Rancho Huasna

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.

The Huasna River is a stream in the Central Coast region of California, and is a tributary of the Cuyama River. It is formed by the confluence of Trout Creek and Stony Creek, which originate along the crest of the Santa Lucia Range in the Los Padres National Forest. It flows south, past the community of Huasna and the Huasna Valley before reaching Twitchell Reservoir, which is created by a dam along the Cuyama River. Like most other streams in this part of California, the Huasna River is usually dry, with significant flows only during the winter and early spring. During rare high water levels of Twitchell Reservoir, the lower part of the Huasna Valley may be flooded.

The Alamo Fire was a wildfire in San Luis Obispo County, in California in the United States. The fire started on July 6, 2017 and destroyed 28,687 acres (11,609 ha), including one home. It was fully contained on July 19, 2017.

Twitchell Reservoir is a reservoir in southern San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County in California. The reservoir has a capacity of 197,756 acre⋅ft (243,928,000 m3) and is formed by Twitchell Dam on the Cuyama River about 66 miles (106 km) from its headwaters in the Chumash Wilderness Area and about 6 miles (9.7 km) from its confluence with the Sisquoc River, where they form the Santa Maria River. Twitchell Dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation between 1956 and 1958. The original names were Vacquero Dam and Vacquero Reservoir, but they were changed to honor T. A. Twitchell of Santa Maria, a proponent of the project. The dam and reservoir provide flood control and water conservation. The Central Coast of California only receives significant amounts of rainfall during the winter, this area averaging 14 inches (360 mm) per year. The water is stored in the reservoir during big winter storms and released as quickly as possible while still allowing it to percolate into the soil and recharge the groundwater. This means that the reservoir is usually far from full. It is estimated that the project increases recharge by 20,000 acre⋅ft (25,000,000 m3) annually. Sedimentation is a problem for the reservoir, as the reservoir is being filled 70 percent faster than expected. This reduces its capacity and blocks the water inlet to the control gates. Some sediment has been removed by flushing it out during releases, but much of it is simply deposited immediately downstream, interfering with flows. There is no public access to the dam or reservoir.

Rancho Suey was a 48,834-acre (197.62 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day southern San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco. The grant was east of present-day Santa Maria and extended along the San Luis Obispo-Santa Barbara County line, and between the Santa Maria River and the Cuyama River.

Rancho Arroyo Grande was a 4,437-acre (17.96 km2) Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Zeferino Carlón. The grant extended along Arroyo Grande Creek east of present day Arroyo Grande. Much of the grant is now covered by Lopez Lake.

The Dana Adobe & Cultural Center or "Casa de Dana" is a historic landmark in Nipomo, California. It was the home of Boston sea captain William Dana, who in 1837 was granted the 37,888-acre (153.33 km2) Rancho Nipomo in Southern California. Captain Dana hosted figures such as Henry Tefft and John C. Fremont in his Nipomo home, which also served as an important exchange point on California's first official mail route between Monterey and Los Angeles. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The entire Rancho Nipomo is listed as a California Historical Landmark.

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.

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

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.

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.

Nipomo (; Chumash: Nipumuʔ) is a unincorporated town in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 16,714 for the 2010 census and grew to 18,176 for the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Nipomo as a census-designated place (CDP).