Paso Robles, California
Encyclopedia
Paso Robles (English: Oaks Pass) is a city in San Luis Obispo County
, California
, United States
. Paso Robles is the fastest growing city in San Luis Obispo County: Its population at the 2000 census
was 24,297; in 2010 it recorded some 29,793 residents
Located on the Salinas River
north of San Luis Obispo, California
, the city is known for its hot springs
, its abundance of wineries, and for playing host to the California Mid-State Fair.
, the Paso Robles city limits contain a total land area of 19.4 square miles (50.3 km²), 98.43% of it land and 1.57% of it water.
The topography of the area consists of gentle rolling hills on the eastern half of the city, and foothill peaks which rise in elevation to the Santa Lucia Coastal Range on the west, which are all blanketed in the Californian chaparral
environment, which is mainly dry grassland and oak woodland. Simply "Paso", as it is referred to by locals, sits on the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucia Coastal Mountain Range, which lies directly to the West of the city, and runs in a North-South direction, starting at Monterey, then runs down South to its terminus, in the San Luis Obispo area. The city is located at the southern end of the fertile Salinas River
Valley, which is centered in between the Temblor Range
(including the San Andreas Fault), which lie about 28 miles (45.1 km) to the East, and the Santa Lucia Coastal Range, which lie directly west, rising up from the city's western border. Paso Robles sits at the border where northern San Luis Obispo County and southern Monterey County meet, and is situated roughly 24 miles (38.6 km), or 20 minutes, inland from the Pacific Ocean.
(KCC) system, which are KCC type BSk, a semi-arid
, dry, steppe
-type climate, and KCC type Csb, which is the typical, coastal Californian & 'Mediterranean' type. The area receives a mixture of these two types of climates, but the primary climate is defined by long, hot, dry summers and brief, cool, sometimes rainy winters. Paso Robles enjoys long-lasting, mild autumns and occasional early springs, giving the region a unique climate suitable for growing a variety of crops (ranging from primarily grapes, to olives, to almonds and other tree nuts). The city receives an average annual rainfall of about 14.71 inches (374 mm) per year, and most of this precipitation falls during winter and early spring. Paso Robles often receives less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain per year and typically, no rain falls from May through September. Summers in Paso Robles tend to be very hot, with daily temperatures frequently exceeding 100 °F (37.8 °C) from late June to as late as mid September, and occasionally exceeding 110 °F (43.3 °C). Paso Robles' summers feature an unusually large daytime-nighttime temperature swing, where there may be a profound temperature difference, as much as 50 °F (28 °C), between the daytime highs and the overnight lows. Winters are often very cool and moist, with daytime temperatures reaching into the low 50s°F (10 °C). Mornings and nights differ from the daytime average, as they tend to very frigid (especially in December and January), where lows reach as low as 25 °F (-3.9 °C). Due to the somewhat close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the marine layer occasionally makes it over the coast range and into Paso Robles, creating occasional fog. However, unlike typical California coastal marine fog in areas such as San Francisco, this fog is never long lasting, and typically burns off before 10am.
The all-time record high temperature at the National Weather Service
cooperative city office was 117 °F (47.2 °C) on August 13, 1933. The record low temperature was 0 °F (-17.8 °C) on January 6, 1913, making Paso Robles the lowest elevation in California to reach that low temperature. There are an average of 81.0 days with high temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 64.0 days with low temperatures of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The 30-year average (1971–2000) annual precipitation is 15.17 inches (385.3 mm), falling on an average of 47 days. The wettest year was 1941 with 29.19 inches (741.4 mm) of precipitation and the dryest year was 1947 with 4.24 inches (107.7 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 14.76 inches (374.9 mm) in January 1916. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 5.25 inches (133.4 mm) on December 6, 1966. Although snow is rare in Paso Robles, 4.0 inches fell on April 5, 1929, and on December 15, 1988.
At the Paso Robles FAA Airport, the record high temperature was 115F° on June 15, 1961, and July 20, 1960. The record low temperature was 8 °F (-13.3 °C) on December 22, 1990. There are an average of 86.7 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 53.6 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The 30-year average (1971–2000) annual precipitation is 12.57 inches (319.3 mm), falling on an average of 42 days. The wettest year was 1995 with 25.56 inches (649.2 mm) and the dryest year was 2007 with 4.2 inches (106.7 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 12.19 inches (309.6 mm) in January 1969. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 5.47 inches (138.9 mm) on March 10, 1995. The record snowfall was 4 inches (101.6 mm) on December 15, 1988.
This area of the Central Coast known as the City of El Paso De Robles or Paso Robles and simply “Paso” to locals, has always been renowned for thermal springs. The Salinan Indians—the most historical inhabitants of the area—were here thousands of years even before the mission era. They knew this area as the “Springs” or the “Hot Springs.” The Indians, and later the Mission Fathers and their congregations, found relief from various ailments in the therapeutic waters and soothing mud baths.
Paso Robles is located on the Rancho Paso de Robles
Mexican land grant that was purchased by James and Daniel Blackburn in 1857. The land was a rest-stop for travelers of the Camino Real trail, and was known for its mineral hot springs. In fact, Franciscan priests from neighboring Mission San Miguel constructed the first mineral baths in the area. During this period, Paso Robles began to attract the pioneer settlers who would become the founding members of the community. They would later establish cattle ranches, apple and almond orchards, dairy farms, and vineyards.
In 1864, the first El Paso de Robles Hotel was constructed and featured a hot mineral springs bath house.
James and Daniel Blackburn donated two blocks to the city for a public park to be used for the pleasure of its citizens and visitors. By original deed, the land was to revert to the donors if used for any other purpose than a public park. The grounds were laid out by a Mr. Redington and a planting day was held when each citizen set out his own donation. Originally, the whole park was hedged in by a fence of cactus, and in 1890 a bandstand was built with money raised by private theatricals.
In 1886, after the coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad, work began on laying out a town site, with the resort as the nucleus. Two weeks after the first train arrived on October 31, 1886, a three-day celebration was held including a special train from San Francisco bringing prospective buyers, who toured the area and enjoyed the daily barbecue
s. On November 17, the “Grand Auction” was held, resulting in the sale of 228 lots.
The local agent for the SPR when it arrived in Paso Robles was R. M. 'Dick' Shackelford, a Kentucky native who had come to California in 1853 to dig for gold. Shackelford had a varied career, going from gold mining to hauling freight by ox team, to lumbering, which took him to Nevada, where he served one term as a delegate in the state's first legislature for Washoe County
. By 1886 Shackelford had returned to California and was living in Paso Robles, where he began buying up extensive property, building warehouses and starting lumber yards along the railroad's route. Shackelford also established the Southern Pacific Milling Company, which had a virtual monopoly on local milling until local farmers, in an effort to break Shackelford's strangehold, themselves organized their own milling cooperative, the Farmers' Alliance Flour Mill.
In 1889, the same year that Paso Robles incorporated as a city, construction began on a magnificent new hotel. The hotel required over one-million bricks and cost a princely $160,000. The new El Paso de Robles Hotel opened for business in 1891. The new hotel was three stories tall and built of solid masonry, set off by sandstone arches. This ensured the hotel was completely fireproof. The hotel also featured a seven acre (28,000 m²) garden and nine hole golf course. Inside there was a library, a beauty salon, a barber shop, and various billiard and lounging rooms. The new hotel also offered an improved hot springs plunge bath as well as 32 individual bath rooms. The 20 by 40 feet (12 m) plunge bath was considered one of the finest and most complete of its time in the United States
.
On January 17, 1914, the world's most well-known concert pianist and composer came to the hotel: Ignace Paderewski. After three weeks of treatments at the hotel's mineral hot springs for his arthritis, he resumed his concert tour. He later returned to live at the hotel and bought two beautiful ranches just west of Paso Robles.
During the next 30 years, the hotel was visited by other notables: Boxing champion Jack Dempsey
, President Theodore Roosevelt
, Adela Rogers - St. John, Phoebe Apperson Hearst (the mother of William Randolph Hearst
), actors Douglas Fairbanks
, Boris Karloff
, Bob Hope
, and Clark Gable
all stayed at the El Paso de Robles Hotel. And when Major League baseball teams used Paso Robles as a spring training home, the Pittsburgh Pirates
and Chicago White Sox
stayed at the hotel and soaked in the mineral hot springs to sooth tired muscles.
For a time, Paso Robles was known as the “Almond City” because the local almond growers created the largest concentration of almond orchards in the world. The ranchers in the outlying areas were very important to the Paso Robles area. On these ranches were cattle and horses, grain crops (primarily wheat and barley), garden produce and fruit and nut orchards. Many of these ranch lands and orchards have become vineyards for the many wineries which currently draw tourists to the area.
