Nipomo

The story

Life in Nipomo

Nipomo sits along U.S. Highway 101 at the southern edge of San Luis Obispo County. It is an unincorporated community, governed by the County of San Luis Obispo rather than a city council.

The area is known for its larger lots, eucalyptus groves, equestrian properties and golf communities on the Nipomo Mesa, with the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes to the west.

The history

Where it began

The Chumash lived along this coast for thousands of years. The name Nipomo comes from a Chumash village name meaning “at the foot of the hill.”

In 1837 Governor Juan B. Alvarado granted the 37,888-acre Rancho Nipomo to Boston sea captain William Goodwin Dana. Dana began building his adobe home in 1839, and the rancho became a well-known stopping place on El Camino Real.

In 1847 the Dana ranch became one of four exchange points on California’s first U.S. mail route. Rancho Nipomo and the Dana Adobe are a designated California Historical Landmark (No. 1033).