Editing Santa Maria, California (section)

==Economy==
[[File:Pinot Noir wine fields in Santa Maria, CA - Flickr - Moto@Club4AG.jpg|thumb|right|Vineyards in the [[Santa Maria Valley AVA]]]]
[[File:Lewellen Justice Center (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Lewellen Justice Center]] [[Agriculture]] plays an important role in the city's economy. The Santa Maria area is home to an increasing number of [[vineyards]], [[wineries]] and [[winemakers]] and is centrally located to both the [[Santa Ynez]] and Foxen Canyon areas of Santa Barbara County's wine country, and San Luis Obispo County's [[Edna Valley]]-[[Arroyo Grande]] wine country.

The agricultural areas surrounding the city are some of the most productive in California, with primary crops including [[strawberries]], [[wine grapes]], [[celery]], [[lettuce]], [[peas]], [[Squash (plant)|squash]], [[cauliflower]], [[spinach]], [[broccoli]] and [[beans]]. Many [[cattle]] ranchers also call the Santa Maria Valley home. Farmworkers in [[Santa Barbara County]] earn an average hourly wage of ~$17/hr in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Christina |title=Hundreds of Central Coast Farmworkers plan a day of action in Santa Maria |url=https://keyt.com/news/santa-maria-north-county/2024/04/28/hundreds-of-central-coast-farmworkers-plan-a-day-of-action-in-santa-maria/ |access-date=April 30, 2024 |work=News Channel 3-12 |date=April 28, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Farmworkers protest in Santa Maria, demand better wages and working conditions |url=https://calcoastnews.com/2024/04/farmworkers-protest-in-santa-maria-demand-better-wages-and-working-conditions/ |access-date=April 30, 2024 |work=Cal Coast News |date=April 29, 2024}}</ref>

Two of the city's major retail centers, the Crossroads,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.crossroadssantamaria.com/ |title=The Crossroads at Santa Maria |access-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-date=February 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222214001/http://www.crossroadssantamaria.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> completed in 1999, and the historic Enos Ranch site,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.santamariasun.com/cover/17801/big-box-beltway-santa-maria-celebrates-enos-ranch-as-a-revenue-and-retail-attractor-while-some-locals-question-the-citys-development-priorities/|title=Big box beltway: Santa Maria celebrates Enos Ranch as a revenue and retail attractor, while some locals question the city's development priorities|work=santamariasun.com|date=September 12, 2018|access-date=June 30, 2021}}</ref> still under development, are both situated adjacent to the U.S. Route 101/Betteravia Road interchange and feature several prominent big-box stores. The city is also home to the [[Santa Maria Town Center]], the only enclosed shopping mall in Santa Barbara County and the largest on the Central Coast, located at the junction of Broadway and Main Street.

Santa Maria also features the historic Santa Maria Inn, located on South Broadway; originally built in 1917 by Frank McCoy, it is a registered historic landmark and features a wide range of amenities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.santamariainn.com/ |title=Santa Maria Inn |access-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-date=July 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707144500/http://www.santamariainn.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Several famous guests have stayed at this inn, including [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Rudolph Valentino]], [[Bette Davis]], [[Bing Crosby]], and [[Herbert Hoover]].

In recent years, other industries have been added to the city's agricultural and retail mix, including: aerospace; communications; high-tech research and development; energy production; military operations; and manufacturing.

The [[petroleum]] industry has long had a large presence in the area, since oil was first discovered at the [[Orcutt Oil Field]] in 1902. By 1957, there were 1,775 oil wells in operation in the Santa Maria Valley, producing more than $640 million worth of oil.<ref name="ci.santa-maria.ca.us"/>

===Top employers===

According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web |title=Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 |url=https://www.cityofsantamaria.org/home/showdocument?id=27224 |website=Welcome to the City of Santa Maria |publisher=City of Santa Maria |access-date=July 1, 2021}}</ref> the top employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
| 1
|[[Vandenberg Space Force Base]]
|6,700
|-
|2
|[[Santa Maria-Bonita School District]]
|2,100
|-
|3
|Marian Regional Medical Center
|1,920
|-
|4
|[[Allan Hancock College]]
|1,480
|-
|5
|C&D [[Zodiac Aerospace]]
|915
|-
|6
|[[Santa Maria Joint Union High School District]]
|805
|-
|7
|Windset Farms 
|750
|-
|8
|City of Santa Maria
|586
|-
|9
|[[Walmart]]
|440
|-
|10
|Agro-Jal Farms
|420
|}