To show their appreciation to the ranchers, the business people established Pioneer Day in October 1931, which is still a huge annual celebration.
Pioneer Day is celebrated every year on the Saturday prior to October 12. It was originally organized by community volunteers working with generous donations of time, materials and money from individuals, businesses, churches and service organizations. Their goal was to provide a day of community friendship and a commemoration of the heritage of the Paso Robles area. It would also become a day set aside to say “Thank You” to all of the people who support the business and professional community of the area throughout the year. Most businesses closed so that their employees could enjoy and participate in the activities and family reunions. There were to be no charges for any of the events, no commercial concessions and lunch would be provided at no cost.
In December 1940, tragedy struck. A spectacular fire completely destroyed the "fire-proof" El Paso de Robles Hotel. Guests staying the night escaped unharmed. However, the night clerk who discovered the fire suffered a fatal heart attack immediately after sounding the alarm. Within months after the blaze, plans for a new hotel to be built on the site were drawn up. The design was an entirely new concept: A Garden Inn - Hotel, designed to accommodate motor vehicle travellers. By February 1942 construction was complete and the new Paso Robles Inn opened for business.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, few changes occurred at the Paso Robles Inn. However, the City of Paso Robles experienced significant growth. The area's wine industry flourished, the California Mid-State Fair expanded into a regional attraction, local lakes, such as Lake Nacimiento
, became family vacation destinations and Paso Robles' reputation as a charming and friendly community grew.
s, there were the Iron Spring and the Sand Spring, which bubbles through the sand and was said to produce delightful sensations.
In 1882, Drury James and the Blackburn brothers issued a pamphlet advertising “El Paso de Robles Hot and Cold Sulphur Springs and the Only Natural Mud Baths in the World.” By then there were first class accommodations—a reading room, barber shop, and telegraph office; a general store, a top-of-the-line livery stable, and comfortably furnished cottages for families that preferred privacy to quarters in the hotel. Visitors could stay in touch with the rest of the world, as there were two daily mails, a Western Union telegraph office, and a Wells Fargo agency with special rates for guests. As the springs became more and more a destination of the well-to-do as a place to go to socialize, the original purpose of the springs—to heal—became peripheral.
The bathhouse was erected over the sulphur spring in 1888, with a plunge and thirty-seven bath rooms. In the following year, work began on the large Hot Springs Hotel, (today the Paso Robles Inn), which was completed in 1900 and burned down 40 years later. Since the privileges of using the baths were restricted to guests of the hotel and many sufferers of the ailments the baths cured could not pay the rates of the fashionable hotel, a few businessmen in Paso Robles made arrangements with Felix Liss for the right to bore for sulphur water on a lot which Liss owned. A sulphur well was reached, a bath house built and baths offered at an affordable rate of twenty-five cents. The establishment was later offered to the City and is currently the site of the Municipal Pool.
Commercial winemaking was introduced to the Paso Robles region in 1882 when Andrew York, a settler from Indiana, began planting vineyards and established the Ascension Winery at what is now York Mountain Winery. When York purchased the land, it was primarily apple orchards, with a small plot of wine grape vines. York found that the climate and soil were more suitable for vineyards and he expanded the vineyards. Within a few years, he found that the vines were yielding more than he could market, prompting him to build a small, stone winery
.
Following Andrew York’s early success in the wine business, Gerd and Ilsabe Klintworth planted a vineyard in the Geneseo/Linne area in approximately 1886. They were licensed to sell jugs of Zinfandel
, Port, and Muscatel, as well as some of the area’s first white wine made from Burger grapes. The Casteel Vineyards in the Willow Creek area were planted just prior to 1908. Casteel wines were stored and aged in a cave cellar. Cuttings from the old vines provided the start for other vineyards, still producing in the area today.
As the popularity of wines began to grow, so did the Paso Robles wine region. Lorenzo and Rena Nerelli purchased their vineyard at the foot of York Mountain in 1917. Their Templeton Winery was the area’s first to be bonded following the repeal of Prohibition
.
The early 1920s saw a flurry of winemaking activity when several families immigrated to the area to establish family vineyards and wineries. Sylvester and Caterina Dusi purchased a vineyard in 1924. The old head-pruned Zinfandel vines are now owned and cultivated by their son, Benito. The Martinelli, Busi, Vosti and Bianchi Winery
vineyards were also established around this time.
The Paso Robles wine region gained more notoriety when Ignace Paderewski, the famous Polish statesman and concert pianist, visited Paso Robles, became enchanted with the area, and purchased 2000 acres (8.1 km²). In the early 1920s, he planted Petite Sirah and Zinfandel on his Rancho San Ignacio vineyard in the Adelaide area. Following Prohibition, Paderewski's wine was made at York Mountain Winery. The wines produced from grapes grown on Rancho San Ignacio went on to become award-winners. Paso Robles’ reputation as a premier wine region became firmly established as a result of this and later successes, and through to the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new generation of vineyard pioneers came forth and flourished in the Paso Robles area.
, known as the San Simeon earthquake
, struck about 25 miles (40.2 km) North-West of Paso Robles. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2003/nc40148755/index.php The quake registered a magnitude 6.5 on the Richter Magnitude Scale
, and caused two deaths when the roof slid off the clock tower building, a popular landmark in downtown Paso Robles. The dormant underground springs that had once been used for the spa were brought back to life by the quake, causing flooding and a large sinkhole
in the parking lot of the city hall and library. Due to lengthy environmental and engineering considerations, it took until December 2010 for the sinkhole to be filled and the parking lot resurfaced. Paso Robles has dedicated a new clock tower in memory of the two women who died on that day.
was 1,533.7 people per square mile (592.2/km²). The racial makeup of Paso Robles was 23,158 (77.7%) White, 622 (2.1%) African American, 297 (1.0%) Native American, 593 (2.0%) Asian, 56 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 3,916 (13.1%) from other races
, and 1,151 (3.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10,275 persons (34.5%).
The Census reported that 29,624 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 164 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 5 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 10,833 households, out of which 4,104 (37.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,721 (52.8%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 1,345 (12.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 603 (5.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 767 (7.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 66 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,486 households (22.9%) were made up of individuals and 1,192 (11.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73. There were 7,669 families
(70.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.19.
The population was spread out with 7,829 people (26.3%) under the age of 18, 2,827 people (9.5%) aged 18 to 24, 7,870 people (26.4%) aged 25 to 44, 7,271 people (24.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,996 people (13.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.3 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
There were 11,426 housing units at an average density of 588.2 per square mile (227.1/km²), of which 6,412 (59.2%) were owner-occupied, and 4,421 (40.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 16,666 people (55.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 12,958 people (43.5%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 24,297 people, 8,556 households, and 6,040 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,401.6 people per square mile (541.3/km²). There were 8,791 housing units at an average density of 507.1 per square mile (195.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.70% White, 3.32% Black or African American
, 1.30% Native American, 1.89% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 13.68% from other races
, and 3.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.72% of the population.
There were 8,556 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
The median income
for a household in the city was $39,217, and the median income for a family was $44,322. Males had a median income of $35,514 versus $24,058 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,974. About 10.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
During the past 7 years, since the last census was conducted in the year 2000, the city of Paso Robles has experienced phenomenal population growth
, with an average annual population growth rate of 3.18%. As calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau and the State Department of Finance, the city limits population of Paso Robles as of early 2007 was 29,934, with a Greater Area/"Metro" population of 41,249.
(ACS) data profiles. The demographics are compiled by the Census Bureau using data and surveys collected from the ACS, Census Bureau Population Estimates Program Link, and the California State Department of Finance from years 2005-2007. Although these US Census Bureau statistics are Estimates, they have been proven to be incredibly accurate year after year with a very small margin of error. These updated figures, although not necessary, give a better, and more current, idea of statistics such as population percentages, income figures, racial and age makeup, etc.
As of the 2007 ACS Census Update, the city limits population was estimated at 27,868 people, 7,880 families within the city, and an average citizen age of 33.2 years old. The city limits population density was 1,504.2 people per square mile (29.18 km2), there were 11,218 total available housing units with 10,876 of them occupied (total households). The racial makeup of the city was 82.0% White, 2.8% Black or African American
, 1.1% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 12.1% from other races
, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.9% of the population.
There were 10,876 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples
living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.2 years.
