Editing Nipomo, California

{{more citations needed|date=October 2008}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See the table at Template:Infobox settlement for all fields and descriptions of their usage. -->
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
| official_name      = Nipomo, California
| other_name         = 
| native_name        = 
| named_for          = "Place of the big house" <ref name=CPH>{{cite web|url=http://www.housing.calpoly.edu/ytt|title=yakʔitʸutʸu resources - University Housing - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo|publisher=Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo University Housing|access-date=2018-11-01}}</ref> or "Village" <ref name=EZNB>{{Cite book|edition=Revised|publisher=EZ Nature Books|isbn=0936784156|last1=McCall|first1=Lynne|last2=Perry|first2=Rosalind|title=California's Chumash Indians : a project of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Education Center|location=San Luis Obispo, Calif|year=1986|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/californiaschuma00mcca}}</ref>
| nickname           = 
| settlement_type    = [[Unincorporated town]]<br/>[[Census-designated place]]
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
| image_skyline      = Nipomo - September 2023 - Sarah Stierch 15.jpg
| image_caption      = Olde Towne Nipomo in 2023.
| image_map          = San_Luis_Obispo_County_California_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Nipomo_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250x200px
| map_caption        = Location in [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo County]] and the state of [[California]]
| pushpin_map        = California#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in California##Location in the United States
<!-- Location ------------------>
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[California]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo]]
| established_title  =
<!-- Settled -->
| established_date   =
<!-- Area------------------>
| unit_pref          = US
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{Cite US Gazetteer|2010|places|CA}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 14.852
| area_land_sq_mi    = 14.852
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0
| area_total_km2     = 38.467
| area_land_km2      = 38.466
| area_water_km2     = 0.001
| area_water_percent = 0
| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   =
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
| population_as_of   = 2020
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 18176
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_metro   = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = <!-- General information  --------------->
| timezone           = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific (PST)]]
| utc_offset         = -8
| timezone_DST       = PDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -7
| coordinates        = {{coord|35|1|48|N|120|29|24|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_m        = 101
| elevation_ft       = 331
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 93444
| area_code          = [[Area code 805|805]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 06-51476
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1652759
}}

'''Nipomo''' ({{IPAc-en|n|@|ˈ|p|oʊ|m|oʊ}}; [[Chumashan languages|Chumash]]: ''Nipumuʔ'')<ref>[https://escholarship.org/content/qt3s34f5ss/qt3s34f5ss.pdf?t=krnh6i Chumash Place Names]</ref> is an [[unincorporated town]] in [[San Luis Obispo County, California]], United States. The population was 16,714 for the 2010 census<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.santamariatimes.com/news/local/article_c18874f4-4ae8-11e0-9a80-001cc4c03286.html |title=Santa Maria grows 28.6% |publisher=Santamariatimes.com |date=2011-03-09 |access-date=2012-09-14}}</ref> and grew to 18,176 for the 2020 census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Nipomo CDP, California |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/nipomocdpcalifornia/PST045222 |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.census.gov |language=en}}</ref>  For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Nipomo as a [[census-designated place]] (CDP).

==Name==
The name is the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] transliteration of the [[Obispeño language|Obispeño]] [[Chumash people|Chumash]] place name ''Nipumuʔ'', meaning "place of the big house"<ref name=CPH/> or "village".<ref name=EZNB/>

==History ==
[[File:Rafael, a Chumash who shared cultural knowledge with Anthropologists.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Late 19th-century photograph of Chumash [[Tribal chief|chief]] Rafael Solares]]
[[File:Lange-MigrantMother02.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Dorothea Lange]]'s famed portrait, ''Migrant Mother'', taken in Nipomo in 1936.]]

The original settlers of Nipomo were the [[Chumash (tribe)|Chumash]] Indians, who have lived in the area for over 9,000 years. [[Rancho Nipomo]] (the Chumash word ''ne-po-mah'' meant "foot of the hill") was one of the first and largest of the Mexican land grants in San Luis Obispo County.
[[File:Rancho Nipomo Dana Adobe (7816869126).jpg|thumb|[[Dana Adobe]]]]
[[William G. Dana]] of [[Boston]], a sea captain whose travels led him to California, married Maria Josefa Carrillo of [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]]. In 1837, the {{convert|38000|acre|km2|adj=on}} Rancho Nipomo was granted to Captain Dana by the Mexican governor. The [[Dana Adobe]], created in 1839, served as an important stop for travelers on [[El Camino Real (California)|El Camino Real]] between [[Mission San Luis Obispo]] and [[Mission Santa Barbara]]. The adobe was a stage coach stop and became the exchange point for mail going between north and south in the first regular mail route in California.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.danaadobe.org|title=Dana Adobe Home|publisher=Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos|access-date=8 July 2010}}</ref> The Danas had several children, thirteen of whom reached adulthood. They learned both English and Spanish, as well as the language of the Chumash natives.

