Paso, Atascadero, or Grover Beach? (Salinas, San Luis Obispo: home, buy, school district)

[mono#9]

Think of it this way--Grover, Pismo, Morro Bay, Cayucos--all towns along the shore. Cool and breezy--often foggy--beach towns full of families and vacationers.

Driving up a few miles on Hwy 101 you come to San Luis Obispo. College town. Educated people interested in the things educated people seem to gravitate toward--the arts, good food, shopping, etc. Temperate climate.

Driving past SLO up the grade (over 1,000 feet higher) you come to Atascadero (more rural, larger lots, middle class housing areas and further to the west, mansions on hilltops) Templeton (vineyards, larger stores, sort of rustic but new houses some in tightly packed areas as well) and Paso Robles (nice town with lots of newer housing on nice sized lots--lots of community spirit and activities) all of which are hotter in the summer (90's a lot, sometimes 100's) and cooler in the winter (into the 20's-30's at night)

Where do people work? Ah--that is the question!

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by mono#9

Where do people work? Ah--that is the question!

Yes, it is. We've been looking at moving to the central coast and, maybe this is just peculiar to us but, the job opportunities and pay definitely seem to be better in Monterey county.

Of couse the housing is more expensive also so I guess it's one of those tradeoffs. We love this whole area also but, in the end, we'll probably go where the jobs are.

[the city]

Okay, well the whole story for South County is this. It won't change much for decades to come. Prefumo Creek Commons and Dalidio Ranch Marketplace are the last shopping centers to be built in San Luis Obispo. The city will probably be at 48,000 population in 2030.

Paso Robles has several housing projects in the works:
-River Oaks 2: 1,400 homes (roughly 2-4 per home)
-Chandler-Beechwood Ranch: 1,350 homes
-Olsen Ranch: 1,300 homes
4000 homes=12,000 population
It will take a decade for the project's to be built out at maximum capacities.

Then you have Paso's general growth of 1,000 population a year from the Salinas Corridor project.

Bill Watkins projects Paso Robles will be the largest city in the county by 2017. (San Luis Obispo being at 46,000 population by then). So Paso must be at 47,000 population to be the largest city.

If you take the 47,000 population in 2017 and add 13,000 population for 13 years from 2017 that brings you at 60,000 population in 2030.

Atascadero has the Eagle Creek Ranch project and other projects and the county estimates it will be at 36,000 population in 2030.

Santa Margarita has the Santa Margarita Ranch Plan that will add 4,000 homes to the town of 2,000 by 2030.

Shandon Specific Plan will add 8,000 more residents with the addition of a sewage plant to the city. Bringing them to 9,000 population in 2030.

San Miguel is the town where folks that can't afford to live in Paso will go. About 13,000 population in 2030.


My point of all this data is when the State of California Financing Department told the county of San Luis Obispo to be at least 350,000 population by 2030, North County took actions. More affordible housing is on the way. And hopefully more shopping centers and a mall are on it's way to North County too.

[caliving0071]

Read the posts and some touched on it slightly,however to the original poster you must be forewarned that north of the grade Paso Robles,Atascadero and Templeton get very,very HOT. Like, Im melting HOT (temps got up to 120 this summer). Great if you like the heat but if you dont, it can be a deal breaker. I like all 3 areas and would live there myself but the heat is a huge factor. If you like it cooler than just south over the grade is SLO,Pismo Beach etc(much cooler). This will probably not be the deciding factor but I thought you should know about the extreme hot weather. It's Texas style, although drier and without as much humidity.
Good luck!!

PS. The Cuesta Grade
A very steep mountain-it has expanded and is not as scary now. I think it is 3 lanes (someone can verify that). It's not that bad if people just drive safely.

[susie4]

It is definitely hot up in the north county. I'm in Atascadero and the hotest it gets is around 110 in the summer. The grade is 3 lanes. Its so nice since they changed it. It was a long time coming. Now they just need to change Hwy 46 to 2 or 3 lanes each way!

[Capt. Dan]

Originally Posted by susie4

It is definitely hot up in the north county. I'm in Atascadero and the hotest it gets is around 110 in the summer. The grade is 3 lanes. Its so nice since they changed it. It was a long time coming. Now they just need to change Hwy 46 to 2 or 3 lanes each way!

