Tag: Santa Maria

Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, in Southern California. It is approximately 125 miles northwest of the Los Angeles City limits (Woodland Hills), and approximately 150 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara (the county seat) for the first time and making it the largest city in the county. The estimated population of the area is 161,227, which includes the Santa Maria Valley, the city of Guadalupe and the unincorporated township of Orcutt. The city is notable for its wine industry and Santa Maria Style Barbecue.
The Santa Maria Valley, stretching from the Santa Lucia Mountains toward the Pacific Ocean, was the homeland of the Chumash people for thousands of years. These Native Americans made their homes on the slopes of the surrounding hills among the Oaks, the banks of the Santa Maria river among the Sycamores, and along the beach areas. They had plank-built boats, called Tomol, for ocean fishing…