San Luis Obispo, The happiest town in America. (San Francisco, Santa Barbara: employment, construction)

[the city]

Originally Posted by JetJockey

The expansion has already been approved, the blueprints are done and most of the grant money has been secured. They're nearly done with the ramp improvements. From the surveys ksbp has done, it seems people would rather fly into slo than into Santa Maria. So we'll see

How are two large airports going to work? And yeah most people prefer SLO for many reasons. That city creeps me out more by the day and makes me wonder why myself am so addicted to go there. That city and this county is so controlled by Cal Poly SLO it's not even funny. That college controls the money, so it controls the flow of the city and the county. It's the only way I can fathom wealthy educated people moving to Templeton and us getting a private tennis club. Ugh, guess I have to deal with it and make the best of it.

[pacific2]

A new book calls San Luis Obispo one of the world's happiest places. It's the only city in america identified in the book.

A smile and cheers to SLO.

[Rhenzanite]

Originally Posted by the city

How are two large airports going to work? And yeah most people prefer SLO for many reasons. That city creeps me out more by the day and makes me wonder why myself am so addicted to go there. That city and this county is so controlled by Cal Poly SLO it's not even funny. That college controls the money, so it controls the flow of the city and the county. It's the only way I can fathom wealthy educated people moving to Templeton and us getting a private tennis club. Ugh, guess I have to deal with it and make the best of it.

Neither airport will ever be considered 'large'... As long as there is revenue coming in, both airports will coexist nicely.

[the city]

Originally Posted by JetJockey

Neither airport will ever be considered 'large'... As long as there is revenue coming in, both airports will coexist nicely.

'large' as in for this area.

Anyways, I found that book interesting leaving out certain parts of SLO and focusing on downtown. Did the book even mention Cal Poly SLO? I have to get that book sometime. Downtown seems to be the emphasis though. I find it interesting Downtown SLO is getting more yuppy with the addition of Whole Foods and more high-end retailers. Like .highnlite said, the happiest places in America seem to be the ones with money.

[Curmudgeon]

Maybe not. Maybe it depends upon who you ask. Surely this is not the stuff of happiness!

"Men who live in San Luis Obispo are the most likely nationwide to have their prostates removed, according to a study looking at regional surgery rates."

Medicare surgery rates vary widely by region, study finds | California Watch

[the city]

I think Downtown SLO, the lack of traffic and many bicycle planned routes, and safety have drawn this man to his conclusion. With only 50,000 population and the majority of the population being college students and having families, retirees, and singles filling the other gaps there is no room for gangs or lower-income neighborhoods to build up. The traffic problem is solved by the bike routes offered and low population, so less people driving. Downtown SLO with it's mission, plaza, creek, and mix of local and national retail chains have created it's own charm. Of course everything will lead back to being driven by the college. Many college educated individuals to support the downtown, biking routes, and educated people living in the city will leave room for no imperfection.

[mountainman51]

Other than the cost of housing whats not to like about SLO? Mountains,ocean,ideal weather.Farmers market and a great downtown.Plus they have JET JOCKEY!

[Rhenzanite]

Originally Posted by mountainman51

Other than the cost of housing whats not to like about SLO? Mountains,ocean,ideal weather.Farmers market and a great downtown.Plus they have JET JOCKEY!

Damn right!!

[guy1]

Is there an active nightlife with fun bars in SLO? I know it's a college town, so there must be something? Preferably something for late 20's/early 30's crowd.

[guy1]

I've lived in plenty of college towns and the grating noise, trash, uncouth and primitive behavior (vomiting in the streets, urinating in the streets, spitting everywhere), and so on, are never going to endear college students to their neighbors. So, don't expect this.

The difference between cal poly and the schools you mention in NC are the prestigious sports programs which provide entertainment, status and at least the perception of a large revenue stream (fans patronizing restaurants, stores, and so on).

In other words, calpoly is 'providing' the negatives without any of the visible positives. The jobs that Cal Poly SLO provides are not necessariy for locals, either, as these schools tend to draw from a statewide and even national pool of applicants.

As far as the economic benefits of a student population, that is surprisingly limited, as student budgets are severely constrained, especially these days, and most all of those 'dollars' (in the singles) circulate solely within the campus community.

If you look more closely, the student dollar has negligible benefits for non university affiliated residents, and the downsides associated with young adults exploiting the limits of tolerable behavior away from home can be very, very aggravating.

Originally Posted by whiteboyslo

The only thing I really didn't care for during my nearly 5 years in SLO was the general sentiment of the locals towards the college folks. I know college students don't always make the best neighbors, but you would think a town that thrives so much off one single entity could roll out the welcome mat a bit. I never seemed to have a problem finding a local who didn't have a problem telling me they'd much prefer we simply weren't there. I forget what the statistics were when I left of how many local folks could attribute their jobs to Cal Poly, but needless to say SLOcals don't just look the gifthorse in the mouth, they punch it in the face.

In contrast, we just moved back to CA from living in the Durham/CH area while my wife did her grad work at UNC and those folks LOVE their colleges out there. Everyone is a die-hard TarHeels or Dukie (hehe) fan, and not just for their sports. Locals would just assume we were college students (which my wife was, of course) and then go on to tell us how much they loved this or that school, just beaming with pride. The funny thing was a lot of them never even went to the school; they had just grown up with it being there and being such a large part of their lives.

Other than that gripe, I really have no bad things to say about SLO and the surrounding area. I'm not a 'nature' guy, but I can certainly appreciate the serene effect the local landscape has. The folks are friendly enough (excluding the previous rant, of course) and the living experience is truely unique. It's just too bad there are so few career opportunities there and that it all has to come with such a giant price tag.

Mike