Atascadero Creek is a southwest flowing stream

Stream

A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...

 in Santa Barbara County, California

Santa Barbara County, California

Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...

, USA which empties into the Goleta Slough

Goleta Slough

The Goleta Slough is an area of estuary, tidal creeks, tidal marsh, and wetlands near Goleta, California, USA. It primarily consists of the filled and unfilled remnants of the historic inner Goleta Bay about 8 miles west of Santa Barbara...

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Course

Atascadero Creek forms in Atascadero Canyon just east of California State Route 154 (San Marcos Pass Rd.) in Santa Barbara, California. The creek runs south and joins Cieneguitas creek which flows into it from the east. It then curves west at the base of Hope Ranch and defines the northern edge of More Mesa. As it heads west several other southern flowing canyon creeks westward of Atascadero canyon flow into it including Hospital Creek and Maria Ygnacio Creek (which includes the waters of San Antonio Creek). It then joins with the outflow from the Goleta Slough

Goleta Slough

The Goleta Slough is an area of estuary, tidal creeks, tidal marsh, and wetlands near Goleta, California, USA. It primarily consists of the filled and unfilled remnants of the historic inner Goleta Bay about 8 miles west of Santa Barbara...

, adjacent to Mescalitan Island, and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Goleta Beach County Park

Goleta Beach

Goleta Beach is a region of coastline located near Goleta, California, just east of the University of California, Santa Barbara campus. A portion of the shore of Goleta Bay is managed by the County of Santa Barbara as Goleta Beach County Park —GBCP. The beach itself is partly man-made as sand was...

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History

Since the area just north of the creek as it runs west is part of modern day Goleta

Goleta, California

Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated, populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the Census-designated place had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant...

 and Noleta

Noleta

Noleta is an unofficial name used to designate the unincorporated urban area between Goleta and Santa Barbara in California, USA. It is bounded on the east by Santa Barbara and Hope Ranch, on the west by Goleta, on the north by the Santa Ynez Mountains and on the south by the Pacific Ocean, and...

it shares their history as being farmed by the Chumash Indians, used as grazing for cattle and becoming popular citrus farmland. Gradually after World War II the citrus groves were converted into housing.
Today a popular coastal bike path runs adjacent to the creek through most of its westerly course to Goleta Beach and on to the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB).