Santa Barbara County, California - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Santa Barbara County is a county

County (United States)

In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...

located in the southern portion

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

of 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...

, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

is Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Santa 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 the largest city is Santa Maria

Santa Maria, California

Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...

History

The Santa Barbara County area, including the Northern Channel Islands

Channel Islands of California

The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...

, was first settled by Native Americans at least 13,000 years ago. Evidence for a Paleoindian presence has been found in the form of a fluted Clovis

Clovis culture

The Clovis culture is a prehistoric Paleo-Indian culture that first appears 11,500 RCYBP , at the end of the last glacial period, characterized by the manufacture of "Clovis points" and distinctive bone and ivory tools...

-like point found in the 1980s along the western Santa Barbara Coast, as well as the remains of Arlington Springs Man found on Santa Rosa Island

Santa Rosa Island, California

Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 53,195 acres . Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block 3009, Block Group 3, Census Tract 29.10 of Santa Barbara County, California, the 2000 census showed an official population of 2 persons. It is part of...

in the 1960s. For thousands of years, the area was home to the Chumash tribe of Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

, complex hunter-gatherers who lived along the coast and in interior valleys leaving rock art

Rock art

Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...

in many locations including Painted Cave

Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park, California

Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park is a unit in the state park system of California, USA, preserving a small sandstone cave adorned with rock art attributed to the Chumash people. Adjoining the small community of Painted Cave, the site is located about north of California State Route 154...

.

Europeans first contacted the Chumash in AD 1542, when three Spanish ships under the command of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America on behalf of Spain. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to navigate the coast of present day California in the United States...

explored the area. The Santa Barbara Channel

Santa Barbara Channel

The Santa Barbara Channel is a portion of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura....

received its name from Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino

Sebastián Vizcaíno

Sebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...

when he sailed over the channel waters in 1602; he entered the channel on December 4, the day of the feast of Santa Barbara. Although Spanish ships associated with the Manila Galleon trade probably contacted the Chumash intermittently during this "protohistoric" period, the Spanish first colonized Santa Barbara County in AD 1769, when the DeAnza expedition explored the area and laid plans to establish a series of missions and presidios (forts). Mission Santa Barbara

Mission Santa Barbara

In 1840, Alta California and Baja California were removed from the Diocese of Sonora to form the Diocese of Both Californias. Bishop Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno, OFM, established his cathedra at Mission Santa Barbara, making the chapel the pro-cathedral of the diocese until 1849...

was founded on December 4, 1786 in what is now Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

. The county derives its name from the mission.

European contacts had devastating effects on the Chumash Indians, including a series of disease epidemics that drastically reduced Chumash population. The Chumash survived, however, and thousands of Chumash descendants still live in the Santa Barbara area or surrounding counties.

Santa Barbara County was one of the 26 original counties of California, formed in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Ventura County

Ventura County, California

Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...

in 1872.

Politics

In terms of aggregate, the county is strongly left-leaning. However, there is a dramatic difference in gradient between the northern and southern parts of the county.

Santa Barbara County has long been divided between competing political interests. North of the Santa Ynez Mountains

Santa Ynez Mountains

The Santa Ynez Mountains are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America, and are one of the northernmost mountain ranges in Southern California.-Geography:...

, agricultural activities and oil development have long been predominant. Enormous oil fields such as the Orcutt

Orcutt Oil Field

The Orcutt Oil Field is a large oil field in the Solomon Hills south of Orcutt, in Santa Barbara County, California. Discovered in 1901 by William Warren Orcutt, it was the first giant field to be found in Santa Barbara County, and its development engendered the boom town of Orcutt, now the major...

, Lompoc

Lompoc Oil Field

The Lompoc Oil Field is a large oil field in the Purisima Hills north of Lompoc, California, in Santa Barbara County. Discovered in 1903, two years after the discovery of the Orcutt Oil Field in the Solomon Hills, it is one of the oldest oil fields in northern Santa Barbara County, and one of the...

, Santa Maria Valley, and Cat Canyon fields provided jobs and a steady supply of oil, gas, and asphalt since the first oil discovery in the Solomon Hills in 1901. In recent years, major oil companies have left the area, turning over their oil leases to small independents, and decommissioning some leases areas that were no longer profitable. The northern portion contains a large military base, Vandenberg Air Force Base

Vandenberg Air Force Base

Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....

, and thus military interests are prominent. These influences together create a Republican-leaning northern half.

Santa Barbara County vote
by party in presidential elections
Year	GOP 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...	DEM Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
2008 United States presidential election, 2008 The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...	60.4% 105,614	2.4% 4,208
2004 United States presidential election, 2004 The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...	53.2% 90,314	1.6% 2,741
2000 United States presidential election, 2000 The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....	47.4% 73,411	6.5% 10,070
1996 United States presidential election, 1996 The United States presidential election of 1996 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of President Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee and the Republican national ticket of former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas for President and former Housing Secretary Jack...	46.9% 70,650	10.7% 16,180
1992 United States presidential election, 1992 The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....	42.5% 69,215	22.2% 36,166
1988 United States presidential election, 1988 The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the...	44.5% 63,586	1.3% 1,830
1984 United States presidential election, 1984 The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...	36.0% 51,243	1.2% 1,763
1980 United States presidential election, 1980 The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...	31.5% 40,650	14.5% 18,716
1976 United States presidential election, 1976 The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic...	45.9% 55,018	3.3% 3,904
1972 United States presidential election, 1972 The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...	41.6% 50,609	3.2% 3,857
1968 United States presidential election, 1968 The United States presidential election of 1968 was the 46th quadrennial United States presidential election. Coming four years after Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson won in a historic landslide, it saw Johnson forced out of the race and Republican Richard Nixon elected...	40.2% 37,565	6.2% 5,787
1964 United States presidential election, 1964 The United States presidential election of 1964 was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had come to office less than a year earlier following the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy. Johnson, who had successfully associated himself with Kennedy's...	55.9% 48,381	0.1% 85
1960 United States presidential election, 1960 The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...	43.0% 29,409	0.3% 188
1956 United States presidential election, 1956 The United States presidential election of 1956 saw a popular Dwight D. Eisenhower successfully run for re-election. The 1956 election was a rematch of 1952, as Eisenhower's opponent in 1956 was Democrat Adlai Stevenson, whom Eisenhower had defeated four years earlier.Incumbent President Eisenhower...	34.9% 16,925	0.6% 265
1952 United States presidential election, 1952 The United States presidential election of 1952 took place in an era when Cold War tension between the United States and the Soviet Union was escalating rapidly. In the United States Senate, Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin had become a national figure after chairing congressional...	32.4% 15,490	0.4% 179
1948 United States presidential election, 1948 The United States presidential election of 1948 is considered by most historians as the greatest election upset in American history. Virtually every prediction indicated that incumbent President Harry S. Truman would be defeated by Republican Thomas E. Dewey. Truman won, overcoming a three-way...	38.0% 13,085	3.8% 1,317
1944 United States presidential election, 1944 The United States presidential election of 1944 took place while the United States was preoccupied with fighting World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had been in office longer than any other president, but remained popular. Unlike 1940, there was little doubt that Roosevelt would run for...	53.4% 15,721	0.3% 89
1940 United States presidential election, 1940 The United States presidential election of 1940 was fought in the shadow of World War II as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression. Incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt , a Democrat, broke with tradition and ran for a third term, which became a major issue...	54.4% 17,237	1.1% 334
1936 United States presidential election, 1936 The United States presidential election of 1936 was the most lopsided presidential election in the history of the United States in terms of electoral votes. In terms of the popular vote, it was the third biggest victory since the election of 1820, which was not seriously contested.The election took...	61.1% 15,923	1.5% 394
1932 United States presidential election, 1932 The United States presidential election of 1932 took place as the effects of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, the Revenue Act of 1932, and the Great Depression were being felt intensely across the country. President Herbert Hoover's popularity was falling as...	57.4% 13,373	4.5% 1,054
1928 United States presidential election, 1928 The United States presidential election of 1928 pitted Republican Herbert Hoover against Democrat Al Smith. The Republicans were identified with the booming economy of the 1920s, whereas Smith, a Roman Catholic, suffered politically from Anti-Catholic prejudice, his anti-prohibitionist stance, and...	29.5% 4,954	1.1% 179
1924 United States presidential election, 1924 The United States presidential election of 1924 was won by incumbent President Calvin Coolidge, the Republican candidate.Coolidge was vice-president under Warren G. Harding and became president in 1923 when Harding died in office. Coolidge was given credit for a booming economy at home and no...	9.3% 1,242	26.0% 3,461
1920 United States presidential election, 1920 The United States presidential election of 1920 was dominated by the aftermath of World War I and a hostile response to certain policies of Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic president. The wartime economic boom had collapsed. Politicians were arguing over peace treaties and the question of America's...	25.0% 2,586	7.5% 773

On the other hand, the southern portion of Santa Barbara county has had an economy based on tourism, with a significant percentage of people with white-collar jobs, formerly in aerospace but more recently in software and other high-tech pursuits. Additionally, the University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...

contributes to a liberal populace. The southern portion of the county has a strong history of left-wing activism, with anti-war protests common in Santa Barbara. It is generally believed that the inspiration for Earth Day

Earth Day

Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...

was the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill

1969 Santa Barbara oil spill

The Santa Barbara oil spill occurred in January and February 1969 in the Santa Barbara Channel, near the city of Santa Barbara in Southern California. It was the largest oil spill in United States waters at the time, and now ranks third after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and 1989 Exxon Valdez spills...

; however, Gaylord Nelson

Gaylord Nelson

Gaylord Anton Nelson was an American politician from Wisconsin who served as a United States Senator and governor. A Democrat, he was the principal founder of Earth Day.-Public service and leadership:...

, the senator who proposed the idea, has never directly cited any direct cause for the establishment of the holiday.

Voting patterns in Santa Barbara county indeed reflect a strong split between a "conservative" north and "liberal" south. Coastal Santa Barbara is part of California's California's 23rd congressional district

California's 23rd congressional district

California's 23rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that runs along the Pacific coasts of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties...

, which is held by Democrat Lois Capps; the inland is part of the 24th district

California's 24th congressional district

California's 24th congressional district covers most of Ventura and inland Santa Barbara counties.The district is currently represented by Republican Elton Gallegly.-Voting:-List of representatives:-Election results:-1952:...

, which is held by Republican Elton Gallegly

Elton Gallegly

Elton William Gallegly is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 23rd and 21st, serving in Congress since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and pre-congressional career:...

. In the State 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...

