9 Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of: San Luis Obispo, California

Enlarge Image Image Gallery San Luis Obispo, Calif.: sun, surf and sustainability. DAVID E. GARTH PHOTOGRAPHY

Mediterranean climate, rarely above the 80s or below the 40s, 315 sunny days a year; beautiful shoreline and countryside vistas; lively community activities and traditions; friendly people, civic engagement, comfortable pace of life … what’s not to like about San Luis Obispo, Calif.?

Elaine Simmer loves to walk her dog along San Luis Creek, which runs past the mission built in 1772. “Spanish missionaries built missions about every hundred miles on the California coast,” she explains, “and many say ours is the prettiest.”

John Ewan, owner of the Pacific Energy Co., likes being less than 10 minutes from rural countryside and a variety of beaches. Pacific Energy has installed hundreds of off-the-grid solar energy systems in SLO, the nickname for the city.

Tourists like to see (and taste) the Central Coast wine country — about 30,000 acres of vineyards (at least 600 of which are certified organic) and close to 100 wineries, including Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, where vines planted in 1879 produce distinctive Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. They come to kayak, surf and swim at Morro Bay, Avila Beach and Shell Beach; and they come to experience the farmers market that takes place every Thursday night year-round. Many come for agri-tourism, for example, to stay on a lavender farm for a weekend, or visit an olive farm and see how olive oil is pressed.

SLO was the first city in the United States to ban smoking in all public places (1990) and now has an ordinance in place that forbids drive-through access to restaurants. The city has a 1 percent growth limit per year, a high “parks to people ratio” (10 acres of park required per 1,000 residents), and an active cadre of green builders who work with city officials to build LEED-certified buildings.