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Hey and thanks for your replies. Well my partner and I have been looking around for a liberal town to move to outside of Florida. He is a hairstylist and I am teacher for the county. We have actually been planning on opening up some sort of business together. any more thoughts or replies would be welcomed.
Liberal. Hmmmmm....SLO County is less or more liberal depending upon WHERE in the county you choose to live and HOW you choose to live amongst your neighbors. Atascadero is most likely the least liberal town in the county. Very closed and small minded there. South of the grade (the Cuesta Grade on Hwy101) is generally more liberal although Nipomo's gov't has made some interesting decisiions and assumptions in recent years. Atascadero (North County) was settled for whites only and remains true to that mindset today. Large number or churches and fundamentalists and very conservative and closed minded..
The Village of Cambria is very artsy and liberal...the tiny community of Halcyon in South County is very liberal and new age. South County is diverse ethnicly and seems more open. SLO, with a high student pop. is pretty open. Paso Robles despite its ranching heritage has been one of the most progressive towns since the military pulled out 20 years ago. They have industry, lots of continuing growth and are tops in the wine regions of the world. Paso is often reported as conservative, but they have a real "live and let live" attitude. Morro Bay can be a bit stodgy and stuffy, though it is ecclectic, while Los Osos is certainly more artsy new age, and open.
The county is very entreupanorial (sp?) and small business friendly.
It can get windy but more toward the south side of town. Being from Florida, you'll find the weather chilly and the weather at the beaches chilly in all but summer (and then sometimes chilly and foggy) but usually sunny in the afternoons July-September. SLO being inland has sunnier weather and it's less windy. I spent a lot of time shivering in SLO but then again I'm used to HI and Los Angeles area. The BRR factor is all relative, people moving from colder climes think I'm nuts.
I pretty much agree with this assessment of SLO City. The topography of the south end of town is such that hills rise up on both sides of LOVR (Los Osos Valley Road) which originates in Los Osos at the ocean and runs all the way into SLO. The hills running parallel on both sides of LOVR create a "wind tunnel" effect which brings the wind, coastal coolness and coastal fog zipping right along into SLO. Oftentimes the same effect will be felt at the north west end of SLO as well, in the Hwy1 to Morro Bay corrdior, which also has hills on both sides of the road. The cool, moist, ocean air will run along here from Morro Bay into SLO. Yet, when you go downtown, the effects will be minimal with obvious warmer temperature and minimal wind.
SLO County has countless microclimates; not only throughout the county, but also within the towns themselves. This is due to the terrain and elevation changes.
what's is like to live in this town? It seems like paradise. I live in Florida. Thinking about making a change.
Any thoughts.
I have lived in this county for 25 years. Many cities have more population than we have in our entire county! I think we are up to about 250k now. It is, in many ways, paradise. Low crime, low pollution, low traffic, open, rural land, great moderate climate with more microclimates than I can count. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! From the beaches and the cliffs to the mountains and hills with oak forests and grassland savannahs. Lots of open land and vistas to entertain your eyes and senses. Plenty of wildlife to observe and respect. Beautiful! But....true to our name, we are SLO! A little lacking in some areas. Medicine is not progressive or even in some ways modern (a bit backwards thinking). Gov't and the populace have for years not wanted to look outside their county for how other places have approached things. They would much rather re-invent the wheel here than learn from others' experiences and build upon it for our benefit.Still not as much culture as there might be. Many box stores now, but thankfully still a large and thriving small business local sector. Oh yes...musn't forget...our towns are wonderful to walk through. The Village of Arroyo Grande (original); downtown SLO built along the creek; Margarita and Templeton with their feeling of an old western town; Baywood park on the back bay; Morro Bay, an old fishing village; Paso Robles built around a park central to the town square; Cambria, rambling through the pines and ocean cliffs; Pozo, old Nipomo... And then there are the backroads and old barns... mmmmm.... Paradise.
Last edited by mmouwse; 04-12-2007 at 04:35 PM..
Reason: I forgot....
ummmm...the current property tax rate is 1%. Any local bonds and/or assessments may also be collected by the county tax collector on your local tax bill. These include "State Water Project", Lopez Lake dam improvements in Arroyo Grande, various school bonds, etc.
HOI"S....can you clarify?
Liberal. Hmmmmm....SLO County is less or more liberal depending upon WHERE in the county you choose to live and HOW you choose to live amongst your neighbors. Atascadero is most likely the least liberal town in the county. Very closed and small minded there. South of the grade (the Cuesta Grade on Hwy101) is generally more liberal although Nipomo's gov't has made some interesting decisiions and assumptions in recent years. Atascadero (North County) was settled for whites only and remains true to that mindset today. Large number or churches and fundamentalists and very conservative and closed minded..