, Santa Barbara is in the 33rd and 35th districts, which are held 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...

and Democrat Pedro Nava

Pedro Nava

Pedro Nava may refer to:*Pedro Nava , Brazilian writer*Pedro Nava , California State Assemblyman...

, respectively. In the State 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...

, Santa Barbara is part of the 15th and 19th districts, which are held by Republicans 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 Tony Strickland

Tony Strickland

Anthony A. "Tony" Strickland is a California State Senator, representing the 19th District. Strickland is a member of the Republican Party and a former Assemblyman, representing the 37th District from 1998 to 2004.-Early life:...

, respectively.

Overall, Santa Barbara is a Democratic-leaning county in Presidential

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

and congressional

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

elections. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

in 1988

United States presidential election, 1988

The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the...

.

On November 4, 2008 Santa Barbara County voted 53.1 % against Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. It was the only county in Southern California to vote against it.

The County is governed by a five member Board of Supervisors that reflects this ideological split. The Board's three vote majority has shifted over the years between the north and south. The Board majority now includes three members from the southern portion of the County.

The Board of Supervisors appoints a County Executive Officer, who serves at the pleasure of the Board, to operate the County governmental organization. The County government includes 4296 employees and a budget of $757 million. The County provides various services ranging from health services to law enforcement.

Proposed county splits

In 1978, some residents of the northern area initiated an effort to create a "Los Padres County" out of the northern area of the county; that effort did not succeed. In 2006, northern county organizations initiated a similar secession proposal, to create a proposed Mission County

Mission County proposal

Mission County was a proposed new county in the northern part of Santa Barbara County, California, USA initiated in 2002 by disaffected residents who felt their interests were not being heard. An advisory commission was formed to look into the formation of the proposed county. The commission...

. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....

appointed a formation commission to research the viability of the proposed northern county, which reached the conclusion, stated in its final report (March 28, 2005), that "the proposed County, upon formation in 2006, would not be economically viable at current levels of service." In June 2006, voters rejected the formation of the new county.

The proposed new Mission County would have included the cities of Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe, Buellton, and Solvang, as well as the Cuyama Valley and Santa Ynez Valley, including Lake Cachuma

Lake Cachuma

Lake Cachuma is an artificial lake located in the Santa Ynez Valley of central Santa Barbara County, California on the Santa Ynez River adjoining the north side of California State Route 154. The reservoir was created by the construction of Bradbury Dam, a earth-fill structure built by the U.S....

. Most of the south coast of Santa Barbara County, along with the Channel Islands, would have remained with that county, with the exception of the stretch from Hollister Ranch

Hollister Ranch

The region presently known as the Hollister Ranch is defined by of fallow and fertile fields, mountains and valleys along the Pacific Ocean of California between Gaviota State Park and Point Conception. It was the site of some of the oldest known human settlements in the new world, the last...

to Point Conception

Point Conception

Point Conception is a headland along the Pacific coast of U.S. state of California, located in southwestern Santa Barbara County. It is the point where the Santa Barbara Channel meets the Pacific Ocean, and as the corner between the mostly north-south trending portion of coast to the north and the...

. Most of the Los Padres National Forest also would have remained with Santa Barbara County.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 3789.08 square miles (9,813.7 km²), of which 2737.01 square miles (7,088.8 km²) (or 72.23%) is land and 1052.07 square miles (2,724.8 km²) (or 27.77%) is water. Four of the Channel Islands – San Miguel Island

San Miguel Island

San Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands, located across the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific Ocean, within Santa Barbara County, California. San Miguel is the sixth-largest of the eight Channel Islands at , including offshore islands and rocks. Prince Island, off...

, Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz Island was the largest privately owned island off the continental United States, but is currently part-owned by the National Park service . The island, located off the coast of California, is long and from wide...

, Santa Rosa Island

Santa Rosa Island, California

and Santa Barbara Island

Santa Barbara Island

Santa Barbara Island is a small island of the Channel Islands archipelago in California. It is located about off the Southern California coast from the Palos Verdes Peninsula, near Los Angeles in Ventura County, California....

– are in Santa Barbara County. They form the largest part of the Channel Islands National Park

Channel Islands National Park

- External links :* Official site: * *...

(which also includes Anacapa Island

Anacapa Island

Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about off the coast of Port Hueneme, California, in Ventura County. The Island is composed of a series of narrow islets six miles long, running in a mostly east-west orientation, five miles east of Santa Cruz Island...

in Ventura County

Ventura County, California

).

Santa Barbara County has a mountainous interior abutting several coastal plains on the west and south coasts of the county. The largest concentration of population is on the southern coastal plain, referred to as the "south coast" – meaning the part of the county south of the Santa Ynez Mountains

Santa Ynez Mountains

. This region includes the cities of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

, Goleta

Goleta, California

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

, and Carpinteria

Carpinteria, California

Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura. The population was 13,040 at the 2010 census, down from 14,194 at the 2000 census....

, as well as the unincorporated areas of Hope Ranch

Hope Ranch, California

Hope Ranch is an unincorporated suburb of Santa Barbara, California, located in Santa Barbara County. As of the 2000 census, the area had an approximate population of 2,200. The ZIP codes are 93105 and 93110, and the community is in area code 805.-History:...

, Summerland

Summerland, California

Summerland is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 1,448 at the 2010 census, down from 1,545 at the 2000 census.The town includes a school and a Presbyterian Church...