The median income
for a household in the city was $51,172, and the median income for a family was $57,114. Males had a median income of $42,357 versus $29,311 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $23,544. About 11.4% of families and 13.5% of the population as a whole were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
Paso Robles is located in the 15th Senate
District, represented by Republican
Sam Blakeslee
, and in the 33rd Assembly
District, represented by Republican Katcho Achadjian
. Federally, Paso Robles is located in California's 22nd congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of R +16 and is represented by Republican Kevin McCarthy.
crossroads of U.S. Highway 101 and State Highway 46 East, halfway between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area
with direct eastbound access to the San Joaquin Valley
and Interstate 5.
Paso Robles is currently serviced by 1 freeway and 2 highways:
, the national passenger rail system, serves Paso Robles, operating its Coast Starlight
daily in each direction between Seattle, Washington
and Los Angeles
. Amtrak
's Pacific Surfliner
that operates between San Diego and Paso Robles connects by bus transfer from San Luis Obispo Train Station.
. Paso Robles Municipal is a regional general aviation airport located about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of downtown Paso Robles. Paso Robles Municipal does not currently offer scheduled passenger service
, as the scheduled passenger market is already served by nearby San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, 25 miles (40.2 km) to the south in San Luis Obispo. Although Paso Robles Airport does not currently offer scheduled passenger service, they do however have a large amount of daily Business Aviation operations, in addition to serving as a large General Aviation
base. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has an air attack base at the airport. Here, aircraft are reloaded with fire fighting chemicals, which are dropped on brush and forest fires. Also, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) house a fixed wing aircraft, used for speed enforcement, and a helicopter, used for search and rescue. The area immediately surrounding the Paso Robles Airport, known as Airport Road Industrial Park
, is also home to many aviation maintenance
providers and facilities, as well as home to many aviation parts manufacturers and other related businesses including the fine dining restaurant Matthew's.
The Paso Robles Airport is also home to the Northern California Regional Aerobatic Contest which is held annually in mid June.
The wide-open roads and picturesque vineyards of Paso Robles are the perfect recipe for a memorable cycling
excursion. Avid cyclists will enjoy the 39 miles (62.8 km) Vineyard Drive Loop that winds through rugged westside wine country, while others will appreciate the gentler 21 miles (33.8 km) Star Farms Loop. Wine tasting and picnic facilities are found along most local cycling routes. Cruising around downtown
is also a favorite pastime. There’s a reason why the Great Western Bicycle Rally has called Paso Robles home for 34 years. In 2009 and 2011, Paso Robles was the finish line for Stage 5 of the AMGEN Tour of California.
Golfing is a popular recreational and sport activity in and around Paso Robles. Paso Robles has 4 golf courses, two of which are leisure golf resorts: Hunter Ranch Golf Course , Paso Robles Golf Club , River Oaks Golf Course , The Links at Vista Del Hombre .
The hot summer days and cool mornings and evenings make the perfect weather for swimming and tennis
in Paso Robles. Since 2009 the Paso Robles Swim & Tennis Club has been offering a variety of fun activities and interests to the community.
Lake Nacimiento
is an 18 miles (29 km)-long lake located about 13 miles (20.9 km) north-east of the city up in the Santa Lucia Range. Although Lake Nacimiento is not actually located within the city of Paso Robles itself, it is however located in what is considered the Greater Paso Robles Area. In fact, "The Lake", as it is known to locals, actually shares the 93446 zip code
with Paso Robles, due to its proximity to the city. Lake Nacimiento is a great source of Recreation for the people of Paso Robles and is also a haven for watersport enthusiasts. The lake provides ample room for waterskiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, and other water-related activities, in addition to fishing and swimming.
Located just off of Highway 46 East at Union Road, surrounded by oak dotted hills, the 42 acres (169,968.1 m²) Barney Schwartz Park is the only park of its kind within 120 miles (193.1 km). Besides being capable of holding large-scale tournaments for baseball/softball and soccer, it has a one million gallon lake, several group picnic areas, 4 large event pavilions, grassy picnic areas, two concession stands and two large playgrounds.
Centennial Park is located in the eastern section of Paso Robles surrounded by neighborhoods and adjacent to Daniel Lewis Middle School. Besides being the home of all indoor community sports (basketball, volleyball and gymnastics) and many different classes and activities, the 17 acres (68,796.6 m²) Centennial Park contains a 200,000-gallon swimming pool and wading pool with waterslides, two large group barbecue areas, grassy picnic and pavilion areas, an amphitheatre
, walking paths, two outdoor half-court basketball courts, a 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long paved trail
, four lighted tennis courts and two playgrounds. There are also several meeting and banquet
rooms available.
The land upon which City Park sits was donated by the town’s founders, James and Blackburn, for the specific use of a public park. Located in the heart of downtown, this 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) park is the perfect place to picnic
, play, or stroll through before or after seeing a movie, shopping, or eating at one of the many nearby merchants. City Park has always been the favorite location of events and gatherings celebrating everything from such local holidays as Pioneer Day and the Mid-State Fair Pancake Breakfast to national holidays such as the 4th of July
. City Park hosts “Concerts in the Park,” Trading Day, bi-weekly farmers markets, the Wine Festival and several car shows.
Sherwood Park is located on the upper south-east side of town and is used mostly for youth sports. The Little League field was completely redone in April 2002. In addition to the renovated Little League Field, Sherwood Park has one basketball court, horseshoe pits, restrooms, a sand volleyball
court, family barbecue areas, one regulation size soccer field, two small soccer fields and a softball
field with bleachers, and four tennis courts.
Located adjacent to Sherwood Park, Sherwood Forest is a newly constructed park and playground area that is designed with an environment that embodies a medieval theme in the design, complete with a large mist-breathing dragon, winding cobblestone paths, castle ruins with moat
, and two playground
areas.
Home of the legendary California Mid-State Fair, the Paso Robles Event Center presents a full calendar of exciting year-round events, exhibitions, shows, conventions and sports. Top draws at the Paso Robles Event Center include the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival, Central Coast Roller Derby
, Mid-State Fall Home Show, Central Coast Boat Show and the Great Western Bike Rally.
The city of Paso Robles comes alive every year when, in late July to early August, the 12-day California Mid-State Fair, held at the Paso Robles Event Center, sets the stage for California’s most exciting family event. The fair features a concert series which showcases blockbuster music with the largest names in entertainment, a television broadcasted rodeo
series, equestrian and livestock events, various pageants, a carnival
with large rides
, exhibits, merchandisers, specialty booths, races and competitions, and a large variety of wonderful local food.
The Paso Robles Wine Country is one of the fastest growing premium vineyard and winery regions in California, with the number of bonded wineries
and vineyards in the area of Paso Robles more than doubling between 1993 and 2002. It is the location of the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area
. More than 25 different varieties of grapes are grown in the Paso Robles Wine Country and there are over 250 bonded wineries.
In 1993, Paso Robles grape growers, wineries and wine tasting
rooms united to form the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. This non-profit trade organization is dedicated to the promotion and education of the Paso Robles premium wine country.
Every year in March, the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance hosts the Zinfandel Festival, during which Central Coast Zinfandel producers as well as enthusiasts from around the globe come together for an evening of wine, food and celebration of California's heritage varietal. More than 110 wineries will host an array of special events throughout Paso Robles Wine Country during the Zinfandel Festival weekend. Winemaker dinners, food pairings, seminars and lectures, open houses and special tastings are just a few of the activities in store.
Always held the third weekend in May, the Paso Robles Wine Festival is the official tasting event along California’s Central Coast. The annual Paso Robles Wine Festival weekend is a perfect time to visit Paso Robles Wine Country. More than 110 area wineries host an array of special events including winemaker dinners, food pairings, seminars, winery tours, special tastings and more. These events can be found at many locations throughout Paso Robles, California's third largest and fastest growing wine region. The festival attracts visitors from all over the state, and features wines form nearly all of the local wineries as well as local cuisine.
This free event celebrates the olive
industry, an emerging local product, and features artisan olive producers from throughout the area and immediate region who serve tastes of olives, olive oil
s, tapenades, dipping sauces, free Olive Oil Ice Cream, and other edible delights. Professional chefs offer cooking demonstrations throughout the day on a culinary stage, and the festival also features an open cooking contest. The Olive Festival also includes music, entertainment, local wineries and breweries offering tastes, and free olive oil tasting. Accompanying the Olive Festival is a juried arts and crafts show, artists booths, plus a variety of food and many other various festival vendors.
The third weekend in October hosts the Wine Country Alliance's Harvest Wine Weekend. More than 160 individual events are expected to be held at this years festival, with participating wineries numbering over 140. Harvest
is the season when wineries bring to the forefront those rarely seen vineyard and crush activities for wine enthusiasts to appreciate. During Harvest Wine Weekend, see and learn vineyard practices in motion, take part in a blending seminar, or jump feet first into a two ton grape stomp. Live music, local cuisine, barrel samples and artist exhibits are a few of the events to be enjoyed over this three-day festival.
