San Luis Obispo County Ranch Town
Welcome to Santa Margarita, a small San Luis Obispo County community on the historic Santa Margarita Ranch, set along State Route 58 near Santa Margarita Lake.
Santa Margarita is a small, unincorporated community and census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, on California's Central Coast. It sits in the inland foothills northeast of the city of San Luis Obispo, near Cuesta Peak and along State Route 58, in a landscape of oak woodlands, rolling pastures, and the headwaters of the Salinas River drainage. The community was founded in 1889, but its roots run much deeper, tied to the Spanish and Mexican eras of California history. The town takes its name from the Mexican-era Rancho Santa Margarita, one of the great land grants of Alta California, and it is home to the Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia, a former outpost associated with Mission San Luis Obispo. The ranch tradition continued through the American period, when the Murphy family held the land, ran large cattle herds, and helped bring the Southern Pacific Railroad through the area, securing Santa Margarita's place on the region's map. Today Santa Margarita remains a small community of roughly 1,300 residents. It is served by the Atascadero Unified School District, with Santa Margarita Elementary School located in town and secondary students attending schools in Atascadero. The surrounding Santa Margarita Ranch continues to operate as a working ranch and event venue, keeping the area's agricultural identity alive. The community's chief natural amenity is Santa Margarita Lake, a county-managed recreation area with a reservoir for boating and fishing, developed camping, and miles of trails. For residents, Santa Margarita offers country living with genuine historical depth, positioned conveniently between Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, and the Paso Robles wine region to the north.
Santa Margarita is located in San Luis Obispo County, on California's Central Coast. It lies northeast of the city of San Luis Obispo along State Route 58, near the county's inland foothills and Cuesta Peak.
Santa Margarita is served by the Atascadero Unified School District. Santa Margarita Elementary School operates within the community, and secondary students attend schools in the Atascadero district to the north.
Santa Margarita Lake is a San Luis Obispo County Parks recreation area with a reservoir offering boating and fishing, developed campgrounds, and roughly 25 miles of hiking trails. The adjoining Santa Margarita Lake Natural Area adds thousands of acres of open space for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
Santa Margarita was founded in 1889 near Cuesta Peak. It takes its name from the Mexican-era Rancho Santa Margarita land grant and is home to the Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia site, a former outpost of Mission San Luis Obispo, reflecting the area's Spanish and Mexican ranching heritage.
No. Santa Margarita is a small rural community in San Luis Obispo County. Rancho Santa Margarita is a much larger, separate master-planned city in Orange County, more than 200 miles to the southeast. The two share a name but are entirely different places.
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