In 1846, [[U.S. Army]] Captain [[John C. Fremont]] and his soldiers stopped at the rancho on their way south to Santa Barbara and [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]].  Captain Dana hosted a barbecue and gave Fremont's men 30 fresh horses. By the 1880s, the Dana descendants had built homes on the rancho and formed a town. Streets were laid out and lots were sold to the general public. The [[Pacific Coast Railway]] ([[narrow gauge]]) came to town in 1882, and trains ran through Nipomo until the [[Great Depression]] in the 1930s. By the end of 1942, the tracks had been removed for the [[World War II]] war effort.

Thousands of [[Eucalyptus globulus|blue gum eucalyptus]] trees were planted on the Nipomo Mesa in 1909 by two men who formed the [[Los Berros Forest Company]] with the idea of selling the trees as hardwood.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The long and tangled history of California’s eucalyptus trees |url=https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2019/12/21/the-long-and-tangled-history-of-californias-eucalyptus-trees |magazine=The Economist |access-date=20 January 2025}}</ref> Groves of these non-native trees still exist in rows as they were originally planted.

Nipomo Mesa is the location of one of the most famous photographs of the Great Depression, ''[[Migrant Mother]]'', by [[Dorothea Lange]].

==Geography==
[[File:Capt Dana Tree Nipomo.JPG|thumb|right|Capt. Dana Tree at the [[Dana Adobe]].]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|14.9|sqmi|km2}}, virtually all of it land.

===Climate===
This region experiences warm and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6&nbsp;°F.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Nipomo has a [[Mediterranean climate#Warm-summer Mediterranean climate|warm-summer Mediterranean climate]], abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=702640&cityname=Nipomo%2C+California%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Nipomo, California]</ref>

==Demographics==
===2020===
At the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] Nipomo had a population of 18,176. The population density was {{convert|1,205.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Nipomo was 12,669 (69.7%) White, 327 (1.8%) African American, 218 (1.2%) Native American, 291 (1.6%) Asian, 50 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 1,527 (8.4%) from other races, and 3,090 (17.0%) from two or more races.  Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9,233 persons (50.8%).<ref name=":0" /> 2,945 (16.2%) persons were 65 years or older and 4,791 (25.6%) were minors (under 18 years of age).

The census reported that 67.9% of the population lived in owner-occupied households with the average home value bring $594,800.  The Median gross rent from 2017 to 2021 was $1,640.

There were 5,667 households, 3,353 where the average household size was 3.25.

===2010===
At the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]] Nipomo had a population of 16,714. The population density was {{convert|1,125.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Nipomo was 12,281 (73.5%) White, 177 (1.1%) African American, 200 (1.2%) Native American, 421 (2.5%) Asian, 33 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 2,821 (16.9%) from other races, and 781 (4.7%) from two or more races.  Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,645 persons (39.8%).<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0651476|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715032012/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0651476|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Nipomo CDP|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref>

The census reported that 16,703 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 11 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 5,474 households, 2,258 (41.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,353 (61.3%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 686 (12.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 326 (6.0%) had a male householder with no wife present.  There were 338 (6.2%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 49 (0.9%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. 807 households (14.7%) were one person and 346 (6.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.05.  There were 4,365 families (79.7% of households); the average family size was 3.35.

The age distribution was 4,422 people (26.5%) under the age of 18, 1,531 people (9.2%) aged 18 to 24, 4,058 people (24.3%) aged 25 to 44, 4,593 people (27.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,110 people (12.6%) who were 65 or older.  The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

There were 5,759 housing units at an average density of 387.8 per square mile, of the occupied units 3,898 (71.2%) were owner-occupied and 1,576 (28.8%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.1%.  11,583 people (69.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,120 people (30.6%) lived in rental housing units.

===2000===
At the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]] there were 12,626 people, 4,035 households, and 3,316 families in the CDP.  The population density was {{convert|1,106.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 4,146 housing units at an average density of {{convert|363.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2000 census|racial makeup]] of the CDP was 75.9% White, 0.6% African American, 1.3% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 16.0% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.6%.<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>

Of the 4,035 households 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 13.5% of households were one person and 6.6% were one person aged 65 or older.  The average household size was 3.13 and the average family size was 3.42.