Also, this year Cinema e Vino Paradiso will be bringing a series of evening events of wine tasting, dinner and a classic film all under the stars at selected Central Coast Wineries. These wineries include CASS, Villicana, Rio Seco and Maloy O'Neill.
, insulating concrete forms, rammed earth
, super insulated buildings, and L.E.E.D
Certified Construction by J.M. Construction, Inc.. Within a 15 miles (24 km) radius of downtown Paso Robles there are twelve straw bale homes, six insulated concrete homes, and several straw bale wineries/tasting rooms.
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Paso Robles is the fastest growing city in San Luis Obispo County: Its population at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
was 24,297; in 2010 it recorded some 29,793 residents
Located on the Salinas River
Salinas River (California)
The Salinas River is the largest river of the central coast of California, running and draining 4,160 square miles. It flows north-northwest and drains the Salinas Valley that slices through the Coast Range south from Monterey Bay...
north of San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
, the city is known for its hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
, its abundance of wineries, and for playing host to the California Mid-State Fair.
Geography
Paso Robles is located at 35°37′36"N 120°41′24"W, approximately halfway between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco on what is known as the "Central Coast". The elevation of Paso Robles ranges from 675 to 1100 feet (335.3 m), but the majority of the main downtown area of the city sits at about 740 feet (225.6 m) above sea level. According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the Paso Robles city limits contain a total land area of 19.4 square miles (50.3 km²), 98.43% of it land and 1.57% of it water.
The topography of the area consists of gentle rolling hills on the eastern half of the city, and foothill peaks which rise in elevation to the Santa Lucia Coastal Range on the west, which are all blanketed in the Californian chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
environment, which is mainly dry grassland and oak woodland. Simply "Paso", as it is referred to by locals, sits on the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucia Coastal Mountain Range, which lies directly to the West of the city, and runs in a North-South direction, starting at Monterey, then runs down South to its terminus, in the San Luis Obispo area. The city is located at the southern end of the fertile Salinas River
Salinas River (California)
The Salinas River is the largest river of the central coast of California, running and draining 4,160 square miles. It flows north-northwest and drains the Salinas Valley that slices through the Coast Range south from Monterey Bay...
Valley, which is centered in between the Temblor Range
Temblor Range
The Temblor Range is a mountain range within the California Coast Ranges, at the southwestern extremity of the San Joaquin Valley in California in the United States. It runs in a northwest-southeasterly direction along the borders of Kern County and San Luis Obispo County. The name of the range is...
(including the San Andreas Fault), which lie about 28 miles (45.1 km) to the East, and the Santa Lucia Coastal Range, which lie directly west, rising up from the city's western border. Paso Robles sits at the border where northern San Luis Obispo County and southern Monterey County meet, and is situated roughly 24 miles (38.6 km), or 20 minutes, inland from the Pacific Ocean.
Climate
The Paso Robles area actually consists of two different climate types and classifications, as based on the Koppen climate classificationKöppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
(KCC) system, which are KCC type BSk, a semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...
, dry, steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
-type climate, and KCC type Csb, which is the typical, coastal Californian & 'Mediterranean' type. The area receives a mixture of these two types of climates, but the primary climate is defined by long, hot, dry summers and brief, cool, sometimes rainy winters. Paso Robles enjoys long-lasting, mild autumns and occasional early springs, giving the region a unique climate suitable for growing a variety of crops (ranging from primarily grapes, to olives, to almonds and other tree nuts). The city receives an average annual rainfall of about 14.71 inches (374 mm) per year, and most of this precipitation falls during winter and early spring. Paso Robles often receives less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain per year and typically, no rain falls from May through September. Summers in Paso Robles tend to be very hot, with daily temperatures frequently exceeding 100 °F (37.8 °C) from late June to as late as mid September, and occasionally exceeding 110 °F (43.3 °C). Paso Robles' summers feature an unusually large daytime-nighttime temperature swing, where there may be a profound temperature difference, as much as 50 °F (28 °C), between the daytime highs and the overnight lows. Winters are often very cool and moist, with daytime temperatures reaching into the low 50s°F (10 °C). Mornings and nights differ from the daytime average, as they tend to very frigid (especially in December and January), where lows reach as low as 25 °F (-3.9 °C). Due to the somewhat close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the marine layer occasionally makes it over the coast range and into Paso Robles, creating occasional fog. However, unlike typical California coastal marine fog in areas such as San Francisco, this fog is never long lasting, and typically burns off before 10am.
The all-time record high temperature at the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
cooperative city office was 117 °F (47.2 °C) on August 13, 1933. The record low temperature was 0 °F (-17.8 °C) on January 6, 1913, making Paso Robles the lowest elevation in California to reach that low temperature. There are an average of 81.0 days with high temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 64.0 days with low temperatures of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The 30-year average (1971–2000) annual precipitation is 15.17 inches (385.3 mm), falling on an average of 47 days. The wettest year was 1941 with 29.19 inches (741.4 mm) of precipitation and the dryest year was 1947 with 4.24 inches (107.7 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 14.76 inches (374.9 mm) in January 1916. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 5.25 inches (133.4 mm) on December 6, 1966. Although snow is rare in Paso Robles, 4.0 inches fell on April 5, 1929, and on December 15, 1988.
At the Paso Robles FAA Airport, the record high temperature was 115F° on June 15, 1961, and July 20, 1960. The record low temperature was 8 °F (-13.3 °C) on December 22, 1990. There are an average of 86.7 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 53.6 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The 30-year average (1971–2000) annual precipitation is 12.57 inches (319.3 mm), falling on an average of 42 days. The wettest year was 1995 with 25.56 inches (649.2 mm) and the dryest year was 2007 with 4.2 inches (106.7 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 12.19 inches (309.6 mm) in January 1969. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 5.47 inches (138.9 mm) on March 10, 1995. The record snowfall was 4 inches (101.6 mm) on December 15, 1988.
History
Paso Robles Historical SocietyPaso Robles Historical SocietyThis area of the Central Coast known as the City of El Paso De Robles or Paso Robles and simply “Paso” to locals, has always been renowned for thermal springs. The Salinan Indians—the most historical inhabitants of the area—were here thousands of years even before the mission era. They knew this area as the “Springs” or the “Hot Springs.” The Indians, and later the Mission Fathers and their congregations, found relief from various ailments in the therapeutic waters and soothing mud baths.
Paso Robles is located on the Rancho Paso de Robles
Rancho Paso de Robles
Rancho Paso de Robles was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to José Pedro Narváez. The name means "Pass of the Oaks"...
Mexican land grant that was purchased by James and Daniel Blackburn in 1857. The land was a rest-stop for travelers of the Camino Real trail, and was known for its mineral hot springs. In fact, Franciscan priests from neighboring Mission San Miguel constructed the first mineral baths in the area. During this period, Paso Robles began to attract the pioneer settlers who would become the founding members of the community. They would later establish cattle ranches, apple and almond orchards, dairy farms, and vineyards.
In 1864, the first El Paso de Robles Hotel was constructed and featured a hot mineral springs bath house.
James and Daniel Blackburn donated two blocks to the city for a public park to be used for the pleasure of its citizens and visitors. By original deed, the land was to revert to the donors if used for any other purpose than a public park. The grounds were laid out by a Mr. Redington and a planting day was held when each citizen set out his own donation. Originally, the whole park was hedged in by a fence of cactus, and in 1890 a bandstand was built with money raised by private theatricals.
In 1886, after the coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad, work began on laying out a town site, with the resort as the nucleus. Two weeks after the first train arrived on October 31, 1886, a three-day celebration was held including a special train from San Francisco bringing prospective buyers, who toured the area and enjoyed the daily barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s. On November 17, the “Grand Auction” was held, resulting in the sale of 228 lots.
The local agent for the SPR when it arrived in Paso Robles was R. M. 'Dick' Shackelford, a Kentucky native who had come to California in 1853 to dig for gold. Shackelford had a varied career, going from gold mining to hauling freight by ox team, to lumbering, which took him to Nevada, where he served one term as a delegate in the state's first legislature for Washoe County
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 421,407 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.-History:...
. By 1886 Shackelford had returned to California and was living in Paso Robles, where he began buying up extensive property, building warehouses and starting lumber yards along the railroad's route. Shackelford also established the Southern Pacific Milling Company, which had a virtual monopoly on local milling until local farmers, in an effort to break Shackelford's strangehold, themselves organized their own milling cooperative, the Farmers' Alliance Flour Mill.
