Editing Arroyo Grande, California (section)

==History==
The earliest inhabitants of Arroyo Grande Valley were the northern or Obispeno [[Chumash Indians]]. The Arroyo Grande area was still occupied by the Chumash at the time of contact with the first Spanish explorer, [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo|Juan Cabrillo]]. During the colonial settlement of California, the Arroyo Grande Valley became separated into two major ranchos which were granted by the Mexican government around 1840.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Department History {{!}} Arroyo Grande, CA - Official Website |url=https://www.arroyogrande.org/266/Department-History#:~:text=The%20earliest%20inhabitants%20of%20Arroyo,formation%20of%20a%20police%20department. |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=www.arroyogrande.org}}</ref> 

In 1862, the [[San Luis Obispo]] [[Board of Supervisors]] established the [[township]] of Arroyo Grande. Businesses developed along a road called Branch Street to serve local agriculture. A [[railroad depot]] was built in 1882. The city of Arroyo Grande was [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] on July 10, 1911.

Arroyo Grande experienced rapid growth in the 1970s and 1980s, partially due to the expansion of the [[Sewage treatment|wastewater treatment]] plant, under an [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]] Clean Water Grant, that removed a growth constraint. This federal grant program required preparation of an [[Environmental impact assessment|Environmental Impact Report]],<ref>David Crimp, C. Michael Hogan, Leda C. Patmore et al. 1976</ref> which provided much of the initial environmental database for Arroyo Grande.