Santa Maria Spanish for " St. It is approximately 65 miles km northwest of Santa Barbara and miles km northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was , at the census, [ 8 ] making it the most populous city in the county and the Santa Maria- Santa Barbara , CA Metro Area. The city is notable for its wine industry and Santa Mariaβstyle barbecue. The Native Americans made their homes on the slopes of the surrounding hills among the oaks , on the banks of the Santa Maria River among the sycamores , and along the coast.
They had unique plank-built boats, called Tomol , which they used for ocean fishing. Rather than rich soil, white settlers were attracted here by the possibility of free land. In , after the Mexican War of Independence , the mission lands in Santa Maria Valley were made available for private ownership under a Mexican land grant called Rancho Punta de Laguna. At the end of the Mexican War in , California was ceded to the United States, and was granted statehood with the Compromise of In the late 19th century, the area's rich soil attracted farmers and other settlers.
By the end of the century, the Santa Maria River Valley had become one of the most productive agricultural areas in the state. Agriculture remains a key component of the economy for the city and the entire region. High School is named , and Isaac Miller for whom Miller Elementary School is named , built their homes near each other at the present corners on Broadway and Main Street.
The townsite was recorded in Santa Barbara in The new town was named Grangerville, then changed to Central City. Santa Maria was chosen from the name Juan Pacifico Ontiveros had given to his property 25 years earlier. Oil exploration began in , leading to large-scale discoveries at the turn of the 20th century. In , Union Oil discovered the large Orcutt Oil Field in the Solomon Hills south of town, and a number of smaller companies also began pumping oil. Two years later, Union Oil had 22 wells in production.
Other significant discoveries followed, including the Lompoc Oil Field in and the Cat Canyon field in Over the next 80 years more large oil fields were found, and thousands of oil wells drilled and put into production. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of The city of Guadalupe, California is approximately 9 miles 14 km to the west of Santa Maria.