Is everyone in such a hurry to get from point A to point b that you are willing to lose some of the natural beauty of the drive from Atascadero to Morro bay by widening highway 41? Slow down and enjoy the central coast before it turns into LA!

[caliving0071]

Hey Lt.Dan,

Read somewhere on one of these posts that you sold in SLO for $393k. Wow, you must have sold really early. Even with the housing slump, you cant find anything in SLO for that much. Glad to hear you are happy where you moved, cant remember where you moved off the top of my head but even so, enjoy it.

[Kung_Pao_Chicken]

Originally Posted by mariecug

Hello, I recently got a job in Atascadero, CA (I'm from Maryland/DC). I would like to buy a condo for 200-250K. Found some possibilities in Paso Robles, Atascadero, and Grover Beach. Not sure which area is the nicest? From what I've read, people like SLO the best but it's out of my price range I'm married, no kids.

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a buying agent?

Thank you in advance for your help...I am very excited! And very nervous!

I was born in SLO, some 50+ years ago, and have lived in the No County since I was very small. I have family in SLO and go over the "hill" at least once a week. If I were you, and could afford it, I'd choose SLO!


The grade is a piece of cake now, especially compared to what it was like 30 years ago! You simply can’t beat the weather in SLO and everything grows so beautifully there. It does get a bit windy in some areas, but otherwise, SLO is just about perfect!

The terrain in Atascadero is very pretty, but the city itself is laid out all wrong, is not an attractive city and is difficult to navigate at times. Plus the ground, the dirt, in Atascadero is terrible! So if you like to garden you’d have your work cut out!


We do have a slight Mexican problem here, that’s getting worse everyday, especially north of Templeton and south of SLO. But SLO is the area least effected by that particular element. Now mind you, some of my best friends are Mexican American, so my opinion is not racially motivated.

Now if you like the ocean, you might want to consider Morro Bay. It’s a very nice city and many ASH employees commute from there. And unless you don’t mind CONSTANT wind and fog, don’t even consider Los Osos!! UCK!! And I won't even discuss Shandon, San Miguel, Oceano or Nipomo!

If you plan to start a family someday, SLO and Templeton are both very good districts. The Atascadero district stinks, on many different levels.

Hope this helps.. good luck!

[sheri257]

Just a few observations from this past weekend:

Paso Robles was BURNING hot. Nice town but the excessive heat kind of defeats the purpose of living near the coast, IMO. Afterall ... you gotta be able to cool down sometime. Otherwise, you might as well move further inland and save the money.

Morro Bay was the opposite extreme ... totally fogged in and gloomy. Not one ray of sunshine. Not sure I could live there either.

SLO has great weather and is a great town but with tons of college kids running around which, apparently, annoys the locals ... or so I was reading in the local paper.

[Kung_Pao_Chicken]

Originally Posted by sheri257

Just a few observations from this past weekend:

Paso Robles was BURNING hot. Nice town but the excessive heat kind of defeats the purpose of living near the coast, IMO. Afterall ... you gotta be able to cool down sometime. Otherwise, you might as well move further inland and save the money.

Morro Bay was the opposite extreme ... totally fogged in and gloomy. Not one ray of sunshine. Not sure I could live there either.

SLO has great weather and is a great town but with tons of college kids running around which, apparently, annoys the locals ... or so I was reading in the local paper.

Morro Bay tends to be foggy in the summer, when the heat from the San Joaquin Valley sucks the fog in. When temps are decent inland, if it's foggy at all in MB, it burns off quickly. Beautiful mild, SUNNY winters!

Yes, it does get HOT in Paso; generally 2 degrees hotter than Atascadero. And yes, it does defeat the purpose of living on the coast, for some. It also puts a real damper on the county fair every year, held in late July/early Aug. As if the practice that started some years back, of bringing BIG entertainment in, that draws HUGE crowds from all over the state, doesn't screw it up enough for the locals! I miss the old county fair that I experienced in my younger days, before some knuckle-head chose profit and numbers over quality! Oh well...