, Mission Canyon

Mission Canyon, California

Mission Canyon is a census-designated place and an unincorporated suburb of Santa Barbara, California, in Santa Barbara County, United States. The population was 2,381 at the 2010 census, down from 2,610 at the 2000 census....

, Montecito

Montecito, California

Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...

and Isla Vista

Isla Vista, California

Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...

. North of the mountains are the towns of Santa Ynez

Santa Ynez, California

Santa Ynez is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley, and features the Santa Ynez Airport for general aviation with a paved 2804 x 75 foot runway. The population was 4,418...

, Solvang

Solvang, California

Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...

, Buellton

Buellton, California

Buellton is a small city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city of Buellton is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley...

, Lompoc

Lompoc, California

Lompoc is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city was incorporated in 1888. The population was 42,434 at the 2010 census, up from 41,103 at the 2000 census....

; the unincorporated towns of Los Olivos

Los Olivos, California

Los Olivos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The ZIP Code is 93441, and the community is inside area code 805...

and Ballard

Ballard, California

Ballard is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The town of Ballard is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The nearest city is Solvang. The population was 467 at the 2010 census.-History:...

; the unincorporated areas of Mission Hills

Mission Hills, California

Mission Hills is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, a short distance north of Lompoc on Highway 1. The population was 3,576 at the 2010 census, up from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

and Vandenberg Village

Vandenberg Village, California

Vandenberg Village is a census-designated place in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 6,497 at the 2010 census, up from 5,802 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

; and Vandenberg Air Force Base

Vandenberg Air Force Base

Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....

, where the Santa Ynez River flows out to the sea. North of the Santa Ynez Valley are the cities of Santa Maria

Santa Maria, California

and Guadalupe

Guadalupe, California

Guadalupe is a small city located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the U.S. Census of 2010, the city has a population of 7,080. It was incorporated as a city on May 19, 1946...

, and the unincorporated towns of Orcutt

Orcutt, California

Orcutt is an unincorporated township located in the Santa Maria Valley of California, and a census-designated place; it is in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Orcutt is named for William W. Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil...

, Los Alamos

Los Alamos, California

Los Alamos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Although located in the Los Alamos Valley, the town of Los Alamos is usually considered to be a part of the Santa Ynez Valley community...

, Casmalia

Casmalia, California

Casmalia is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located just outside the borders of Vandenberg Air Force Base about southwest of Santa Maria. The ZIP Code is 93429, and the community is inside area code 805. The population was 138 at the 2010 census.-History:Casmalia is...

, Garey

Garey, California

Garey is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located east of U.S. Route 101 about southeast of Santa Maria and north of Sisquoc. The ZIP Code is 93454, and the community is inside area code 805...

, and Sisquoc

Sisquoc, California

Sisquoc is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located east of U.S. Route 101 about southeast of Santa Maria and south of Garey. The ZIP Code is 93454, and the community is inside area code 805. Sisquoc has a fire station, a church, a Preschool-8 school and a store. It...

. In the extreme northeastern portion of the county are the small cities of New Cuyama

New Cuyama, California

New Cuyama is a census-designated place in the Cuyama Valley, in Santa Barbara County, California, in the United States. It was named after the Chumash Indian word for "clams", most likely due to the millions of petrified prehistoric clamshell fossils that are found in the surrounding areas...

, Cuyama

Cuyama, California

Cuyama is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County. California. It is located in the Cuyama Valley, near the Carrizo Plain. The Cuyama River runs adjacent to the town, flowing west towards the Pacific Ocean. Cuyama is surrounded by many apricot, peach, and plum orchards. The ZIP Code is...

, and Ventucopa

Ventucopa, California

Ventucopa is an unincorporated town in the upper Cuyama Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. It lies on State Route 33 near the eastern bank of the seasonally-dry Cuyama River, about southeast of Cuyama...

. As of January 1, 2006, Santa Maria has become the largest city in Santa Barbara County.

The principal mountain ranges of the county are the Santa Ynez Mountains

Santa Ynez Mountains

in the south, and the San Rafael Mountains

San Rafael Mountains

The San Rafael Mountains are a mountain range in central Santa Barbara County, California, U.S.. They are part of the Transverse Ranges system of Southern California which in turn are part of the Pacific Coast Ranges system of western North America....

and Sierra Madre Mountains

Sierra Madre Mountains (California)

The Sierra Madre Mountains are a mountain range in northern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. They are a portion of the Inner South Coast Ranges, representing the southernmost part, which are themselves part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America. The Sierra Madre Mountains...

in the interior and northeast. Most of the mountainous area is within the Los Padres National Forest

Los Padres National Forest

Los Padres National Forest is a forest located in southern and central California, which includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland...

, and includes two wilderness areas: the San Rafael Wilderness

San Rafael Wilderness

The San Rafael Wilderness is a wilderness area in the mountains of north central Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It is completely contained within the Los Padres National Forest, and is north of the city of Santa Barbara and east of Santa Maria...

and the Dick Smith Wilderness

Dick Smith Wilderness

The Dick Smith Wilderness is a wilderness area in the mountains of eastern Santa Barbara County, California, USA, with a portion in Ventura County. It is completely contained within the Los Padres National Forest, and is northeast of the city of Santa Barbara and north of the city of Ojai...

