ZIP Code 93454

Santa Maria (Spanish for "St. Mary") is a city near the Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County. Its population was 109,707 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous city in the county and the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Metro Area. It is approximately 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Santa Barbara and 150 miles (240 km) north of downtown Los Angeles. The Santa Maria Valley, stretching from the Santa Lucia Mountains toward the Pacific Ocean, was the homeland of the Chumash people for several thousand years. Oil exploration began in 1888, leading to large-scale discoveries at the turn of the 20th century. The city experiences a cool Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) The climate is mostly sunny, refreshed by the ocean breeze. Fog is common in the mountains, however in the lowest parts of the city it is virtually unknown; the last brief flurry of snowfall in January 1949 was recorded in January 1882. Santa Maria is situated north of the unincorporated community of Orcutt, California and south of the Santa Barbara River (which serves as the line between Santa Luis Obispo County and San Luis Obpo County). The valley is bordered to the east by the San Rafael Mountains and to the west by the Los Padres National Forest. The town of Guadalupe, 9 miles (14 km) west of Santa Maria, California, is approximately the largest city in Santa Maria County, with a population of 2.6 million.

History

Santa Maria is the primary city name, but also Orcutt are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Santa Maria, California. The Santa Maria Valley was the homeland of the Chumash people for several thousand years. In 1821, after the Mexican War of Independence, the mission lands in the valley were made available for private ownership under a Mexican land grant called Rancho Punta de Laguna. In the late 19th century, the area's rich soil attracted farmers and other settlers. Oil exploration began in 1888, leading to large-scale discoveries at the turn of the 20th century. By 1957 there were 1,775 oil wells in operation in the Santa Maria River Valley, producing more than $640 million worth of oil. Agriculture remains a key component of the economy for the city and the entire region. The city was named Santa Maria on February 18, 1885, since mail was often being sent by mistake to Central City, Colorado. Santa Maria was chosen from the name Juan Pacifico Ontiveros had given to his property 25 years earlier. Streets named after the four settlers now form a 6-block square centered at Broadway and Main Street, the center of town. The new town was named Grangerville, then changed toCentral City. It became Santa Maria in 1885. The town's name was changed to Santa Maria by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1891, when it ruled that the name Santa Maria had a negative connotations. It is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state, with a population of more than 1.5 million. It was named after Santa Maria, California, where the city was founded in 1869.

Geography

Santa Maria experiences a cool Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb) typical of coastal areas of California north of Point Conception. The record high temperature of 110 °F (43.3 °C) was observed on June 20, 2008. Rainfall averages 14 inches (360 mm) annually. Snow in the mountains is seen during the winter however, in the lowest parts of the city it is virtually unknown. The city of Guadalupe, California is approximately 9 miles (14 km) to the west of Santa Maria. The U.S. Census Bureau says the city has a total area of 22.4 square miles (58 km²) of which, 22.8 square miles of it is land and 0.6 sq mi of it (1.6 km²), and 2.73 sq mi (58km²) is water. It is located north of the unincorporated community of Orcutt, California, and south of the Santa Maria River (which serves as the line between Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County). The valley is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the San Rafael Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest. The last brief flurry recorded in January 1949 is the only recorded earlier snowfall was in January 1882. The climate is mostly sunny, refreshed by the ocean breeze. Fog is common, and the city is covered in fog in the winter. It has a population of 2,816.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Santa Maria had a population of 99,553. The racial makeup of the city was 55,983 (56.2%) White, 1,656 (1.7%) African American, 1, 8%) Native American, 5,054 (5.1%) Asian, 161 (0.2) Pacific Islander, 29,841 (30.0%) from other races, and 5,040 (5,1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 70,114 persons (70.4%) The average household size was 3.66, and the average family size was 4.06. There were 28,294 housing units at an average density of 1,209.4 per square mile (467.0/km²), of which 13,893 (51.6%) were owner-occupied, and 13,015 (48.4) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate is 3.8%. In the 2000 census, there were 77,423 people, 22,146 households, and 16,653 families residing in the city. In the city, the median income for a household was $51.7, and for a family of four or more, the average income was $48.7. The median age was 28.6 years. For every 100 females, there are 102.2 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over,there are 100.7 males.

Economy

The Santa Maria area is home to an increasing number of vineyards, wineries and winemakers. Two of the city's major retail centers, the Crossroads, completed in 1999, and the historic Enos Ranch site, are both situated adjacent to the U.S. Route 101/Betteravia Road interchange. The city is also home to the Santa Maria Town Center, the only enclosed shopping mall in Santa Barbara County and the largest on the Central Coast. The petroleum industry has long had a large presence in the area, since oil was first discovered at the Orcutt Oil Field in 1902. Several famous guests have stayed at the historic Santa Maria Inn, including Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Bette Davis, Bing Crosby, and Herbert Hoover. The top employers in the city are: aerospace; communications; high-tech research and development; energy production; military operations; and manufacturing. The Santa Maria Valley produces more than $640 million worth of oil per year, making it one of the most productive agricultural areas in California, with primary crops including strawberries, wine grapes, celery, lettuce, peas, squash, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli and beans. Many cattle ranchers also call theSanta Maria Valley home, with more than 1,000 head of cattle currently living in the region. The area is centrally located to both the Santa Ynez and Foxen Canyon areas ofSanta Barbara County's wine country, and San Luis Obispo County's Edna Valley-Arroyo Grande wine country.

