Santa Maria, California

Santa Maria is the largest city in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the California State Department of Finance, Santa Maria's estimated population of 90,333 surpassed Santa Barbara and is the largest city in Santa Barbara County. The 2000 census indicated Santa Maria's population at 77,423. The estimated population of the area is about 140,000, which includes the Santa Maria Valley, the city of Guadalupe and the unincorporated township of Orcutt. An additional 12,000 people live in Nipomo, near Santa Maria proper. Santa Maria is probably most notable for its ever expanding wine country and the creation of what is now commonly known as tri-tip and Santa Maria Style Barbecue.

Geography and Climate

Santa Maria is located at 34°57′5″N, 120°26′0″W (34.951377, -120.433373).^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.8 square miles (51.2 km²), of which, 19.3 square miles (50.1 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (2.23%) is water.

Santa Maria is generally situated north of the unincorporated township of Orcutt, south of the Santa Maria River (which serves as the line between Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County) and surrounded on the west and east by agricultural fields. The city of Guadalupe is approximately 9 miles (14 km) to the west of Santa Maria.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 77,423 people, 22,146 households, and 16,653 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,005.8 people per square mile (1,546.5/km²). There were 22,847 housing units at an average density of 1,182.1/sq mi (456.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.07% White, 1.87% African American, 1.76% Native American, 4.74% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 28.02% from other races, and 5.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59.67% of the population.

There were 22,146 households out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 3.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,541, and the median income for a family was $39,277. Males had a median income of $28,700 versus $22,364 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,780. About 15.5% of families and 19.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Courts

Santa Maria is home to one of the main two court locations of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court; the other is at Santa Barbara. From 2003 until 2005 the court in Santa Maria handled a felony complaint against Michael Jackson (see Michael Jackson: 2005 trial), including the trial January 2005 until verdict day June 13, 2005. Santa Maria was selected because the nearest normal courthouse was deemed too small to handle the trial.

Politics

Santa Maria is split nearly down the middle of the political spectrum, very different from its county seat city Santa Barbara which is quite liberal. This was made evident in 2006 when a measure to split the county was on the ballot, and proved to be unsuccessful.

In the state legislature Santa Maria is located in the 15th Senate District, represented by Republican Abel Maldonado, and in the 33rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Sam Blakeslee. Federally, Santa Maria is located in California's 23rd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +9^[9] and is represented by Democrat Lois Capps.

Police Department

As the primary law enforcement agency for the City of Santa Maria, the department operates on a 24-hour basis and handles approximately 75,700 calls for service each year. The Department has 106 sworn officers and 38 full-time support personnel. The Police Department is administratively divided into the three divisions, Administration, Operations, and Support. [2]

Transportation

Road

U.S. Route 101 runs through the middle of Santa Maria and is the main expressway connecting all Central Coast cities. It has been improved to freeway status (meaning all at-grade intersections have been eliminated) within the town of Santa Maria itself. There is currently a widening project that will expand the freeway from four to six lanes between Santa Maria Way and the Route 135 overcrossing. The $32 million project is due for completion in mid-2008.

State Route 1 runs around the western edge of the town and connects it to nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc. Oddly, though the section of 101 in the town is a freeway, and a small part of a nearby section of Highway 1 that runs between the town and the base is also a freeway, the two freeway segments do not directly connect to each other.

State Route 135 is considered the major artery through the city. It comes from Los Alamos, a town to the south of Santa Maria, and enters Orcutt and Santa Maria as an expressway. The expressway runs all the way to Santa Maria Way. Highway 135 then turns into Broadway and runs through the heart of the city and all the way up to the Santa Maria River and U.S. 101.

Air

Santa Maria Public Airport offers regular commercial flights to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, Arizona. There are plans of adding a route to Denver which would be operated by Frontier Airlines. This route is still pending because of negotiations between the airline and the airport are still underway. The Radisson Hotel, the same hotel President George W. Bush called home for a few days during his Presidential campaign of 2000, is the main hotel to serve the airport. There are also car rental services at the airport. Alternative airports are found at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Municipal Airport in Goleta

Rail

The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) is a shortline freight railroad to Guadalupe. Main business includes storage of railroad cars when northern California and southern California storage area are full.

The nearest train station with long-distance Amtrak service is in Guadalupe, to which Amtrak provides bus service from Santa Maria. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner provides twice daily service in each direction, running to Paso Robles to the north and to San Diego via Los Angeles to the south.

Bus

SMAT, Santa Maria Area Transit, is a local bus service provided by both city and county-run lines, it has recently expanded its services during the evening that stretch to 10:15 P.M.

San Luis Obispo RTA also runs the line 10 that travels between Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo primarily on weekdays, with three trips in each direction on Saturdays & Sundays. It costs $1.75.

The Breeze Bus provides service to Lompoc, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and Santa Maria.

Long-distance intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines.

Education

Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) educates grades K-8. The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) runs the 3 primary public high schools in the area including Santa Maria High School, Pioneer Valley High School, and Ernest Righetti High School. There are also two notable private high schools in the valley, St. Joseph High School, a private Catholic high school, and Valley Christian Academy. Delta High School is a continuation school also overseen by the high school district,and Peter.B Fitzgerald Community school which is run by the Santa Barbara County Board of Education. Allan Hancock College is a two year community college located in the city. There is also a Freshman Academy for students who do not do well in a big environment or who need extra help. Recently approved was charter school Mark Twain Academies, headed by Rick Jimison, currently an Ernest Righetti High School teacher. The charter school is set to open for the 2010/2011 school year. And Allan Hancock College also has an excellent Computers and You series of classes for Seniors.