In 1889, the same year that Paso Robles incorporated as a city, construction began on a magnificent new hotel. The hotel required over one-million bricks and cost a princely $160,000. The new El Paso de Robles Hotel opened for business in 1891. The new hotel was three stories tall and built of solid masonry, set off by sandstone arches. This ensured the hotel was completely fireproof. The hotel also featured a seven acre (28,000 m²) garden and nine hole golf course. Inside there was a library, a beauty salon, a barber shop, and various billiard and lounging rooms. The new hotel also offered an improved hot springs plunge bath as well as 32 individual bath rooms. The 20 by 40 feet (12 m) plunge bath was considered one of the finest and most complete of its time in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
On January 17, 1914, the world's most well-known concert pianist and composer came to the hotel: Ignace Paderewski. After three weeks of treatments at the hotel's mineral hot springs for his arthritis, he resumed his concert tour. He later returned to live at the hotel and bought two beautiful ranches just west of Paso Robles.
During the next 30 years, the hotel was visited by other notables: Boxing champion Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
, President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, Adela Rogers - St. John, Phoebe Apperson Hearst (the mother of William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
), actors Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
, Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, and Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
all stayed at the El Paso de Robles Hotel. And when Major League baseball teams used Paso Robles as a spring training home, the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
stayed at the hotel and soaked in the mineral hot springs to sooth tired muscles.
For a time, Paso Robles was known as the “Almond City” because the local almond growers created the largest concentration of almond orchards in the world. The ranchers in the outlying areas were very important to the Paso Robles area. On these ranches were cattle and horses, grain crops (primarily wheat and barley), garden produce and fruit and nut orchards. Many of these ranch lands and orchards have become vineyards for the many wineries which currently draw tourists to the area.
- Pioneer Day
To show their appreciation to the ranchers, the business people established Pioneer Day in October 1931, which is still a huge annual celebration.
Pioneer Day is celebrated every year on the Saturday prior to October 12. It was originally organized by community volunteers working with generous donations of time, materials and money from individuals, businesses, churches and service organizations. Their goal was to provide a day of community friendship and a commemoration of the heritage of the Paso Robles area. It would also become a day set aside to say “Thank You” to all of the people who support the business and professional community of the area throughout the year. Most businesses closed so that their employees could enjoy and participate in the activities and family reunions. There were to be no charges for any of the events, no commercial concessions and lunch would be provided at no cost.
In December 1940, tragedy struck. A spectacular fire completely destroyed the "fire-proof" El Paso de Robles Hotel. Guests staying the night escaped unharmed. However, the night clerk who discovered the fire suffered a fatal heart attack immediately after sounding the alarm. Within months after the blaze, plans for a new hotel to be built on the site were drawn up. The design was an entirely new concept: A Garden Inn - Hotel, designed to accommodate motor vehicle travellers. By February 1942 construction was complete and the new Paso Robles Inn opened for business.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, few changes occurred at the Paso Robles Inn. However, the City of Paso Robles experienced significant growth. The area's wine industry flourished, the California Mid-State Fair expanded into a regional attraction, local lakes, such as Lake Nacimiento
Lake Nacimiento, California
Lake Nacimiento is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 2,411 at the 2010 census, up from 2,176 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lake Nacimiento is located at ....
, became family vacation destinations and Paso Robles' reputation as a charming and friendly community grew.
The Waters
As far back as 1795, Paso Robles has been spoken of and written about as “California’s oldest watering place”—the place to go for springs and mud baths. In 1864, a correspondent to the San Francisco Bulletin wrote that there was every prospect of the Paso Robles hot springs becoming the watering place of the state. By 1868 people were coming from as far away as Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, and even Alabama. Besides the well-known mud bathMud bath
A mud bath is a bath of mud, commonly from areas where hot spring water can combine with volcanic ash. Mud baths have existed for thousands of years, and can be found now in high-end spas in many countries of the world....
s, there were the Iron Spring and the Sand Spring, which bubbles through the sand and was said to produce delightful sensations.
In 1882, Drury James and the Blackburn brothers issued a pamphlet advertising “El Paso de Robles Hot and Cold Sulphur Springs and the Only Natural Mud Baths in the World.” By then there were first class accommodations—a reading room, barber shop, and telegraph office; a general store, a top-of-the-line livery stable, and comfortably furnished cottages for families that preferred privacy to quarters in the hotel. Visitors could stay in touch with the rest of the world, as there were two daily mails, a Western Union telegraph office, and a Wells Fargo agency with special rates for guests. As the springs became more and more a destination of the well-to-do as a place to go to socialize, the original purpose of the springs—to heal—became peripheral.
The bathhouse was erected over the sulphur spring in 1888, with a plunge and thirty-seven bath rooms. In the following year, work began on the large Hot Springs Hotel, (today the Paso Robles Inn), which was completed in 1900 and burned down 40 years later. Since the privileges of using the baths were restricted to guests of the hotel and many sufferers of the ailments the baths cured could not pay the rates of the fashionable hotel, a few businessmen in Paso Robles made arrangements with Felix Liss for the right to bore for sulphur water on a lot which Liss owned. A sulphur well was reached, a bath house built and baths offered at an affordable rate of twenty-five cents. The establishment was later offered to the City and is currently the site of the Municipal Pool.
The Wine
Paso Robles’ growth as industry—wine—has a long history with the area. Wine grapes were introduced to the Paso Robles soil in 1797 by the Spanish conquistadors and Franciscan missionaries. Spanish explorer Francisco Cortez envisioned an abundant wine-producing operation and encouraged settlers from Mexico and other parts of California to cultivate the land. The first vineyardists in the area were the Padres of the Mission San Miguel, and their old fermentation vats and grapevine artwork can still be seen at the Mission, north of the city of Paso Robles.Commercial winemaking was introduced to the Paso Robles region in 1882 when Andrew York, a settler from Indiana, began planting vineyards and established the Ascension Winery at what is now York Mountain Winery. When York purchased the land, it was primarily apple orchards, with a small plot of wine grape vines. York found that the climate and soil were more suitable for vineyards and he expanded the vineyards. Within a few years, he found that the vines were yielding more than he could market, prompting him to build a small, stone winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
.
Following Andrew York’s early success in the wine business, Gerd and Ilsabe Klintworth planted a vineyard in the Geneseo/Linne area in approximately 1886. They were licensed to sell jugs of Zinfandel
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia , where it was introduced in the 18th century...
, Port, and Muscatel, as well as some of the area’s first white wine made from Burger grapes. The Casteel Vineyards in the Willow Creek area were planted just prior to 1908. Casteel wines were stored and aged in a cave cellar. Cuttings from the old vines provided the start for other vineyards, still producing in the area today.
As the popularity of wines began to grow, so did the Paso Robles wine region. Lorenzo and Rena Nerelli purchased their vineyard at the foot of York Mountain in 1917. Their Templeton Winery was the area’s first to be bonded following the repeal of Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
.
The early 1920s saw a flurry of winemaking activity when several families immigrated to the area to establish family vineyards and wineries. Sylvester and Caterina Dusi purchased a vineyard in 1924. The old head-pruned Zinfandel vines are now owned and cultivated by their son, Benito. The Martinelli, Busi, Vosti and Bianchi Winery
Bianchi Winery
Bianchi Winery and Tasting Room is located along CA 46 East on Branch Road in Paso Robles, California. The property includes the winery, a tasting room and a vineyard house for guest accommodations, all located among the estate vineyards...
vineyards were also established around this time.
The Paso Robles wine region gained more notoriety when Ignace Paderewski, the famous Polish statesman and concert pianist, visited Paso Robles, became enchanted with the area, and purchased 2000 acres (8.1 km²). In the early 1920s, he planted Petite Sirah and Zinfandel on his Rancho San Ignacio vineyard in the Adelaide area. Following Prohibition, Paderewski's wine was made at York Mountain Winery. The wines produced from grapes grown on Rancho San Ignacio went on to become award-winners. Paso Robles’ reputation as a premier wine region became firmly established as a result of this and later successes, and through to the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new generation of vineyard pioneers came forth and flourished in the Paso Robles area.
San Simeon Earthquake
At 11:15am PST on December 22, 2003, an earthquakeEarthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, known as the San Simeon earthquake
San Simeon earthquake
The 2003 San Simeon Earthquake was a magnitude 6.5 earthquake on the Central Coast of California, about northeast of San Simeon. It occurred at 11:15 PST on December 22, 2003. The earthquake probably occurred on the Oceanic fault zone in the Santa Lucia Mountains. It was caused by reverse...