The Village of Cambria is very artsy and liberal...the tiny community of Halcyon in South County is very liberal and new age. South County is diverse ethnicly and seems more open. SLO, with a high student pop. is pretty open. Paso Robles despite its ranching heritage has been one of the most progressive towns since the military pulled out 20 years ago. They have industry, lots of continuing growth and are tops in the wine regions of the world. Paso is often reported as conservative, but they have a real "live and let live" attitude. Morro Bay can be a bit stodgy and stuffy, though it is ecclectic, while Los Osos is certainly more artsy new age, and open.
The county is very entreupanorial (sp?) and small business friendly.
mmouwse, thanks for your comments. This is a great socio-political "postcard" of the various cities in SLO county. Do you know about Santa Margarita?
Santa Cruz is probably a little more liberal and is closer to bigger places (South Bay, in particular). SLO is charming, and the weather is unusually mild, but it's pretty separate from anywhere else.
Good Evening, Peony. First, I must make a clarifiacatioin. Property tax is 1% of assessed value, assessed by the county tax assessor's office. Now, to answer your question, I know about Santa Margarita. I live there. Whatcha wanna know? The population in the town is 1200 people although I don't know what the numbers are for folks living outside town on ranches and acreage. ummm....Santa Margarita is the last fully intact Spanish land grant from the old days of history. hmmmmm...We are 10 miles north of SLO, up the Cuesta Grade, at an elevation of 1200 feet. Our weather is very different from SLO. It is hotter here in the summer and colder in the winter; SLO is far more temperate due to the lower elevation and proximity to the ocean and the ocean's effect on climate. The temperature difference averages 10-15 degrees. Summer heat tends to top out in September with short periods of temps in the 100's. On average I would say summer temps are 80-90. Nights usually cool off pleasantly to 60-70, which feels immensely cooler. Winters can be brisk and sometimes downright COLD! this winter was a cold one! We frequently hit 20's at night, even dropped to single digits. days often not above 50. Some winters are more mild. Occassionally we get snow, usually just a dusting, cycles of about 6-10 years. Every once in a great while we get significant snow which piles up. I have even seen it snow in Morro Bay at the ocean!
We also cycle through drought years and very wet years. Parts of SAnta Margarita (the town) are actually lower than the surrounding ranchland and so do flood in very wet years. It is wise to know when you rent or purchase if the home is in a flood zone. Purchasers know because you will be required to purchase flood insurance. Renters....beware!
Town is very picturesque looking a lot like an old western town...which it is! Many local towns still have origianl buidings from when first built. Town is small, though. Just one main street of businesses. We have a vet, a feed store, a diesel mechanic, a tow yard and storage yard, a couple of restaurants, a post office, a mercantile(food market and sandwich shop), a liquor store, a couple of realtors, a coffee shop, an auction barn and a couple of "antique shops. Oh! And, a winetasting place for a local winery and a garden nursery.
Stars are STUNNING every night. You are never far from the train tracks at night and can here them come through. The lake is 12 miles out south east and is beautiful, but you cannot swim in it as it supplies drinking water to SLO.
The community has weekly potlucks and movie nights at the local park and the fairly new coffeee shop is fast becoming a central point for entertainment and hanging out.
One elementary school in town. Everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other and the kids. Very safe here. We have a small library in the original jail building, a community halll and a Sr. center.
Typical neighbor squabbles and small town youth hi-jinks, not really any crime or trouble. People here are very open and friendly and mostly helpful.
We are ten minutes from SLO City to the south down the Grade and 10 minutes from Atascadero to the north. Templeton is next travelling north and is much like Santa Margarita in character and flavor. Continuing north, Paso Robles is next, at about 30 minutes. This town has really done well for itself, now known throughout the world for first class wineries and wines, although the whole county has first class wineries. Paso has its original downtown, and has crafted a beautiful park with shops and restaurants, movietheater and some city services around it; Very picturesque and popular. It is much larger than Margarita and Templeton and is growing rapidly on the east side of the river, regretably box stores and track homes are making that side of town resemble every other cookie cutter town in anywhere, usa. Its historic original Victorian and craftsman homes are mostly on the west side of the Salinas river (which runs South to North naturally with no help from man). Vine Street is closed down for a few evenings during the Christmass season and an "old fashioned Christmass" is presented for everyone's enjoyment with poeple decorating themselves and their homes in period costumes with Caroling, freee cookies, coffee, hot cholate, and hot cider.
It is 15 to 30 minutes to all local beaches and most coastal towns although Cambria and Hearst Castle are closer to an hour. Big Sur is a short drive up the coast; Carmel and Monterey are 2 hours north. Santa Barbara is 2 hours south.
Home costs in north county start around 450k and move up to the sky. Typical homes on lots in town to large ranches with acreage and homes on 2-5 acre parcels. All depends on location, of course.
Well, I have gone on here! There is much to tell about this beautiful county. If you have more questions, just ask.
