Atascadero, California
Atascadero is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, located on U.S. Route 101. Atascadero is part of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses the extents of the county. Atascadero is farther inland than most other cities in the county, and as a result, usually experiences warmer, drier summers, and cooler winters than other nearby cities such as San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach. The main freeway through town is U.S. 101. The nearby State Routes 41 and 46 provide access to the Pacific Coast and the Central Valley of California.
The Spanish word atascadero loosely means "bog" or "mire", from the verb atascar, which means "to become stuck or hindered". On the other hand, in the Obispeño language, the site was named tsɨskikiye, which translates into a "place of much water". The area was originally home to the Chumash and Salinan Native Americans. Between 1769 and 1823, the Spanish Franciscans established 21 missions along the California coast, including the nearby Mission San Miguel Arcángel and Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain, and California became the Mexican province of Nueva California (later Alta California). In 1833, the Mexican government secularized the mission lands. Mexican governor Juan Alvarado granted Rancho Atascadero to Trifon Garcia in 1842, and Pio Pico granted Pedro Estrada Rancho Asuncion in 1845. Patrick Washington Murphy held ownership of 61,000 acres (25,000 ha) at one time.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.1 mi2 (68 km2), of which 26.1 mi2 (68 km2) is land and 0.1 mi2 (0.3 km2), or 0.24 percent, is water. Atascadero is geographically the largest city in San Luis Obispo County. Atascadero is near the Carrizo Plain.
Climate
Atascadero experiences a hot-summer Mediterranean (Köppen: Csa) climate, with a high degree of diurnal temperature variation.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Atascadero had a population of 29,773. The population density was 1,142.0 inhabitants per square mile (440.9/km2). The census reported that 98.7% of residents lived in households, 0.8% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized. 90.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.5% lived in rural areas. The median age was 41.5 years; 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.6% were aged 18 to 24, 26.7% were aged 25 to 44, 25.4% were aged 45 to 64, and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males.
2023 ACS 5-year estimates
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 74.6% of the population were born in California, 16.8% were born in a different state, 1.0% were born in a US territory or abroad to an American parent, and 7.6% were born outside US jurisdiction. Of those aged 5 or older, 86.9% spoke only English at home, 9.6% spoke Spanish, 1.4% spoke other Indo-European languages, 1.0% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 92.8% were high school graduates and 30.2% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income was $88,830, and the per capita income was $59,728. About 7.4% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line.
Atascadero is a general law city, governed by a city council. The council consists of five members, elected at-large: a mayor (who serves a two-year term) and four council members (who serve four-year terms). In the California State Legislature, Atascadero is located in the 17th senatorial district, represented by Democrat John Laird, and the 30th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Dawn Addis. In the United States House of Representatives, Atascadero is in California's 24th congressional district, represented by Democrat Salud Carbajal.
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Freeways and highways
Atascadero is at the intersection of U.S. 101 and State Route 41, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on U.S. 101 with direct eastbound access to the San Joaquin Valley and Interstate 5. Atascadero is serviced by one freeway and one highway:
Rail transportation
The Union Pacific Railroad Coast Line between Burbank (Los Angeles) and San Jose runs through Atascadero, carrying Amtrak's Coast Starlight passenger train through the city. The Atascadero Transit Center, at 6000 Capistrano Avenue, connects to the closest passenger railroad stations being Paso Robles station and San Luis Obispo station via Amtrak Thruway. Amtrak Thruway 18 provides a daily connection to Visalia on the east, and Santa Maria on the west, with several stops in between.
Airports
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (IATA: SBP, ICAO: KSBP, FAA LID: SBP), also known as McChesney Field, is an airport located in San Luis Obispo serving San Luis Obispo County. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by three commercial airlines. Located just south of the City of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport serves areas as far north as southern Monterey County and as far south as northern Santa Barbara County. The airport is also home to full-service general aviation and corporate facilities.
The Atascadero Unified School District contains seven elementary schools, two middle/junior high schools, two high schools, one college, and five or more miscellaneous school sites and programs.
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Atascadero Colony Park Community Recreational Center Lake Nacimiento is an 18-mile-long (29 km) lake located about 23 miles (37 km) northwest of the city, up in the Santa Lucia Range. In addition to fishing and swimming, the lake provides ample room for waterskiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, and other water-related activities.
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Atascadero City Hall
The Atascadero City Hall, also known as the Rotunda, was constructed in 1918 per the founder E.G. Lewis's vision for the Utopian community of Atascadero. In 2003, the historic building was damaged by the magnitude 6.6 San Simeon earthquake. The city took over a bowling alley for use as a temporary city hall while the building underwent extensive renovations and retrofitting. In August 2013, after ten years of closure, the original city hall building was reopened and remains in service.
Atascadero Fire Department
The Atascadero City Fire Department is an "all risk" fire department that responds to emergencies such as medical aid, structure fires, wildland fires, vehicle traffic collisions, hazardous materials incidents, technical rescues and public service assists. The fire department operates from two fire stations.
Colony Park Community Center
The 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) community center includes a full-size gymnasium, teen center, café, arts and crafts center, dance room, conference rooms and restrooms.
Paramedic and ambulance services
San Luis Ambulance and Atascadero Fire Department.
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Atascadero is the setting for the novel Pay It Forward. In the movie The Grifters (1990), Atascadero is mentioned as the place a former partner-in-crime of Myra Langtry, played by Annette Bening, has retired to — insinuating that he became an inmate in Atascadero State Hospital for the criminally insane. The 1990 film My Blue Heaven uses the City Hall exterior to depict a courthouse and the police department lobby (which was in the City Hall at the time) to film Steve Martin's character signing paperwork after being bailed out of jail. In the 2017 Netflix series Godless, main character Roy Goode's older brother lives in Atascadero. The city's name was used as part of a magic word used by Loony Tunes character Merlin the Magic Mouse in the late 1960s run of Warner Bros. animated short films.