, struck about 25 miles (40.2 km) North-West of Paso Robles. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2003/nc40148755/index.php The quake registered a magnitude 6.5 on the Richter Magnitude Scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
, and caused two deaths when the roof slid off the clock tower building, a popular landmark in downtown Paso Robles. The dormant underground springs that had once been used for the spa were brought back to life by the quake, causing flooding and a large sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
in the parking lot of the city hall and library. Due to lengthy environmental and engineering considerations, it took until December 2010 for the sinkhole to be filled and the parking lot resurfaced. Paso Robles has dedicated a new clock tower in memory of the two women who died on that day.
2010 Census
The 2010 United States Census reported that Paso Robles had a population of 29,793. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,533.7 people per square mile (592.2/km²). The racial makeup of Paso Robles was 23,158 (77.7%) White, 622 (2.1%) African American, 297 (1.0%) Native American, 593 (2.0%) Asian, 56 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 3,916 (13.1%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1,151 (3.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10,275 persons (34.5%).
The Census reported that 29,624 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 164 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 5 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 10,833 households, out of which 4,104 (37.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,721 (52.8%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 1,345 (12.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 603 (5.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 767 (7.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 66 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,486 households (22.9%) were made up of individuals and 1,192 (11.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73. There were 7,669 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(70.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.19.
The population was spread out with 7,829 people (26.3%) under the age of 18, 2,827 people (9.5%) aged 18 to 24, 7,870 people (26.4%) aged 25 to 44, 7,271 people (24.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,996 people (13.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.3 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
There were 11,426 housing units at an average density of 588.2 per square mile (227.1/km²), of which 6,412 (59.2%) were owner-occupied, and 4,421 (40.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 16,666 people (55.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 12,958 people (43.5%) lived in rental housing units.
2000 Census
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 24,297 people, 8,556 households, and 6,040 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,401.6 people per square mile (541.3/km²). There were 8,791 housing units at an average density of 507.1 per square mile (195.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.70% White, 3.32% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.30% Native American, 1.89% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 13.68% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.72% of the population.
There were 8,556 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
The median income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
for a household in the city was $39,217, and the median income for a family was $44,322. Males had a median income of $35,514 versus $24,058 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,974. About 10.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
During the past 7 years, since the last census was conducted in the year 2000, the city of Paso Robles has experienced phenomenal population growth
Population growth
Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....
, with an average annual population growth rate of 3.18%. As calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau and the State Department of Finance, the city limits population of Paso Robles as of early 2007 was 29,934, with a Greater Area/"Metro" population of 41,249.
2007 ACS Census Update
NoteThe following demographics are taken and computed from the United States Census Bureau's American Community SurveyAmerican Community Survey
The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
(ACS) data profiles. The demographics are compiled by the Census Bureau using data and surveys collected from the ACS, Census Bureau Population Estimates Program Link, and the California State Department of Finance from years 2005-2007. Although these US Census Bureau statistics are Estimates, they have been proven to be incredibly accurate year after year with a very small margin of error. These updated figures, although not necessary, give a better, and more current, idea of statistics such as population percentages, income figures, racial and age makeup, etc.
As of the 2007 ACS Census Update, the city limits population was estimated at 27,868 people, 7,880 families within the city, and an average citizen age of 33.2 years old. The city limits population density was 1,504.2 people per square mile (29.18 km2), there were 11,218 total available housing units with 10,876 of them occupied (total households). The racial makeup of the city was 82.0% White, 2.8% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.1% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 12.1% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.9% of the population.
There were 10,876 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.2 years.
The median income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
for a household in the city was $51,172, and the median income for a family was $57,114. Males had a median income of $42,357 versus $29,311 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $23,544. About 11.4% of families and 13.5% of the population as a whole were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Paso Robles is located in the 15th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Sam Blakeslee
Sam Blakeslee
Samuel Norman Blakeslee is a Republican California State Senator representing California's 15th State Senate district, a former California State Assemblyman from California's 33rd State Assembly district, and a former State Assembly Republican Leader...
, and in the 33rd Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Republican Katcho Achadjian
Katcho Achadjian
Katcho Achadjian is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. He is a Republican representing the 33rd district, encompassing San Luis Obispo County and a part of Santa Barbara County...
. Federally, Paso Robles is located in California's 22nd congressional district
California's 22nd congressional district
California's 22nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that covers parts of San Luis Obispo, Kern, and Los Angeles counties. The district is anchored in Bakersfield and takes in most of San Luis Obispo County....
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of R +16 and is represented by Republican Kevin McCarthy.
Highways
Paso Robles is at the major ground transportationRoad transport
Road transport or road transportation is transport on roads of passengers or goods. A hybrid of road transport and ship transport is the historic horse-drawn boat.-History:...
crossroads of U.S. Highway 101 and State Highway 46 East, halfway between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
with direct eastbound access to the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
and Interstate 5.
Paso Robles is currently serviced by 1 freeway and 2 highways:
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U.S. Route 101, is the most frequented and largest road-transportation arterial for the city of Paso Robles and serves as its North-South Gateway. US-101 runs in a North-South direction and bisectsBisectionIn geometry, bisection is the division of something into two equal or congruent parts, usually by a line, which is then called a bisector. The most often considered types of bisectors are the segment bisector and the angle bisector In geometry, bisection is the division of something into two equal...
the city (along with the Salinas River), into the western and eastern portions of the city. Traveling northward from the city, US-101 North runs up to San JoseSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, San Francisco, and continues on along the coast up through Northern California, Oregon, and finally ends near Olympia in Washington state. Traveling southward from the city, the "101" South heads down to San Luis Obispo, Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, and on to Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where its south terminus is.
State Route 46California State Route 46State Route 46 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California. It is a major crossing of the Coast Ranges, connecting SR 1 on the Central Coast near Cambria and US 101 in Paso Robles with SR 99 at Famoso in the San Joaquin Valley. East of Paso Robles, where it carried U.S...
, is the main east-west arterial for the city of Paso Robles and serves as its eastern gateway from the San Joaquin ValleySan Joaquin ValleyThe San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
. CA-46 runs in an East-West direction except for a short portion in Paso Robles where it runs North-West, merged with US-101 for 3 miles (4.8 km). Traveling westward, CA-46 West leaves the city and gradually climbs up and over the Santa Lucia Coastal Range, where it then quickly descends and meets the Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, just south of the coastal village of Cambria, CaliforniaCambria, CaliforniaCambria is a seaside village located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the California State Route 1 . The name Cambria was settled upon in 1869 .It is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States...
, at its westernmost terminus when it meets Highway 1, better known as the Pacific Coast HighwayCalifornia State Route 1State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
. Traveling eastward, CA-46 East leaves the city and after traveling through rolling countryside for about 25 miles (40.2 km), it climbs up the Temblor Range and San Andreas FaultSan Andreas FaultThe San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
, then 25 miles (40.2 km) later, crosses Interstate 5Interstate 5Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
and continues on, later meeting and terminating at State Route 99California State Route 99California State Route 99 , commonly known as Highway 99 or, simply, as 99 , is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley...
, about 15 miles (24.1 km) north of Bakersfield and about 90 miles (144.8 km) south of FresnoFresnoFresno is the fifth largest city in California.Fresno may also refer to:-Places:Colombia* Fresno, TolimaSpain* Fresno, a ghost village in Nidáliga, Valle de Sedano, Burgos* Aldea del Fresno, Madrid* Fresno de la Vega, Ribera del Esla, León...
.
State Route 229California State Route 229State Route 229 is a short state highway in the U.S. state of California. The route runs from State Route 58 to State Route 41. It connects the small town of Creston with the rural state routes...
, is mainly a inter-county route that is used for traveling between the small rural towns in the eastern part of the county. SR-229 begins in Paso Robles as "Creston Road", then 3 miles (4.8 km) east, as it leaves the city heading south-eastward, turns into SR-229 as it heads to the small rural town of CrestonCreston, CaliforniaCreston is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It is located about 15 miles southeast of the City of Paso Robles.-History:Creston Creston is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It is located about 15 miles...
about 15 miles (24.1 km) southeast of Paso Robles. It then continues on heading southward for 8 miles (12.9 km), where it ends as it meets State Route 58California State Route 58State Route 58 is an east-west highway across the California Coast Ranges, the southern San Joaquin Valley, the Tehachapi Mountains, which border the southern Sierra Nevada, and the Mojave Desert. It runs between its western terminus near Santa Margarita and its eastern terminus at Barstow...