. The highest elevation in the county is 6820 feet (2079 m) at Big Pine Mountain in the San Rafaels.

North of the mountains is the arid and sparsely populated Cuyama Valley

Cuyama Valley

The Cuyama Valley is a valley along the Cuyama River in central California, in northern Santa Barbara, southern San Luis Obispo, southwestern Kern, and northwestern Ventura counties. It is a sparsely inhabited area containing two significant towns – Cuyama and New Cuyama – and is largely used for...

, portions of which are in San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties. Oil production, ranching, and agriculture dominate the land use in the privately owned parts of the Cuyama Valley; the Los Padres National Forest is adjacent to the south, and regions to the north and northeast are owned by the Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...

and the Nature Conservancy.

Air quality in the county, unlike much of southern California, is generally good because of the prevailing winds off of the Pacific Ocean. The county is in attainment of federal standards for ozone

Ozone

Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...

and particulate matter, but exceeds state standards for these pollutants. Sometimes in late summer and early autumn there are days with higher ozone levels; usually this occurs when there is a low inversion layer

Inversion (meteorology)

In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e...

under a stagnant air mass, which traps pollutants underneath. In these cases a traveler into the mountains encounters a curious paradox: the temperature rises as altitude increases. On these days the visibility from the higher summits may be more than a hundred miles, while the population on the coastal plain experiences haze and smog

Smog

Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...

Cities and towns

Ballard
Ballard, California
Ballard is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The town of Ballard is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The nearest city is Solvang. The population was 467 at the 2010 census.-History:...
Buellton
Buellton, California
Buellton is a small city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city of Buellton is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley...
Carpinteria
Carpinteria, California
Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura. The population was 13,040 at the 2010 census, down from 14,194 at the 2000 census....
Casmalia
Casmalia, California
Casmalia is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located just outside the borders of Vandenberg Air Force Base about southwest of Santa Maria. The ZIP Code is 93429, and the community is inside area code 805. The population was 138 at the 2010 census.-History:Casmalia is...
Cuyama
Cuyama, California
Cuyama is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County. California. It is located in the Cuyama Valley, near the Carrizo Plain. The Cuyama River runs adjacent to the town, flowing west towards the Pacific Ocean. Cuyama is surrounded by many apricot, peach, and plum orchards. The ZIP Code is...
Garey
Garey, California
Garey is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located east of U.S. Route 101 about southeast of Santa Maria and north of Sisquoc. The ZIP Code is 93454, and the community is inside area code 805...
Gaviota
Gaviota, California
Gaviota is an unincorporated town in Santa Barbara County, California located about west of Santa Barbara and south of Buellton. Approximately 35 people live in and near Gaviota. The ZIP Code is 93117, and the community is inside area code 805....
Goleta
Goleta, California
Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated, populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the Census-designated place had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant...
Guadalupe
Guadalupe, California
Guadalupe is a small city located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the U.S. Census of 2010, the city has a population of 7,080. It was incorporated as a city on May 19, 1946...
Hollister Ranch
Hollister Ranch
The region presently known as the Hollister Ranch is defined by of fallow and fertile fields, mountains and valleys along the Pacific Ocean of California between Gaviota State Park and Point Conception. It was the site of some of the oldest known human settlements in the new world, the last...
Hope Ranch
Hope Ranch, California
Hope Ranch is an unincorporated suburb of Santa Barbara, California, located in Santa Barbara County. As of the 2000 census, the area had an approximate population of 2,200. The ZIP codes are 93105 and 93110, and the community is in area code 805.-History:...
Isla Vista
Isla Vista, California
Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...
Lompoc
Lompoc, California
Lompoc is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city was incorporated in 1888. The population was 42,434 at the 2010 census, up from 41,103 at the 2000 census....
Los Alamos
Los Alamos, California
Los Alamos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Although located in the Los Alamos Valley, the town of Los Alamos is usually considered to be a part of the Santa Ynez Valley community...
Los Olivos
Los Olivos, California
Los Olivos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The ZIP Code is 93441, and the community is inside area code 805...
Mission Canyon
Mission Canyon, California
Mission Canyon is a census-designated place and an unincorporated suburb of Santa Barbara, California, in Santa Barbara County, United States. The population was 2,381 at the 2010 census, down from 2,610 at the 2000 census....

