Rancho Arroyo Grande

Lopez Lake is a reservoir near the city of Arroyo Grande in San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake is formed by Lopez Dam on Arroyo Grande Creek, 9 mi (14 km) upstream from the Pacific Ocean. The creek drains about 60 sq mi (160 km2) above the dam and 90 sq mi (230 km2) below. The dam was built in 1969 (1969) and is operated by the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. The earth-fill dam was retrofitted to protect against earthquakes between 2001 and 2003. The winter of 2022-2023 brought the reservoir to the capacity of 49,200 acre-feet (60,700,000 m3). In March 2023 the lake overflowed into the spillway for the first time since 1998, some 25 years prior. Lopez Lake provides drinking water for Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Pismo Beach, Oceano and Avila Beach. It also provides groundwater recharge, water for irrigation and flood control. Unlike most municipal water supplies, human contact with the water is permitted. Sailing, wind surfing, water skiing, swimming, fishing and camping are popular activities. There is also a waterslide next to the lake. To prevent contamination of the drinking water, water from the lake is piped 3 mi (4.8 km) to a terminal reservoir, where it remains to allow particles to settle out and pathogens to die off. The water then goes through flocculation, filtration and chlorination at the Lopez Water Treatment Plant. The recreation area consists of 4,200 acres (1,700 ha) of open space, trails and camping areas. A network of equestrian, bike and hiking trails criss-cross the park which is primarily oak woodland and coastal sage scrub. The area is frequented by black bears, mountain lions, mule deer and a number of other small mammals. Several special events are held at the park yearly such as the Lopez Lake Trout Derby held in May, the California Polytechnic University Triathlon and the Scott Tinley Dirty Adventures Triathlon.

Rancho Santa Manuela was a 16,955-acre (68.61 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Francis Ziba Branch. The grant encompassed present-day Arroyo Grande.

Huasna (Chumash: Awasna) is an unincorporated community in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Huasna is located on the western slope of the southern Santa Lucia Range. Huasna is due east and far inland of Arroyo Grande. The Huasna River runs through the community.

Talley Vineyards is a family-owned and operated California wine estate producing primarily Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. The winery is located in Arroyo Grande Valley, near the town of Arroyo Grande in the southern corner of San Luis Obispo County. Talley farms 174 acres of wine grapes in six unique vineyards located in the Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley AVAs. Talley Vineyards produces 30,000 cases annually.

KIHC (890 AM) is a non-commercial radio station that is licensed to Arroyo Grande, California and broadcasts to the San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria, California areas. The station is owned by Relevant Radio, Inc. and broadcasts the Roman Catholic talk and teaching format of its nationally syndicated Relevant Radio network.

Rancho Huasna was a 22,153-acre (89.65 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Isaac J. Sparks. The grant extended along the Huasna River and the western slope of the Santa Lucia Range, east of present-day Arroyo Grande and encompassing Huasna.

Pozo (Spanish for "Well") is an unincorporated community along the former Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route, in San Luis Obispo County, California. The closest communities appearing on road maps are California Valley and Santa Margarita. A USGS-provided set of coordinates for the town are on the Santa Margarita Lake 7.5-minute quadrangle.Pozo was named by George Washington Lingo, Esq., "a well known citizen" who proposed the name for the post office because the village is in a holelike valley—pozo means "well" or "hole" in Spanish.Pozo is home to the still thriving Pozo Saloon, established in 1858. During its early years, the Pozo Saloon was the primary watering hole for weary travelers making their way over Pozo Summit. Today it is a well-known live music venue, hosting internationally-known acts including Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and G Love and Special Sauce.The ZIP Code is 93453. The community is inside area code 805.

The Garcia Wilderness is a 14,100-acre (57 km2) wilderness area within the Los Padres National Forest in San Luis Obispo County, California. The wilderness was created by the U.S. Congress as part of the Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-301). The same legislation also established the Chumash, Machesna Mountain, Matilija, Sespe, and Silver Peak Wilderness areas. It is named for the mountain it protects, the east-west ridge of Garcia Mountain, a 3,146 ft. peak of the Santa Lucia Range. The area's vegetation includes chaparral and grasslands to oak forests. The main river drainages are the Salinas River and the Santa Maria River. There are two designated campgrounds and three hiking trails, the longest being the 11-mile (18 km) Caldwell Mesa Trail.

Rancho Corral de Piedra was a 30,911-acre (125.09 km2) Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California consisting of two square leagues given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José María Villavicencio, with an extension of five square leagues given in 1846, by Governor Pio Pico. The grant was located between present day San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande, and bounded on the south by Arroyo Grande Creek.

Santa Margarita Lake, also called Salinas Reservoir, is a lake several miles southeast of the town of Santa Margarita in San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake was created by the building of Salinas Dam on the southern end of the Salinas River, very close to the river's origin in the Santa Lucia Range. The dam was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1941 to provide water for Camp San Luis Obispo. It now provides the city of San Luis Obispo with a portion of its drinking water. The city also uses water from Lake Nacimiento and water from Whale Rock Reservoir in Cayucos. The lake is relatively small, with a capacity of 23,843 acre-feet (29,410,000 m3). Since it is a municipal water source, human contact is prohibited. Boating, fishing and rowing are popular activities on the lake and there are camping sites on the shore. The lake is home to the San Luis Obispo Rowing Club. The lake is home to largemouth bass, catfish, carp, and various sunfish. There are dirt roads that provide access to almost the entire perimeter of the lake. There is a 15-mile per hour (24 km/h) speed limit, as the roads are bumpy and vehicles kick up a lot of dust, even at slow speeds. In addition, many visitors park on the side of the road to fish. The default speed limit on the lake itself is 5 miles per hour (8 km/h), but boats can travel up to 30 miles (48 km/h) per hour in certain areas, depending on conditions. There is a proposal to raise the dam by 19 feet (8 m) with the addition of a spillway gate, which was part of the original design. The loss of trees from the additional capacity has been a major concern. In the area to be flooded there are 1,639 coast live oaks, 633 blue oaks, 198 valley oaks and 469 gray pines. The loss of oak trees is of ecological concern, since oak trees in the area are already contending with sudden oak death.

Paulding Middle School (formerly the Arroyo Grande Union High School) was originally the first high school built in the area in 1906. Decades later, the school became the lower school that fed into the new high school. Currently, the school is one of three middle schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District teaching about 625 students in grades 7 and 8. Paulding has been designated a California Distinguished School four times

Nipomo High School is an American public high school located in Nipomo, California. It serves grades 9-12 as part of the Lucia Mar Unified School District.