, about 5 miles (8 km) east of the small town of Santa MargaritaSanta Margarita, CaliforniaSanta Margarita is a census-designated place located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It was founded in 1897 near Cuesta Peak and San Luis Obispo along State Route 58. The town's name comes from the Mexican Alta California land grant. It is home to the Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia...
.
Rail transportation
AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national passenger rail system, serves Paso Robles, operating its Coast Starlight
Coast Starlight
The Coast Starlight is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. It runs from King Street Station in Seattle, Washington, to Union Station in Los Angeles, California. The train's name was formed as a merging of two of Southern Pacific's train names, the Coast...
daily in each direction between Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and Los Angeles
Union Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Pacific Surfliner
Pacific Surfliner
The Pacific Surfliner is a Amtrak regional passenger train route serving communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo....
that operates between San Diego and Paso Robles connects by bus transfer from San Luis Obispo Train Station.
Airport
Paso Robles has one airport serving the city, Paso Robles Municipal AirportPaso Robles Municipal Airport
Paso Robles Municipal Airport is a public airport located four miles northeast of the central business district of Paso Robles, a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States...
. Paso Robles Municipal is a regional general aviation airport located about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of downtown Paso Robles. Paso Robles Municipal does not currently offer scheduled passenger service
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
, as the scheduled passenger market is already served by nearby San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, 25 miles (40.2 km) to the south in San Luis Obispo. Although Paso Robles Airport does not currently offer scheduled passenger service, they do however have a large amount of daily Business Aviation operations, in addition to serving as a large General Aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
base. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has an air attack base at the airport. Here, aircraft are reloaded with fire fighting chemicals, which are dropped on brush and forest fires. Also, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) house a fixed wing aircraft, used for speed enforcement, and a helicopter, used for search and rescue. The area immediately surrounding the Paso Robles Airport, known as Airport Road Industrial Park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
, is also home to many aviation maintenance
Aircraft maintenance
Aircraft maintenance is the overhaul, repair, inspection or modification of an aircraft or aircraft component.Maintenance includes the installation or removal of a component from an aircraft or aircraft subassembly, but does not include:...
providers and facilities, as well as home to many aviation parts manufacturers and other related businesses including the fine dining restaurant Matthew's.
The Paso Robles Airport is also home to the Northern California Regional Aerobatic Contest which is held annually in mid June.
Education
The Paso Robles Public Schools District contains 6 Elementary Schools, 2 Middle Schools, 3 High Schools, and 4 other miscellaneous school sites and programs.Elementary and middle schools
- Bauer-Speck Elementary (K-5)
- Georgia Brown Elementary (K-5)
- Kermit King Elementary (K-5)
- Pat Butler Elementary (K-5)
- Virginia Peterson Elementary (K-5)
- Winifred Pifer Elementary (K-5)
- George Flamson Middle School (6-8)
- Daniel Lewis Middle School (6-8)
- Saint Rose of Lima School (Pres.-8)
- Trinity Lutheran School (Pres.-8
High schools
- Paso Robles High SchoolPaso Robles High SchoolPaso Robles High School is the only comprehensive high school located in the city of Paso Robles, California. The school receives its students from George H. Flamson Middle School and Daniel E...
- Liberty Continuation High SchoolContinuation high schoolA continuation high school is an alternative to a comprehensive high school primarily for students who are considered at-risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same but the scheduling is more flexible to allow students to earn their credits at a quicker...
- PR Independent Study High School
Colleges and adult education
- Cuesta College
- Paso Robles Adult School
- PR Culinary Arts Academy
- University of Phoenix Satellite Office
Sports and recreation
- Cycling
The wide-open roads and picturesque vineyards of Paso Robles are the perfect recipe for a memorable cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
excursion. Avid cyclists will enjoy the 39 miles (62.8 km) Vineyard Drive Loop that winds through rugged westside wine country, while others will appreciate the gentler 21 miles (33.8 km) Star Farms Loop. Wine tasting and picnic facilities are found along most local cycling routes. Cruising around downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
is also a favorite pastime. There’s a reason why the Great Western Bicycle Rally has called Paso Robles home for 34 years. In 2009 and 2011, Paso Robles was the finish line for Stage 5 of the AMGEN Tour of California.
- Golf
Golfing is a popular recreational and sport activity in and around Paso Robles. Paso Robles has 4 golf courses, two of which are leisure golf resorts: Hunter Ranch Golf Course , Paso Robles Golf Club , River Oaks Golf Course , The Links at Vista Del Hombre .
- Tennis and Swimming
The hot summer days and cool mornings and evenings make the perfect weather for swimming and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
in Paso Robles. Since 2009 the Paso Robles Swim & Tennis Club has been offering a variety of fun activities and interests to the community.
- Lake Nacimiento
Lake Nacimiento
Lake Nacimiento
Lake Nacimiento is an long lake on the Nacimiento River in northern San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake contains many arms including Snake Creek and Dip Creek, nearer the dam, and the central Las Tablas and Franklin Creeks. Because of the dragon-like shape created by the positions of...
is an 18 miles (29 km)-long lake located about 13 miles (20.9 km) north-east of the city up in the Santa Lucia Range. Although Lake Nacimiento is not actually located within the city of Paso Robles itself, it is however located in what is considered the Greater Paso Robles Area. In fact, "The Lake", as it is known to locals, actually shares the 93446 zip code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
with Paso Robles, due to its proximity to the city. Lake Nacimiento is a great source of Recreation for the people of Paso Robles and is also a haven for watersport enthusiasts. The lake provides ample room for waterskiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, and other water-related activities, in addition to fishing and swimming.
Parks and recreation areas
- Barney Schwartz Park & Rec Area
Located just off of Highway 46 East at Union Road, surrounded by oak dotted hills, the 42 acres (169,968.1 m²) Barney Schwartz Park is the only park of its kind within 120 miles (193.1 km). Besides being capable of holding large-scale tournaments for baseball/softball and soccer, it has a one million gallon lake, several group picnic areas, 4 large event pavilions, grassy picnic areas, two concession stands and two large playgrounds.
- Centennial Park Complex
Centennial Park is located in the eastern section of Paso Robles surrounded by neighborhoods and adjacent to Daniel Lewis Middle School. Besides being the home of all indoor community sports (basketball, volleyball and gymnastics) and many different classes and activities, the 17 acres (68,796.6 m²) Centennial Park contains a 200,000-gallon swimming pool and wading pool with waterslides, two large group barbecue areas, grassy picnic and pavilion areas, an amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
, walking paths, two outdoor half-court basketball courts, a 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long paved trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
, four lighted tennis courts and two playgrounds. There are also several meeting and banquet
Banquet
A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
rooms available.
- City Park
The land upon which City Park sits was donated by the town’s founders, James and Blackburn, for the specific use of a public park. Located in the heart of downtown, this 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) park is the perfect place to picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
, play, or stroll through before or after seeing a movie, shopping, or eating at one of the many nearby merchants. City Park has always been the favorite location of events and gatherings celebrating everything from such local holidays as Pioneer Day and the Mid-State Fair Pancake Breakfast to national holidays such as the 4th of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. City Park hosts “Concerts in the Park,” Trading Day, bi-weekly farmers markets, the Wine Festival and several car shows.
- Sherwood Forest & Park
Sherwood Park is located on the upper south-east side of town and is used mostly for youth sports. The Little League field was completely redone in April 2002. In addition to the renovated Little League Field, Sherwood Park has one basketball court, horseshoe pits, restrooms, a sand volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
court, family barbecue areas, one regulation size soccer field, two small soccer fields and a softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
field with bleachers, and four tennis courts.
Located adjacent to Sherwood Park, Sherwood Forest is a newly constructed park and playground area that is designed with an environment that embodies a medieval theme in the design, complete with a large mist-breathing dragon, winding cobblestone paths, castle ruins with moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
, and two playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
areas.
Venues
- Paso Robles Event CenterPaso Robles Event CenterThe Paso Robles Event Center is a convention center complex located on in Paso Robles, California.It is the site of the annual California Mid-States Fair. Facilities include a 200-by-300-foot indoor equestrian arena seating 7,587, a community building and two other buildings.In addition to the...
Home of the legendary California Mid-State Fair, the Paso Robles Event Center presents a full calendar of exciting year-round events, exhibitions, shows, conventions and sports. Top draws at the Paso Robles Event Center include the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival, Central Coast Roller Derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
, Mid-State Fall Home Show, Central Coast Boat Show and the Great Western Bike Rally.