Mission Hills
Mission Hills, California
Mission Hills is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, a short distance north of Lompoc on Highway 1. The population was 3,576 at the 2010 census, up from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
Montecito
Montecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
New Cuyama
New Cuyama, California
New Cuyama is a census-designated place in the Cuyama Valley, in Santa Barbara County, California, in the United States. It was named after the Chumash Indian word for "clams", most likely due to the millions of petrified prehistoric clamshell fossils that are found in the surrounding areas...
Orcutt
Orcutt, California
Orcutt is an unincorporated township located in the Santa Maria Valley of California, and a census-designated place; it is in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Orcutt is named for William W. Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil...
Painted Cave
Painted Cave, California
Painted Cave is an unincorporated community located in the Santa Ynez Mountains and is so named due to its proximity to Painted Cave State Historic Park. It is primarily served by Camino Cielo Road and California State Route 154, which link the community both to the nearby Santa Ynez Valley and...
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa 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...
Santa Maria
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...
Santa Ynez
Santa Ynez, California
Santa Ynez is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley, and features the Santa Ynez Airport for general aviation with a paved 2804 x 75 foot runway. The population was 4,418...
Sisquoc
Sisquoc, California
Sisquoc is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located east of U.S. Route 101 about southeast of Santa Maria and south of Garey. The ZIP Code is 93454, and the community is inside area code 805. Sisquoc has a fire station, a church, a Preschool-8 school and a store. It...
Solvang
Solvang, California
Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...
Summerland
Summerland, California
Summerland is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 1,448 at the 2010 census, down from 1,545 at the 2000 census.The town includes a school and a Presbyterian Church...
Toro Canyon
Toro Canyon, California
Toro Canyon is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2010 census, down from 1,697 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Toro Canyon is located at...
Vandenberg Air Force Base with spaceport
Spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with seaport for ships or airport for aircraft. The word spaceport, and even more so cosmodrome, has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories...
Vandenberg Village
Vandenberg Village, California
Vandenberg Village is a census-designated place in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 6,497 at the 2010 census, up from 5,802 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
Ventucopa
Ventucopa, California
Ventucopa is an unincorporated town in the upper Cuyama Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. It lies on State Route 33 near the eastern bank of the seasonally-dry Cuyama River, about southeast of Cuyama...

Adjacent counties

San Luis Obispo County, California
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...

- north
Kern County, California
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...

- northeast
Ventura County, California
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...

- east

National protected areas

Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park
- External links :* Official site: * *...

(part)
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Refuge is located along the southern coast of California, in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. Bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and farmland to the east, the refuge encompasses one of the largest coastal dune systems remaining in California.The refuge...

(part)
Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest is a forest located in southern and central California, which includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland...

(part)
Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve

Major highways

U.S. Route 101
State Route 1
California State Route 1
State 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...
State Route 33
California State Route 33
State Route 33 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California. SR 33 replaced part of U.S. Route 399 in 1964 during the "great renumbering" of routes. In the unincorporated sections of Kern County it is known as the West Side Highway...
State Route 135
California State Route 135
State Route 135 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, entirely within Santa Barbara County, and is basically a bypass of U.S. Route 101 in northern Santa Barbara County between the town of Los Alamos and the city of Santa Maria....
State Route 144
California State Route 144
State Route 144 runs from Route 101 at Milpas Street in Santa Barbara, California to State Route 192 through the Sycamore Canyon.-Route description:...

State Route 154
State Route 166
California State Route 166
State Route 166 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It connects the Central Coast to the southern San Joaquin Valley....
State Route 192
State Route 217
California State Route 217
State Route 217 is a short two-and-a-half mile long spur route in the U.S. state of California.-Route description:It connects the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport with U.S. Route 101, which is the major highway that connects Santa Barbara with other...
State Route 246
California State Route 246
State Route 246 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It runs from Lompoc to Santa Ynez and cuts through the Santa Barbara Wine Country.-Route description:...

Public transportation

Santa Barbara County is served by 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...

trains and Greyhound Lines

Greyhound

The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...

buses.
The southern portion of the county is served by the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District

Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District

The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District is a public transit agency providing bus service in the southern portion of Santa Barbara County, California...

.
In the North County, the cities of Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Buellton/Solvang have their own bus services.

Airports

Santa Barbara Airport
Santa Barbara Airport
Santa Barbara Airport , also known as Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, is a public airport located west of downtown Santa Barbara, California, United States....

, is located near Goleta, west of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa 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...

.
Santa Maria Public Airport
Santa Maria Public Airport
-References:-External links:*...

is located just southwest of Downtown Santa Maria
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...

.
Lompoc Airport
Lompoc Airport
Lompoc Airport is a public airport located just north of the city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, California, USA.- Facilities and Aircraft :...

is located on the north side of Lompoc.
Santa Ynez Airport
Santa Ynez Airport
Santa Ynez Airport is a public airport located one mile southeast of the central business district of Santa Ynez, in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The airport covers and has one runway.Although most U.S...

is just southeast of Santa Ynez.

Commercial flights are available at Santa Barbara Airport

Santa Barbara Airport

Santa Barbara Airport , also known as Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, is a public airport located west of downtown Santa Barbara, California, United States....

and Santa Maria Public Airport

Santa Maria Public Airport

-References:-External links:*...

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Santa Barbara County had a population of 423,895. The racial makeup of Santa Barbara County was 295,124 (69.6%) White, 8,513 (2.0%) African American, 5,485 (1.3%) Native American, 20,665 (4.9%) Asian (1.6% Filipino, 1.0% Chinese, 0.5% Japanese, 0.5% Korean, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.4% Indian), 806 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 73,860 (17.4%) 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 19,442 (4.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 181,687 persons (42.9%); 38.5% of Santa Barbara County is Mexican, 0.4% Salvadoran, 0.4% Guatemalan, and 0.3% Puerto Rican.

