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 surpassed Santa Barbara's with an estimated population of 90,518. 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.

Contents

Geography and Climate

Demographics

Law and government

Courts

Politics

Police Department

Transportation

Road

Air

Rail

Bus

Education

Culture

Notable People from Santa Maria

Trivia

External links

Geography and Climate

Santa Maria is located at (34.951377, -120.433373).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 51.2 km² (19.8 mi²). 50.1 km² (19.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) 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 to the west of Santa Maria.

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rec High °F	86	89	95	103	100	102	104	103	103	108	93	90
Norm High °F	63.9	64.8	64.8	67.6	68.6	71.4	73.5	74.2	74.9	74	69.2	64.9
Norm Low °F	39.3	41.4	42.7	43.4	46.9	50.4	53.5	54.2	52.9	48.2	41.8	38.2
Rec Low °F	5	22	24	31	31	36	43	43	36	26	25	20
Precip (in)	2.64	3.23	2.94	0.91	0.32	0.05	0.03	0.05	0.31	0.45	1.24	1.84
''Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]''

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 77,423 people, 22,146 households, and 16,653 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,546.5/km² (4,005.8/mi²). There were 22,847 housing units at an average density of 456.4/km² (1,182.1/mi²). 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 ), 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 mainly known as a conservative city, however half of registered voters are Republicans and the other half Democrats. Santa Maria is very different from its county seat city Santa Barbara, in fact in 2006 a measure to split the county was on the ballot, however it proved to be unsuccessful.
Democrat Liberal Hilda Zacarias was elected to the city council in 2006 ousting Conservative Republican Marty Mariscal (an election that was highly publicized). In addition to this, other groups and coalitions have advocated strongly against Santa Maria being an extremely conservative town that is now only representing a small minority. Every year there are fewer participants in the annual Elks Rodeo and Parade, the biggest festival that is nested in the foundations of Santa Maria. This year (2007) there were only 4 candidates running for Rodeo Queen, compared to about 20 just 15 years ago. It is important to notice this event because it is also criticized as being a "Party for Republicans" and the only place left where conservatives can gather.
Mayor Larry Lavagnino, a conservative Republican, and the city council recently made a decision to approve the removal of Spanish to English translation in city council meetings on the grounds that "it has become a burden to staff and a burden to taxpayers as well".

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.
California State Highway 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.

Air

Santa Maria Public Airport offers regular commercial flights to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. 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 2007/2008 school year.

Culture

★ Tri-Tip and Santa Maria Style BBQ
Santa Maria is most notable for its wine and barbecue. The tri-tip steak actually has its roots in Santa Maria. 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. (The tri-tip is still often labeled "Santa Maria steak".) The side dishes complimenting a typical Santa Maria Style barbecue generally consist of linguica sausage, garlic bread, pinquito beans, and a soggy salad. Contrary to popular belief, most Central Coast locals will tell you that barbecue sauce should absolutely never be used in 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 usually erroneously refer to as 'Santa Barbara' wine country - while little or no vineyards actually exist in the City of Santa Barbara.

Notable People from Santa Maria

★ Sports:

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★ Augie Garrido, Texas Longhorns baseball coach

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★ Ernie Zampese, NFL football coach

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★ John Madden, NFL Hall of Fame coach and commentator

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★ Ozzie Smith, MLB Hall of Fame infielder

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★ Bryn Smith, Major League Baseball player

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★ Robin Ventura, Major League Baseball player

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★ Jimy Williams, MLB manager

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★ Mark Brunell, NFL quarterback (Washington Redskins)

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★ Mike Bratz, NBA star

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★ Gunther Cunningham, NFL coach and defensive coordinator (Kansas City Chiefs)

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★ John Marshall, NFL coach and defensive coordinator (Seattle Seahawks)

★ Entertainment:

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★ Michael Jackson, singer

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★ Bradford N. Smith, actor

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★ Chuck Negron, lead vocalist Three Dog Night

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★ Milford Zornes, watercolor artist and teacher

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★ Kathy Bates, actress

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★ James Marsters, actor

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★ Jeffery Combs, actor

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★ Boyd Gaines, actor

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★ Harry Groener, actor

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★ Harry Hamlin, actor

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★ Mark Harelik, actor

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★ Tim Kring, producer

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★ Jeff McCarthy, actor

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★ Kelly McGillis, actress

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★ Robin Williams, actor

★ Other:

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★ Owen W. Siler, US Coast Guard commander

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:

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★ , (2007)

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★ Voodoo Moon, (2007)

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★ , (2006)

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★ Sideways, (2004)

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★ Hidalgo, (2003)

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★ Rockets Red Glare, (2000)

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★ Rocky & Bullwinkle, (1999)

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★ Cowboy Up, (1998)

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★ Odd Couple II, (1997)

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★ G.I. Jane, (1996)

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★ Amelia Earhart, (1993)

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★ LA Story, (1991)

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★ The Rocketeer, (1991)

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★ The Spirit of St. Louis, (1957)

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★ The Ten Commandments, (1923)

External links

★ 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

★ Community College with excellent computer classes for seniors

★ Santa Maria Sun Newspaper

★ Santa Maria Times Newspaper

★ Department of Finance Population Estimates