The age distribution was 30.7% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% 65 or older.  The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median household income was $49,852 and the median family income  was $54,338. Males had a median income of $41,288 versus $25,509 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,824.  About 5.6% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

==Parks and recreation==
Nipomo Community Park is {{convert|74|acre|ha|spell=in}} and includes hiking, horseback riding,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.keyt.com/news/long-delayed-plans-to-develop-nipomo-park-slowly-moving-forward/40405126 |title=Long Delayed Plans To Develop Nipomo Park Now Moving Forward |first= Dave |last=Alley |work=[[KEYT-TV]] |date=July 7, 2016|access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref> a dog park,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hodgson |first=Mike |title=New group forms to improve, maintain Nipomo Dog Park |url=https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/new-group-forms-to-improve-maintain-nipomo-dog-park/article_05714b4b-4e32-5b0a-8548-b0763d0588a0.html |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=Santa Maria Times |language=en}}</ref> and a skate park.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023-04-29 |title=Long-awaited Nipomo Skate Park now open |url=https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/long-awaited-nipomo-skate-park-now-open |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=KSBY News |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Dana Adobe]] is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. The entire Rancho Nipomo is listed as a [[California Historical Landmark]].

==Government==
In the [[California State Legislature]], Nipomo is in {{Representative|casd|17|fmt=sdistrict}}, and {{Representative|caad|35|fmt=adistrict}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |title=Statewide Database |publisher=[[Regents of the University of California]] |access-date=March 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201113744/http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the [[United States House of Representatives]], Nipomo is in {{Representative|cacd|24|fmt=district}}.<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|24|access-date=September 29, 2014}}</ref>

==Education==
[[Image:Nipomo-High.JPG|thumb|The entrance to Nipomo High School]]

===Colleges and universities===
**[[Allan Hancock College]], [[Santa Maria, California|Santa Maria]]
**[[Cuesta College]], [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]]
**[[California Polytechnic State University]] San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly)

===School district===
**[[Lucia Mar Unified School District]]
*'''Elementary'''
**[[Nipomo Elementary]] (K-6) 190 E Price, Nipomo.  Attended primarily by students living east of US 101.
**[[Dana Elementary]] (K-6) 920 W. Tefft St., Nipomo.  For students west of US 101 living nearby.
**[[Dorothea Lange Elementary]] (K-6) 1661 Via Alta Mesa, Nipomo.  Attended by other Nipomo area students living west of US 101.
*'''Middle school'''
**[[Mesa Middle School]] (7th-8th) 2555 Halcyon Road, [[Arroyo Grande, California|Arroyo Grande]].  Located within original [[Ranchos of California|Rancho Nipomo]] boundaries.  Stresses character education, and competes in basketball, volleyball, wrestling, track, and soccer.  Also known for drama and music programs.
*'''High school'''
**[[Nipomo High School]] (9th-12th) 525 N. Thompson Road, Nipomo.  It was opened in 2002. Before that students attended [[Arroyo Grande High School]].
**Central Coast New Tech High School (9th-12th). Is a public charter school opened in 2012 with a freshman class. The school added a freshman class each year, reaching all four classes in the 2015–2016 school year.

==Notable people==
* [[Casey Alexander (cartoonist)|Casey Alexander]] (b 1975) screenwriter (''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'', ''[[Uncle Grandpa]]'')
* [[Akeem King]] (b 1992) is a former [[National Football League|NFL]] player for the [[Atlanta Falcons]] and [[Seattle Seahawks]].
* [[Mike Lamond]] (b 1987), more commonly known by his online alias Husky or HuskyStarcraft, is a former sports commentator, YouTuber, director, and voice actor.
* [[Jeff McNeil]] (b 1992), is a professional baseball player for the [[New York Mets]].
* [[Leigh Rubin]] - creator of the syndicated comic strip [[Rubes]]
* [[Florence Owens Thompson]] (1903–1983) was an American woman who was the subject of Dorothea Lange's photograph ''Migrant Mother'' (1936)
* [[Don Siegel]] (1912–1991) was an American film and television director and producer

==Infrastructure==
The Nipomo Community Services District, a [[Special-purpose district]], provides a majority of the town with water<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lynch |first=John |last2=Zappelli |first2=Stephanie |date=November 11, 2022 |title=SLO County housing development could add 1,289 homes. Why are neighbors opposed to it? |url=https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article266802396.html |access-date=2022-11-12 |newspaper=San Luis Obispo Tribune |language=en }}</ref> with the rest of the community being services by Golden State Water.

==See also==
* [[Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nipomo, California}}
*[https://www.southcountychambers.com/ South County Chambers of Commerce]

{{Cities of San Luis Obispo County, California}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in San Luis Obispo County, California]]
[[Category:1839 establishments in Alta California]]
[[Category:1839 establishments in Mexico]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in California]]