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County Santa Barbara County, California Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	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...	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County, California Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...	423,895	295,124	8,513	5,485	20,665	806	73,860	19,442	181,687
Incorporated cities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	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...	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Buellton Buellton, California Buellton is a small city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city of Buellton is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley...	4,828	3,912	37	76	137	5	424	237	1,451
Carpinteria Carpinteria, California Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura. The population was 13,040 at the 2010 census, down from 14,194 at the 2000 census....	13,040	9,348	109	144	296	15	2,599	529	6,351
Goleta Goleta, California Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated, populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the Census-designated place had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant...	29,888	20,833	469	283	2,728	26	4,182	1,367	9,824
Guadalupe Guadalupe, California Guadalupe is a small city located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the U.S. Census of 2010, the city has a population of 7,080. It was incorporated as a city on May 19, 1946...	7,080	3,395	74	103	279	5	2,783	441	6,103
Lompoc Lompoc, California Lompoc is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city was incorporated in 1888. The population was 42,434 at the 2010 census, up from 41,103 at the 2000 census....	42,434	25,950	2,432	750	1,615	186	9,020	2,481	21,557
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California Santa 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...	88,410	66,411	1,420	892	3,062	116	13,032	3,477	33,591
Santa Maria Santa Maria, California Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...	99,553	55,983	1,656	1,818	5,054	161	29,841	5,040	70,114
Solvang Solvang, California Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...	5,245	4,326	38	59	72	1	611	138	1,530
Census-designated places Census-designated place A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	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...	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Ballard Ballard, California Ballard is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The town of Ballard is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The nearest city is Solvang. The population was 467 at the 2010 census.-History:...	467	432	3	1	2	0	12	17	46
Casmalia Casmalia, California Casmalia is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located just outside the borders of Vandenberg Air Force Base about southwest of Santa Maria. The ZIP Code is 93429, and the community is inside area code 805. The population was 138 at the 2010 census.-History:Casmalia is...	138	91	3	0	1	0	30	13	58
Cuyama Cuyama, California Cuyama is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County. California. It is located in the Cuyama Valley, near the Carrizo Plain. The Cuyama River runs adjacent to the town, flowing west towards the Pacific Ocean. Cuyama is surrounded by many apricot, peach, and plum orchards. The ZIP Code is...	57	40	0	2	0	0	14	1	40
Garey Garey, California Garey is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located east of U.S. Route 101 about southeast of Santa Maria and north of Sisquoc. The ZIP Code is 93454, and the community is inside area code 805...	68	53	0	1	0	0	5	9	21
Isla Vista Isla Vista, California Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...	23,096	14,875	594	104	3,387	45	2,686	1,405	5,265
Los Alamos Los Alamos, California Los Alamos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Although located in the Los Alamos Valley, the town of Los Alamos is usually considered to be a part of the Santa Ynez Valley community...	1,890	1,667	5	10	32	0	134	42	773
Los Olivos Los Olivos, California Los Olivos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The ZIP Code is 93441, and the community is inside area code 805...	1,132	1,049	1	4	12	5	40	21	125
Mission Canyon Mission Canyon, California Mission Canyon is a census-designated place and an unincorporated suburb of Santa Barbara, California, in Santa Barbara County, United States. The population was 2,381 at the 2010 census, down from 2,610 at the 2000 census....	2,381	2,193	14	17	40	11	35	71	198
Mission Hills Mission Hills, California Mission Hills is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, a short distance north of Lompoc on Highway 1. The population was 3,576 at the 2010 census, up from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...	3,576	2,689	91	74	125	9	386	202	1,137
Montecito Montecito, California Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...	8,965	8,267	55	38	218	6	156	225	605
New Cuyama New Cuyama, California New Cuyama is a census-designated place in the Cuyama Valley, in Santa Barbara County, California, in the United States. It was named after the Chumash Indian word for "clams", most likely due to the millions of petrified prehistoric clamshell fossils that are found in the surrounding areas...	517	418	3	14	3	0	53	26	234
Orcutt Orcutt, California Orcutt is an unincorporated township located in the Santa Maria Valley of California, and a census-designated place; it is in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Orcutt is named for William W. Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil...	28,905	23,677	394	347	1,129	59	2,006	1,293	6,870
Santa Ynez Santa Ynez, California Santa Ynez is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley, and features the Santa Ynez Airport for general aviation with a paved 2804 x 75 foot runway. The population was 4,418...	4,418	3,797	12	234	51	4	147	173	639
Sisquoc Sisquoc, California Sisquoc is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located east of U.S. Route 101 about southeast of Santa Maria and south of Garey. The ZIP Code is 93454, and the community is inside area code 805. Sisquoc has a fire station, a church, a Preschool-8 school and a store. It...	183	146	0	5	3	0	9	20	58
Summerland Summerland, California Summerland is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 1,448 at the 2010 census, down from 1,545 at the 2000 census.The town includes a school and a Presbyterian Church...	1,448	1,295	3	7	41	6	51	45	192
Toro Canyon Toro Canyon, California Toro Canyon is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2010 census, down from 1,697 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Toro Canyon is located at...	1,508	1,388	7	7	14	1	73	18	293
Vandenberg AFB Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....	3,338	2,317	307	26	207	24	140	317	616
Vandenberg Village Vandenberg Village, California Vandenberg Village is a census-designated place in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 6,497 at the 2010 census, up from 5,802 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...	6,497	5,029	271	60	323	58	432	324	1,216
Unincorporated communities Unincorporated area In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	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...	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	44,833	35,543	515	409	1,834	63	4,959	1,510	12,780

2005

Santa Barbara County grew by only 0.2% from 2000–2005, while California on the whole grew over 7%. 54.1% of the population is Non-Hispanic White. The African American percentage remained steady and the percentage of Native Americans rose to 1.6%. 4.6% of the population was Asian. About 2.2% of the population reported belonging to two or more racial groups. In addition, the percentage of residents claiming Hispanic or Latino background, reached 37.3%.

