History of Santa Maria

Santa Maria is located in California’s Central Coast between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, approximately 170 miles north of Los Angeles and 270 miles south of San Francisco, where the craggy, brush-covered foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains descent into a flat, fertile valley.
The total population of the Santa Maria Valley has grown to nearly 116,448 of which 80,511 are located in the city of Santa Maria.

Those fortunate enough to relocate to this peaceful valley will find friendly neighbors, a strong community spirit, a growing business sector and a moderate cost of living and housing compared with Los Angels, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and San Diego. Located 12 miles from the Pacific coastline, Santa Maria enjoys a smog-free climate with mild temperatures throughout the year. Ocean breezes cool the valley in the summer and warm it in the winter.

The city of Santa Maria is a regional trading, manufacturing and service center. The Santa Maria area has a stable economic base which includes agriculture, transportation, oil, tourism, electronic manufacturing and the government installation at nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is the largest employer in the area, employing over 5,000 people.

Midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco along U.S. Federal Highway 101, the craggy brush-covered foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains descend into a flat, fertile valley. In the heart of this fertile valley, a small city welcomes newcomers. To come here, a visitor must travel through miles of natural scenic beauty between the coastal mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The comfortable year-round climate of mild winters and cool summers has been so beneficial to flowers and plants that the valley has become known as the "Valley of the Gardens." Yet this valley has not always found a treeless desert of scant vegetation. Convinced that this land could produce if it were contained long enough to raise a crop, the residents of this area settled in to meet the challenge of creating a productive valley from the wilderness. More than forty thousand eucalyptus trees provided by the town's first nurseryman at one cent each were planted in groves to break the force of the wind and lessen its drying effect on the surface soil. Today's mild climate results from this ingenious solution to the wind problems of the 1870's. In 1897, irrigation was introduced, and the valley's destiny in agriculture became established.

Newcomers were welcomed and a bustling economy was soon underway. The residents lent their talents to help solve each other's problems. At round-up time on the cattle ranches, this system of mutual aid gave birth to a tradition of barbecuing beef over an open fire. At the end of the day's work, those who had helped their neighbor round up his cattle were treated to a barbecue. The technique required top sirloin of beef chunks about three inches thick, generously seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic salt, strung on skewers and cooked over red hot coals of the live oak. Today's Santa Maria-style barbecue has maintained the same technique.

An ambitious urban renewal project flattened a nine square block area in the heart of the city and erected a completely climatized, enclosed, two - level mall, "Town Center East", with department stores flanking each end and eighty shops between them. An addition, "Town Center West", directly across the street and joined by an over-head walkway, was later incorporated into the growing retail force of Santa Maria, giving it the name "Hub of the Central Coast."

Santa Maria has maintained a steady growth through the years, and the population of 3,500 in 1909 has expanded to 67,822 within the city limits. Just outside the Santa Maria Boundaries, the surrounding area has grown to a population of 33,000. Also attracting much interest is the development in the wine industry along the central coast. Grape vineyards, first introduced in the area by Father Serra when the coastal missions were established, declined during the prohibition; but the development of high quality grape vineyards has been revived with almost 10,000 acres under cultivation. More than fifty wineries are in production between Paso Robles and Santa Barbara. The Central Coast area is fast gaining a reputation for premium, award-winning wines. Allan Hancock College, named for its generous benefactor, Capt. Allen C. Hancock, the financial genius who developed the Wilshire district of Los Angeles, has become a cultural center for the valley. In 1954, Captain Hancock made it possible for the local junior college to establish a new campus on the former eighty-acre Hancock Flying Field. The name was changed to Allan Hancock College, and beautiful new buildings have gradually replaced the original facilities. The college now serves more than nine thousand students, and provides entertainment with sporting events, art and lecture series, and art festivals.

Santa Maria has become a golfer's paradise with three eighteen-hole courses to choose from. The sand dunes west of Santa Maria attract dune buggy fans from all over the Southland.