Thursday, March 20, 2008

Ignorance is...

frustrating.

Can you all help me? I have lived here in SLO for 3.5 years and I still have no clue about the breakdown of the central coast.

What is considered North County; South County; 5 Cities? or any others that are generalities around here that an "outsider" might not know.

Knowledge is power! :0)









FYI: currently reading the Hobbit, by JRR Tolkein.

4 comments:

Jacquelyn said...

5 cities = Arroyo Grande, Shell Beach, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and Oceano. Geography q: which of the 5 cities doesn't border the beach?

Jacquelyn said...

Oh and since I've been here a 1.5 yrs longer than you have you can take this with a grain of salt but it seems to me that with SLO as the center anything north of SLO (i.e. paso and atascadero ect.) is "north county" and anything south of the SLO is roughly "south county" I may be wrong though but I sure would like to know the official position.

Kristen Borland said...

having grown up in slo, and lived in arroyo grande, slo, oceano, and atascadero, i'll give my two cents (though i don't know as much as i should!):

i always get confused as to whether avila beach or shell beach makes up the fifth of the 5 cities, but i think jacquelyn is right. i am under the impression that both shell beach and avila are unincorporated (not cities), so i don't know why one is included and on is not. this was all explained to me once by my dad, but i don't remember!

as one who hates sand, i wasn't pleased with oceano, though many people love it for it's real beach feel. it's totally bum beach town, with actual sand blowing across the intersections. the dunes are right there! and we lived right near the dunes. but, not liking sand, i didn't like this! redeeming qualities of oceano (in my book--though this is just rambling and in no way answers your question) are Old Juan's Cantina (best Mexican food on the central coast! best chips and salsa!) and the Melodrama (we lived 1 1/2 blocks from both).

"south county" is anything south of SLO proper, until just before Santa Maria, which is in Santa Barbara county. that includes the 5 Cities + the sixth city (avila) and Nipomo.

"north county" (the secret jewel of the county if i do say so myself--and having lived all over the county, i can say that!) is anything north of SLO proper, which is Santa Margarita, Atascadero, Paso Robles, and San Miguel (and Shandon).

I have no idea what this means for los osos and morro bay. better ask lisa l. about that one! cambria and cayucos are north, but i don't know if they are north county as it is traditionally described. Then there is CA Valley east of us, but i don't think it's really a city. quite a few of our towns are technically unincorporated, and i'd have to do a google search to find out about each one.

i'm not sure how informative that was! i'm so partial to north county now, even having grown up in SLO. but i have to say (and in no way trying to be mean), SLO is very different now than it was when i was growing up.

Brianna Heldt said...

i've lived on the central coast my whole life and i concur with what everyone said. :) 5 cities is confusing to me too! i think of anything north of the cuesta grade as "north county".

kristen i remember your oceano days and you telling me you had to sweep all the time b/c of the sand! old juan's is great and i miss your old place, playing cards and eating costco snack mix.

don't know why i took this opportunity to walk down the memory lane of oceano. :) oh and i'd be curious to know how SLO has changed! (and which city doesn't border the beach?? is it arroyo grande?)