California Valley ( Zip Code 93453) is located in the West Central portion of the state of California (see map on this site) about 1.5 hours from the Pacific coast. It is located in San Luis Obispo County. Following route 58 West from California Valley West would lead you to Morro Bay, CA a well known coastal town. Paso Robles, Atascadero and San Luis Obispo are the biggest towns west of California Valley and Bakersfield is the largest city East with the smaller town of Taft, CA being closer. Traveling distances to these locations are:
LOCATION DISTANCE (miles)
Taft, CA 44.1
Bakersfield, CA 70.0
Santa Margarita 45.9
Paso Robles, CA 52.6
Atascadero, CA 51.4
San Luis Obispo, CA 56.5
Morro Bay, CA 66.5
Los Angles, CA 169.1
San Jose, CA 211.1
San Francisco, CA 254.6
Miles determined from Microsoft Streets and
Trips 2005
GENERAL AREA DESCRIPTION AND GEOGRAPHY
California Valley is a high plains semi arid location at approximately 2000 feet above sea level. Known as the Carrizo Plains, it is mostly flat with the valley running north-south thought two significant mountain ranges. To the West is the Caliente Range containing Caliente Mountain which is the highest location in San Luis Obispo County. These mountains are part of the Las Padres National Wilderness. To the East is the Temblor Range and along the western base of this range runs the San Andreas Fault.
This area is part of a basin that has no water outlet. This basin was formed 30 million years ago as tectonic forces push the two mountain ranges upward. As such, water collected over the years carrying soda during runoff into the nearby Soda Lake. Evaporation left this lake and lake bed with a high soda content similar to the great salt lake in Utah. Soda Lake is the centerpiece of the nearby Carrizo Planes National Monument with its bed of white salt, open grasslands, beautiful springtime flowers and wildlife.
Water is a key factor in the development of this area. Generally, water is good ( not alkaline) West of Soda Lake road but in the middle of the California Valley development (the old lake bed area) the water is very alkaline and undrinkable without treatment. There are approximately 7000 (2.5 acre) building lots in California Valley many of which are in the old lake bed area. One needs to consult your real estate agent when purchasing land.
CLIMATE
In California Valley, the summers can get hot and the winters can
get cold . Temperatures from July 16, 2007 to August 15,
2007 (mid summer) range from 80 F to 100 F during the day and 50
F to 65 F during the nights (Ref CACZ1 weather station). Humidity
during this same period was nominally around 30%. The last
winter in California Valley was especially cold. Temperatures for
the month of December 2007 ranged from 31 F at night to 75 F during the day (Ref
CACZ1 weather station). There were days in January were the temperature
reached 10 F. Although California Valley is thought as the
hottest location in San Luis Obispo county, actually, the temperature
is not much different than Paso Robles or Atascadero (sometime even
cooler in the summer).
HISTORY
Much of the Carrizo's human history, like its geologic past, can be read
directly from the land. The bedrock mortars holes when they ground their food and elaborate pictographs that can
be seen at Painted Rock
provide colorful evidence that both Chumash and Yokut Indians
frequented the area in prehistoric times. Probably attracted to the
game-rich Carrizo grasslands for hunting and gathering as well as
trading and ceremonial purposes, these native peoples experienced an
environment that underwent dramatic changes when herds of livestock
from the Spanish missions began to graze the land in the early 1880s..
The Painted Rock area was used as a gathering place for many tribes to
exchange goods similar to the present day swap meets.
Great herds of horses, cattle and sheep thrived on the diverse vegetation. Eventually this overgrazing destroyed much of the native flora. Seeds of exotic plants, many of which were inadvertently carried in the hair, wool and feet of the Spanish livestock, found the overgrazed range a perfect place to germinate and grow. Today, more than half the grasses and other flowers that bloom on the Carrizo each spring, as in most grasslands across the state are plants native to Europe and Asia.
Dry land grain farming joined ranching as a major human use of the Carrizo Plain in 1885, when the first homesteaders began to settle here. In was not until 1912, however, and the advent of mechanized agriculture, that large-scale farming became possible. In the years between the two world wars, vast acres of grassland were put under the plow even though the Carrizo's limited and unpredictable rainfall, averaging 8-10" per year, made such ventures risky. The plow lines visible along the foothills bordering the plain and the old machinery collection at the visitor's center serve as reminders of those human days.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Data for California Valley is generally shown under
Santa Margarita which is the holder of the zip code. As of 2007,
Santa Margarita's population is 2,794 people. Since 2000, it has had a
population growth of 17.70 percent. California Valley has a
population of approximately 500 people. In the Fall 2006 General
elections, there were 140 votes cast out of 181 registered voters in
the California Valley Community Service District.
Traditionally, the people living in California Valley were retired
and people who liked quiet and space. Over the last several
years, due to the significant increase in land values of surrounding
towns, the valley has seen an influx of young families who want to own a
home they can afford. Although the land prices in the valley have
started to increase, they still remain significantly lower than the
region.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Government - California Valley Community Service District (CVCSD) is one of the nine service districts in San Luis Obispo County. It has five (5) Directors and a General Manager. The CVCSD current responsibility includes solid waste pickup/disposal and road maintenance. The address is 13084 Soda Lake Road, on the south side of Soda Lake Road, approximately 2 miles south of Highway 58, in the village of California Valley. The Community Center has a hall used to conduct the service district board meetings. . There is a porta-potty in the back parking area of the building.
Schools - The community is served by a school (thru 8th grade) and community center with library, open on Wednesdays. High School students are transported to Atascadero. There is a community college in Taft and Questa College in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. One of the best technical four year colleges, Cal Poly, is in San Luis Obispo.
Roads - The main highway to California Valley is route 58 but the community actually surrounds Soda Lake Road which branches off of Rt..58. Bitterwater road and Bitterwater Valley road will lead you to route 46 North, and Bitterwater Valley leads to route 33 and route 5 East.. Most of the roads in California Valley are compacted dirt. Soda Lake, Belmont Trail, and a portion of Seven Mile Road are paved. Soda Lake road will lead to route 166 South but the road is paved only until you get to the National Monument. It then turns into a dirt road which is difficult to travel in bad (or even good) weather.
Electrical Power - Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) provides electrical power to the valley. It is estimated that only about 15% of the lots have close access (within 1 or 2 lots) to power.
Telephone - Phone service to the valley is supplied by AT&T (formally SBC). The local prefix is (805) 475-XXXX It is estimated that only about 15% of the lots have close access (within 1 or 2 lots) to phone service. There is one cell phone carrier that has a reasonable signal but even that diminishes as you get closer to the West side mountains.. There is a pay phone exterior to the Community Service building near the new fire station .
Medical - There are no doctors in California Valley. Emergency medical services are supplied by the fire department and MEDVAC helicopter called CalStar. Individual and family memberships are available through CALSTAR.Food - There is currently no store or restaurant in the valley
Gas - There was a gas station in California Valley when it was first developed. The station building still exists but there is no gas. When you drive to California Valley, be prepared and start with a full tank.
Fire - California Valley does have a new CAL FIRE station. The station is designated San Luis Fire Station #42. It is manned 3 days a week with the remaining coverage by voluntary personnel.
Post Office - There is no post office but there are drop/lock boxes at the community center for residents.
Law Enforcement - The San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs department provides coverage for California Valley but there is no station located in the community. The California Highway Patrol does patrol highway 58.
Building Permits and Inspections - San Luis Obispo Planning & Building Department oversees all construction in California Valley. A building permit is required. A well is necessary before they will issue a building permit. Inspections for California Valley occur on Wednesday's.