2000

As of the census

Census

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 399,347 people, 136,622 households, and 89,487 families residing in the county. 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 146 people per square mile (56/km²). There were 142,901 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.72% White

Race (United States Census)

, 2.30% Black

Race (United States Census)

or African American

Race (United States Census)

, 1.20% Native American

Race (United States Census)

, 4.09% Asian

Race (United States Census)

, 0.18% Pacific Islander

Race (United States Census)

, 15.20% from other races

Race (United States Census)

, and 4.31% from two or more races. 34.22% of the population were Hispanic

Race (United States Census)

or Latino

Race (United States Census)

of any race. 9.1% were of German, 8.5% English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

and 6.5% Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

ancestry according to Census 2000. 26.58% of the population reported speaking Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

at home.

There were 136,622 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.8 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,677, and the median income for a family was $54,042. Males had a median income of $37,997 versus $29,593 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 county was $23,059. About 8.5% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

The population of the area south of the Santa Ynez Mountain crest—the portion known as "South County"—was 201,161 according to the 2000 census; thus the population is almost exactly split between north and south. Recent years have shown slow or even negative growth for regions in the south county, while areas in the north county have continued to grow at a faster rate.

Education

There are 22 independent school districts in Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Barbara County Education Office serves as an intermediate agency between those districts and the California Department of Education. During the 2006-2007 school year, 67,523 students were enrolled in Santa Barbara County schools, kindergarten through grade 12.

There are also a number of private schools in the county. The Los Angeles Archdiocese operates two Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

high schools and several elementary schools.

Santa Barbara County Wine Country

The first wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

grapes in Santa Barbara County were planted by the missionaries associated with Mission Santa Barbara

Mission Santa Barbara

late in the 18th century. Since commercial viticulture rebounded in the 1960s, Santa Barbara County has become a prominent viticultural region. The 2004 Alexander Payne film, Sideways
Sideways
Sideways is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne and directed by Payne. Adapted from Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, Sideways follows two forty-something year old men, portrayed by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, who take a week-long road trip to...

, set in the area, brought additional attention to the county as a wine region.

Famous for ripe, yet elegant, Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...

and Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...

, the County is also gaining a reputation for Rhone varietals including Syrah and Viognier

Viognier

Viognier is a white wine grape. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone valley.-History:The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Viognier is presumed to be an ancient grape, possibly originating in Dalmatia and then brought to Rhône by the Romans. One legend...

. Santa Barbara wine grapes now command among the highest prices anywhere in the state.

Many of the areas planted with wine grapes are mixed in with the rolling hills, ancient oak trees, oil fields, cattle ranches, and natural areas in the central part of the county. The county now claims more than 115 wineries and 21000 acres (85 km²) of vine, with the vast majority of the vineyards in the county's Central Coast American Viticultural Area

Central Coast AVA

The Central Coast AVA is a large American Viticultural Area that spans from Santa Barbara County in the south to the San Francisco Bay Area in the north. The boundaries of the Central Coast include portions of six counties. With around planted to wine grapes, Chardonnay accounts for more than...

s: Santa Maria Valley AVA

Santa Maria Valley AVA

Santa Maria Valley is an American Viticultural Area located in Northern Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, California USA.- History :...

, Santa Ynez Valley AVA

Santa Ynez Valley AVA

The Santa Ynez Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA, and contains the greatest concentration of wineries in Santa Barbara County. The valley is formed by the Purisima Hills and San Rafael Mountains to...

, Sta. Rita Hills AVA

Sta. Rita Hills AVA

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California. From its creation in 2001 through 2006, the wine appellation was officially named Santa Rita Hills AVA...

, and Happy Canyon AVA each with its own distinct terroir. The county continues to split into AVAs, with Los Olivos AVA and Ballard Canyon AVA currently going through necessary procedures to become their own official AVAs.

Foxen Canyon Wine Trail

The Foxen Canyon Wine Trail is situated about an hour above Santa Barbara, and several miles above Los Olivos

Los Olivos, California

Los Olivos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The ZIP Code is 93441, and the community is inside area code 805...

. The South of the trail has mostly Rhone style wines due to the warmer climate. In the North, there are Burgundy styles due to the cooler maritime weather, which is also great for Chardonnay and Pinot noir.

Throughout the year numerous events are held in this area by the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail Association. The trail is home to many wineries including Andrew Murray Vineyards

Andrew Murray Vineyards

*Andrew Murray Vineyards is a family-owned winery located in Los Olivos, California. Nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley AVA of Santa Barbara County , it specializes in Rhône varieties Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc....

, Fess Parker Winery

Fess Parker

Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...

and Firestone Vineyard

Firestone Vineyard

A family-owned estate winery specializing in fine wines from California’s Central Coast. Firestone Vineyard was founded in 1972 as Santa Barbara County’s first estate winery.Firestone Vineyard is one of the wineries along the famous Foxen Canyon Wine Trail....

.

One of the wineries along the trail, Cambria Estate Winery, was featured in the 3rd episode of The Bachelor, an American reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

series, Season 15, on January 17, 2011.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Politics

Proposed county splits

Geography

Cities and towns

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Major highways

Public transportation

Airports

Demographics

2010

2005

2000

Education

Santa Barbara County Wine Country

Foxen Canyon Wine Trail

See also

External links