Culture

Tri-Tip and Santa Maria Style BBQ

Santa Maria is most notable for its wine and barbecue. The tri-tip steak has its roots in Santa Maria, and is often still known simply as "Santa Maria steak." The tri-tip is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin. It is a small triangular muscle, usually 1.5 to 2.5 lbs. (675 to 1,150g) per side of beef. In the United States, this cut was typically used for ground beef or sliced into steaks until the late 1950s, when it became a local specialty in Santa Maria. "Santa Maria Style" barbecue is usually used in reference to the seasoning of tri-tip or other meats (most notably top sirloin, or "top block") when rubbed with salt, pepper, and spices and cooked whole on a rotisserie or grilled over local red oak wood. The side dishes complimenting a typical Santa Maria Style barbecue generally consist of linguica sausage, garlic bread, pinquito beans, and a salad. Barbecue sauce is rarely, if ever, suggested in Santa Maria-style tri-tip dinners.

Wine

Santa Maria, along with neighboring Lompoc, Los Alamos and Santa Ynez Valleys, combine to create one of the nation's largest wine-producing regions. This northern Santa Barbara County enclave, which has recently been in the spotlight with the production of 2004's Sideways, is often referred to as "Santa Barbara" wine country because it is in Santa Barbara County.

Notable People from Santa Maria

• Entertainment:
  • Tori and Taylor Thompson, singers
  • Jane Russell, actress
  • Aurora Snow, pornographic actress and director
  • Bradford N. Smith, actor
  • Chuck Negron, lead vocalist Three Dog Night
  • Milford Zornes, watercolor artist and teacher
  • Kathy Bates, actress
  • James Marsters, actor
  • Jeffery Combs, actor
  • Boyd Gaines, actor
  • Harry Groener, actor
  • Harry Hamlin, actor
  • Mark Harelik, actor
  • Tim Kring, producer
  • Jeff McCarthy, actor
  • Kelly McGillis, actress
  • Kishan Bhatt, adult film producer,director,star
• Sports:
  • Ken Zampese, NFL football coach
  • Ernie Zampese, NFL football coach
  • Robin Ventura, Major League Baseball player
  • Jimy Williams, MLB manager
  • Mark Brunell, NFL quarterback (Washington Redskins)
  • John Marshall, NFL coach and defensive coordinator (Seattle Seahawks)
  • Marla Runyan, Marathon Runner

• Other:
  • Abel Maldonado, California State Senator
  • Chet Helms, Music promoter, "Father of San Francisco's 1967 Summer of Love"
  • Allen Riedel, Author and photographer
  • Owen W. Siler, 15th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard (1974-1978)

Trivia

• The Legend of Zorro was based on the life of Solomon Pico, a murderous bandit who camped in the Santa Maria hills. To this day, people climb the Solomon Hills looking for treasure that Pico allegedly buried.
• The Minerva Clubhouse in Santa Maria was designed by Julia Morgan, famed architect of Hearst Castle.
• From 1962-1963, John Madden was head coach for Santa Maria’s Allan Hancock College football team. He was also Assistant Coach in 1961. Future NFL coaching legend Ernie Zampese would succeed him at Hancock.
• The 1923 Cecil B. DeMille silent movie, The Ten Commandments, was filmed in the Guadalupe/Nipomo Dunes Preserve. The set was gradually buried beneath the sand due to weather and wind, however, an effort is being made to begin its excavation.
• Named after G. Allan Hancock, Santa Maria’s Hancock College of Aeronautics was the primary training center for fighter pilots during World War II.
• In 1874, Santa Maria was originally named “Grangerville,” after The Grange—the first store in town. Later, the name was changed to “Central City,” due to its location between Sisquoc and Guadalupe.
• The Santa Maria Valley town of Guadalupe is home to the oldest Buddhist temple in California.
• Santa Maria is also home to the headquarters of special effects company, CAFEFX.
• The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District is the oldest high school district in California.

• Films shot in the Santa Maria Valley:
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, (2007)
  • Voodoo Moon, (2007)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, (2006)
  • Sideways, (2004)
  • Hidalgo, (2003)
  • Rockets Red Glare, (2000)
  • Rocky & Bullwinkle, (1999)
  • Cowboy Up, (1998)
  • Odd Couple II, (1997)
  • G.I. Jane, (1996)
  • Amelia Earhart, (1993)
  • LA Story, (1991)
  • The Rocketeer, (1991)
  • The Spirit of St. Louis, (1957)
  • The Ten Commandments, (1923)

External links

1. ^ ^{a b} US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ ^{a b} US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
4. ^ ^{a b} Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
5. ^ ^{a b} NGA GEOnet Names Server. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (2008-01-30). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
6. ^ ^{a b} Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
7. ^ GR Error
8. ^ GR Error
9. ^ Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.

• City web site, also linking to Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT)
• Central Coast Area Transit (CCAT)
• Pacific Surfliner schedules: bus serving Santa Maria and train serving Guadalupe
• SMVRR map
• Santa Maria Style Barbecue
• Allan Hancock College
• Santa Maria Sun Newspaper
• Santa Maria Times Newspaper
• Department of Finance Population Estimates

• Santa Maria, California is at coordinates 34°57′05″N 120°26′00″W / 34.951377, -120.433373 (Santa Maria, California)Coordinates: 34°57′05″N 120°26′00″W / 34.951377, -120.433373 (Santa Maria, California)

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