Arts and culture

Tri-tip is a small triangular muscle, usually 1.5 to 2.5 lb (680 to 1,130 g) per side of beef. Tri-tip steak has its roots in Santa Maria. The Santa Maria Valley is the northernmost appellation in Santa Barbara County. Chardonnay and Pinot noir are two varietals which especially benefit from the ocean's influence, and are the flagship wines of this appellation. Santa Maria's Allan Hancock College is the home of The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA), a theatrical school and production company. Notable alumni include: Robin Williams, Kathy Bates, Kelly McGillis, Mercedes Ruehl, and Zac Efron. The city of Santa Maria is also home to two large indoor Regal Edwards movie theaters; one located in the Town Center Mall, and one located off the 101 Freeway.Santa Maria has a small community theatre, the Santa Maria Civic Theatre which is located on the northwest side of town. The region's first officially approved American Viticultural Area (AVA) enjoys extremely complex soil conditions and diverse microclimates. It is bounded by the San Rafael Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest to the east, and by the Solomon Hills and the city ofSanta Maria to the west. The area is one of the nation's largest wine-producing regions, referred to as the Santa Barbara Wine Country, and is home to many wineries outside of the county, including Lompoc, Los Alamos and Santa Ynez.

Parks and recreation

Waller Park is a 154-acre park located at the south end of Santa Maria. Santa Maria Fairpark, located at Stowell Road and Thornberg Street, is home to the annual Santa Barbara County Fair, which began in 1891. The Santa Maria Skate Park is located in Fletcher Park. Rotary Centennial Park has a basketball court, a baseball field, a large open grass area, and two playgrounds. Each year, the Annual Free Family Kite Festival organized by the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is held there. There is also the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center/Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center. It is also home to an annual Strawberry Festival, in addition to a wide variety of other events, concerts, and conventions. The first parcels of land that would become Waller Park were donated by theSanta Maria Golf and Country Club in 1928, and the remainder of the land was purchased in 1964 and 1967. Preisker Park has large open fields, a disc golf course, playgrounds and picnic areas. Its main feature is the large pond with a small replica of the SantaMaria ship, which children can play on. It also has a large basketball court and baseball field. The annual Free FamilyKite Festival is held at the RotaryCentennial Park each year, and is held in conjunction with the Annual Santa Maria County Fair. It's also home with the Santa Barbara Sea Show, which is held each year in Santa Maria, California, and features a large replica of a Santa Maria ship.

Government

Santa Maria's government is split down the middle of the political spectrum, in contrast to Santa Barbara, which tends to be more liberal. Santa Maria is a reliably Democratic stronghold, having voted for the Democratic candidate for the past six elections, as of 2020. Many attempts have been made to divide the county, the northern portion from Point Conception upwards to become Mission County. Thus far the movement has been unsuccessful. The county has been home to the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which is based in the town of Santa Maria, California. The town has a population of about 2,000. It is located in the Central Coast region of Santa Barbara County. The city is located on the Santa Maria River, which runs through the northern part of the county. The Santa Maria Valley is located to the south of the city, and is known as the "Gateway to the West" due to its location in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It has been the site of several major wildfires, including one in December 2011. The area has a history of drought, which has been blamed for some of the town's  demoralization. It also has a long history of water problems, which have been blamed on irrigation and water-supply issues. In the past, the city has been known to use water from the San Ysidro River to irrigate some of its land. This has led to the town being known as "The River City" or "The Water City" by locals.

Education

The Santa Maria-Bonita School District is home to 16,900 students in 17 elementary schools (K-6th grade) and four junior high schools. Allan Hancock College is a California public community college located in northern Santa Barbara County. The Orcutt Union School District serves students who live in the unincporporated community of Or cutt and serves students in grades K through 12. Santa Barbara Business College, which has been serving the community since 1982, is also home to Santa Barbara High School and Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD), the oldest high school district in the State of California. The school district also runs Pioneer Valley High School, and Ernest Righetti High School. There are also four notable private schools in the valley: St. Joseph High School, St. Marys Catholic School, Valley Christian Academy, and Pacific Christian School. The Santa Maria School District runs the Santa Maria Elementary School, Santa Maria Junior High, and San Ysidro Elementary School (7th-8th grade), as well as Santa Maria High School (9th-12th grade). The district also operates Santa Maria Middle School, which is located in the city of Santa Maria and serves grades 9-12. The district is the oldest school district of its kind in the state of California and was founded in 1872. It is the only school district to have its own elementary and middle school. It also has its own high school and junior high school.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California = 78.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 43. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Santa Maria = 5.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 109,707 individuals with a median age of 30.1 age the population grows by 15.29% in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,809.60 residents per square mile of area (1,857.24/km²). There are average 3.39 people per household in the 25,598 households with an average household income of $47,074 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.60% of the available work force and has dropped -3.62% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 19.16%. The number of physicians in Santa Maria per 100,000 population = 237.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Santa Maria = 14.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 52. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 280. 73 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 37.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 67, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California which are owned by the occupant = 55.67%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 28 years with median home cost = $186,520 and home appreciation of -17.23%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.62 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,707 per student. There are 20.3 students for each teacher in the school. 23106.00% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 7.60% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 3.36% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).