The city of Paso Robles comes alive every year when, in late July to early August, the 12-day California Mid-State Fair, held at the Paso Robles Event Center, sets the stage for California’s most exciting family event. The fair features a concert series which showcases blockbuster music with the largest names in entertainment, a television broadcasted rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
series, equestrian and livestock events, various pageants, a carnival
Traveling carnival
A traveling carnival is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, animal acts or sideshow curiosities. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from...
with large rides
Amusement ride
Amusement rides are large mechanical devices that move people to create enjoyment. They are frequently found at amusement parks, traveling carnivals, and funfairs.-Notable types:*Afterburner*Ali Baba*Balloon Race*Booster...
, exhibits, merchandisers, specialty booths, races and competitions, and a large variety of wonderful local food.
Wine and vineyards
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
and vineyards in the area of Paso Robles more than doubling between 1993 and 2002. It is the location of the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
. More than 25 different varieties of grapes are grown in the Paso Robles Wine Country and there are over 250 bonded wineries.
In 1993, Paso Robles grape growers, wineries and wine tasting
Wine tasting
Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards...
rooms united to form the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. This non-profit trade organization is dedicated to the promotion and education of the Paso Robles premium wine country.
Festivals and events
- The Zinfandel Festival
Every year in March, the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance hosts the Zinfandel Festival, during which Central Coast Zinfandel producers as well as enthusiasts from around the globe come together for an evening of wine, food and celebration of California's heritage varietal. More than 110 wineries will host an array of special events throughout Paso Robles Wine Country during the Zinfandel Festival weekend. Winemaker dinners, food pairings, seminars and lectures, open houses and special tastings are just a few of the activities in store.
- Paso Robles Wine Festival
Always held the third weekend in May, the Paso Robles Wine Festival is the official tasting event along California’s Central Coast. The annual Paso Robles Wine Festival weekend is a perfect time to visit Paso Robles Wine Country. More than 110 area wineries host an array of special events including winemaker dinners, food pairings, seminars, winery tours, special tastings and more. These events can be found at many locations throughout Paso Robles, California's third largest and fastest growing wine region. The festival attracts visitors from all over the state, and features wines form nearly all of the local wineries as well as local cuisine.
This free event celebrates the olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
industry, an emerging local product, and features artisan olive producers from throughout the area and immediate region who serve tastes of olives, olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
s, tapenades, dipping sauces, free Olive Oil Ice Cream, and other edible delights. Professional chefs offer cooking demonstrations throughout the day on a culinary stage, and the festival also features an open cooking contest. The Olive Festival also includes music, entertainment, local wineries and breweries offering tastes, and free olive oil tasting. Accompanying the Olive Festival is a juried arts and crafts show, artists booths, plus a variety of food and many other various festival vendors.
- Harvest Wine Weekend
The third weekend in October hosts the Wine Country Alliance's Harvest Wine Weekend. More than 160 individual events are expected to be held at this years festival, with participating wineries numbering over 140. Harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
is the season when wineries bring to the forefront those rarely seen vineyard and crush activities for wine enthusiasts to appreciate. During Harvest Wine Weekend, see and learn vineyard practices in motion, take part in a blending seminar, or jump feet first into a two ton grape stomp. Live music, local cuisine, barrel samples and artist exhibits are a few of the events to be enjoyed over this three-day festival.
Also, this year Cinema e Vino Paradiso will be bringing a series of evening events of wine tasting, dinner and a classic film all under the stars at selected Central Coast Wineries. These wineries include CASS, Villicana, Rio Seco and Maloy O'Neill.
Sustainable building
Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo County are at the leading edge of sustainable building methods. Several companies in the area specialize in straw-bale constructionStraw-bale construction
Straw-bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw as structural elements, building insulation, or both...
, insulating concrete forms, rammed earth
Rammed earth
Rammed earth, also known as taipa , tapial , and pisé , is a technique for building walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk, lime and gravel. It is an ancient building method that has seen a revival in recent years as people seek more sustainable building materials and natural building methods...
, super insulated buildings, and L.E.E.D
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
Certified Construction by J.M. Construction, Inc.. Within a 15 miles (24 km) radius of downtown Paso Robles there are twelve straw bale homes, six insulated concrete homes, and several straw bale wineries/tasting rooms.
Wind farms
Situated in a pass with rather reliable winds from the West, Paso Robles hosts several wind farms which generate electric power with wind generators. See or especially.Notable residents
- Haldon Chase is famous for being one of the Denver boys, pseudonym Chad King, in Jack KerouacJack KerouacJean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
's classic novel On The RoadOn the RoadOn the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957. It is a largely autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. It is often considered a defining work of...
(References in On the RoadReferences in On the RoadOn the Road is a novel written by Jack Kerouac , during his early adulthood in the late 1940s, and published by Viking Press in 1957. The events in the novel are almost entirely drawn from Kerouac's life. His journals and notes were filled with detailed accounts of his travels across North America,...
) - Ignacy Jan PaderewskiIgnacy Jan PaderewskiIgnacy Jan Paderewski GBE was a Polish pianist, composer, diplomat, politician, and the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.-Biography:...
, world famous Polish pianist; was elected Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1919 of Poland; planted extensive orchards and vineyards in Paso Robles - Erich Chase, champion international sailing canoeist
- Elena VerdugoElena VerdugoElena Verdugo is an American actress who began in films at the age of six in Cavalier of the West . Her career in radio, television, and film spanned six decades....
, born April 25, 1925, in Paso Robles, California, has a star on Hollywood's walk of fame. - Hampton John "Hamp" PoolHampton PoolHampton Pool, High Street, Hampton, London is a heated open air pool or lido which unusually is open 365 days of the year .- Description :The pool is 36 x 14 meters. There is a diving board and two slides...
(March 11, 1915 - May 26, 2000) was a football player, coach and scout who was part of two National Football League championship teams during his playing career and served as head coach for three professional teams. - Hal RhyneHal RhyneHarold J. Rhyne was an infielder in Major League Baseball, playing mainly at shortstop from through for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox...
(1899–1971), shortstop for the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(1926–1927), Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1929–1932) and Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(1933), and just one of only two major leaguers to have been born in Paso Robles, California. - Jason BottsJason BottsJason Carl Botts is a Major League Baseball infielder currently in the New York Mets organization...
, born July 26, 1980, in Paso Robles, California, was a Designated HitterDesignated hitterIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
and outfielderOutfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. - Robert Rader, member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, Easy Company, during World War II, better known as the "Band of Brothers". Was a teacher and coach in the Paso Robles School System. The 13th Street bridge was dedicated to him.
- Jake ZemkeJake ZemkeJake Zemke is a professional motorcycle road racer of partial Japanese ancestry. He turned pro in 1992. Zemke's race number was 98 for most of his racing career...
, Professional Motorcycle Racer - Jesse JamesJesse JamesJesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
Stayed in Paso Robles at his uncle Drury James' ranch. He worked at the Paso Robles Hotel occasionally, as a stable boy taking patrons on picnics near Chimney rock. When law enforcement came looking for him he used Paso's extensive tunnel system to get back to his uncles house. - Jesús Solorio, contemporary dancer who competed in the third season of So You Think You Can DanceSo You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
. - Casey BiggsCasey BiggsCasey Patrick Biggs is an American actor, best known throughout the Star Trek community for his recurring role as the Cardassian Damar, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Biography:...
, Professional Actor, best known for his work on Star Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
. Has a home in Paso Robles. Currently does commercials for Paso Robles Wine. - King VidorKing VidorKing Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
(deceased), pioneering film director
See also
- California wineCalifornia wineCalifornia wine has a long and continuing history, and in the late twentieth century became recognized as producing some of the world's finest wine. While wine is made in all fifty U.S. states, up to 90% of American wine is produced in the state...
- Paso Robles AVAPaso Robles AVAPaso Robles Wine Country is an American Viticultural Area located in the San Luis Obispo County, California. It has approximately 26,000 vineyard acres planted with wine grapes, and is well known for its hertiage varietal Zinfandel, Rhône-style wines, and "Crazy Blends," blends and styles that are...
- Paso Robles Event CenterPaso Robles Event CenterThe Paso Robles Event Center is a convention center complex located on in Paso Robles, California.It is the site of the annual California Mid-States Fair. Facilities include a 200-by-300-foot indoor equestrian arena seating 7,587, a community building and two other buildings.In addition to the...
- Paso Robles Airport
- Lake NacimientoLake NacimientoLake Nacimiento is an long lake on the Nacimiento River in northern San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake contains many arms including Snake Creek and Dip Creek, nearer the dam, and the central Las Tablas and Franklin Creeks. Because of the dragon-like shape created by the positions of...
- San Luis Obispo County
External links
- City of Paso Robles Website
- Paso Robles Downtown Main Street Association
- PasoRobles-USA.com Nostalgia Website