangs have appeared in 1 NCAA tournament. Posting the program’s best record in 2008 (11-6-6), Cal Poly placed 3rd in the Big West and qualified for the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in the school’s history. Cal Poly managed to upset #11 UCLA 1-0 to advance
to second round before losing 0-3 to #14 UC Irvine. The Mustangs play in Alex G. Spanos Stadium (capacity of 11,075) on the campus of the California Polytechnic State University. In 2011, collegesoccernews.com chose the Cal Poly vs UCSB soccer game as the #1 rivalry in college soccer.
Cal Poly Men’s Soccer fills the stands at every home game.
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