Good Evening, Peony. First, I must make a clarification. Property tax is 1% of assessed value, assessed by the county tax assessor's office. Now, to answer your question, I know about Santa Margarita. I live there. Whatcha wanna know? The population in the town is 1200 people although I don't know what the numbers are for folks living outside town on ranches and acreage. ummm....Santa Margarita is the last fully intact Spanish land grant from the old days of history. hmmmmm...We are 10 miles north of SLO, up the Cuesta Grade, at an elevation of 1200 feet. Our weather is very different from SLO. It is hotter here in the summer and colder in the winter; SLO is far more temperate due to the lower elevation and proximity to the ocean and the ocean's effect on climate. The temperature difference averages 10-15 degrees. Summer heat tends to top out in September with short periods of temps in the 100's. On average I would say summer temps are 80-90. Nights usually cool off pleasantly to 60-70, which feels immensely cooler. Winters can be brisk and sometimes downright COLD! this winter was a cold one! We frequently hit 20's at night, even dropped to single digits. days often not above 50. Some winters are more mild. Occasionally we get snow, usually just a dusting, cycles of about 6-10 years. Every once in a great while we get significant snow which piles up. I have even seen it snow in Morro Bay at the ocean!
We also cycle through drought years and very wet years. Parts of Santa Margarita (the town) are actually lower than the surrounding ranch land and so do flood in very wet years. It is wise to know when you rent or purchase if the home is in a flood zone. Purchasers know because you will be required to purchase flood insurance. Renters....beware!
Town is very picturesque looking a lot like an old western town...which it is! Many local towns still have original buildings from when first built. Town is small, though. Just one main street of businesses. We have a vet, a feed store, a diesel mechanic, a tow yard and storage yard, a couple of restaurants, a post office, a mercantile(food market and sandwich shop), a liquor store, a couple of Realtors, a coffee shop, an auction barn and a couple of "antique shops. Oh! And, a wine tasting place for a local winery and a garden nursery.
Stars are STUNNING every night. You are never far from the train tracks at night and can here them come through. The lake is 12 miles out south east and is beautiful, but you cannot swim in it as it supplies drinking water to SLO.
The community has weekly potlucks and movie nights at the local park and the fairly new coffee shop is fast becoming a central point for entertainment and hanging out.
One elementary school in town. Everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other and the kids. Very safe here. We have a small library in the original jail building, a community Hall and a Sr. center.
Typical neighbor squabbles and small town youth hi-jinks, not really any crime or trouble. People here are very open and friendly and mostly helpful.
We are ten minutes from SLO City to the south down the Grade and 10 minutes from Atascadero to the north. Templeton is next traveling north and is much like Santa Margarita in character and flavor. Continuing north, Paso Robles is next, at about 30 minutes. This town has really done well for itself, now known throughout the world for first class wineries and wines, although the whole county has first class wineries. Paso has its original downtown, and has crafted a beautiful park with shops and restaurants, movie theater and some city services around it; Very picturesque and popular. It is much larger than Margarita and Templeton and is growing rapidly on the east side of the river, regrettably box stores and track homes are making that side of town resemble every other cookie cutter town in anywhere, USA. Its historic original Victorian and craftsman homes are mostly on the west side of the Salinas river (which runs South to North naturally with no help from man). Vine Street is closed down for a few evenings during the Christmas season and an "old fashioned Christmas" is presented for everyone's enjoyment with people decorating themselves and their homes in period costumes with Caroling, freer cookies, coffee, hot chelate, and hot cider.
It is 15 to 30 minutes to all local beaches and most coastal towns although Cambria and Hearst Castle are closer to an hour. Big Sur is a short drive up the coast; Carmel and Monterey are 2 hours north. Santa Barbara is 2 hours south.
Home costs in north county start around 450k and move up to the sky. Typical homes on lots in town to large ranches with acreage and homes on 2-5 acre parcels. All depends on location, of course.
Well, I have gone on here! There is much to tell about this beautiful county. If you have more questions, just ask.
Super info, Mmouwse. I would like to know more about the industry, if any, in SLO and surrounding towns. Besides CalPoly, what are some of the major employers? Would my kids be more likely to find higher paying jobs in Carmel, SLO, or Santa Barbara?
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A little lacking in some areas. Medicine is not progressive or even in some ways modern (a bit backwards thinking). Gov't and the populace have for years not wanted to look outside their county for how other places have approached things. They would much rather re-invent the wheel here than learn from others' experiences and build upon it for our benefit.Still not as much culture as there might be. Many box stores now, but thankfully still a large and thriving small business local sector. Oh yes...musn't forget...our towns are wonderful to walk through. The Village of Arroyo Grande (original); downtown SLO built along the creek; Margarita and Templeton with their feeling of an old western town; Baywood park on the back bay; Morro Bay, an old fishing village; Paso Robles built around a park central to the town square; Cambria, rambling through the pines and ocean cliffs; Pozo, old Nipomo... And then there are the backroads and old barns... mmmmm.... Paradise.
Taxes and HOI???
