Guadalupe

Guadalupe is a small city located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 8,057. Guadalupe is economically and socially tied to the city of Santa Maria, which is about 8 miles (13 km) to the east. It is located at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 166, immediately south of the Santa Maria River, and 5 miles (8 km) east of the Pacific Ocean.[10]

History
The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolá expedition, camped near today’s Guadalupe on September 1, 1769. Franciscan missionary and expedition member Juan Crespí noted in his diary that they found “a very large lake”. The lake has since mostly filled in, leaving a low-lying plain traversed by the Santa Maria River and several tributaries.[11]

When Mission La Purisima was established in 1787, the area became part of the mission’s pasture land. In 1840, following secularization of the mission, the area became part of the Rancho Guadalupe land grant. Rancho Guadalupe was settled by pioneers of many unique backgrounds, such as European, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, and Mexican. The small town was incorporated as the city of Guadalupe on May 19, 1946. The city name honors Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is the Catholic title given to the Virgin Mary.[12]

An ongoing construction development along the south side of town will add more than 800 homes. The project, Pasadera Homes, was first announced in 1993 and has undergone several delays. The city annexed the 209-acre site (85 ha) in 1995. When completed, it is expected to boost the city’s population to the 10,000 that is considered the threshold for attracting chain stores and restaurants. In addition to homes, the plan includes a new school and commercial development.[13][14]

The city faced economic troubles in the late 2000s and early 2010s; in 2015, a grand jury urged the city to dissolve.[15] Voters overwhelmingly approved the passage of three new tax and fee measures, which, along with the aforementioned residential and commercial developments, helped stabilize the city’s economy.

Geography
Guadalupe is located in the northwestern extremity of Santa Barbara County, immediately south of the Santa Maria River.[16] The landscape in the vicinity of the town is mostly flat, with the predominant land use being agriculture and oil production. Hills rise to the south of the town; on the other side of the hills is Vandenberg Space Force Base. West of town, both in Santa Barbara County and north in adjacent San Luis Obispo County, is the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, a large region of dune habitat along the Pacific Ocean shore. The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center serves as the education and research facility for the natural area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), 99.60% of it land and 0.40% of it water. The town consists of a tight cluster of buildings, surrounded completely by agricultural land.

Climate
This region experiences mildly warm and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Guadalupe has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated “Csb” on climate maps.[17]