Santa Barbara County 



C. M. GIDNBY 

 Secretary of the Chamber ot Commerce 



THE county of Santa Barbara lies in that angle of the California coast 

 of which the noted promontory, Point Concepcion, is the southwest 

 salient. It is bounded on the north by San Luis Obispo County, on 

 the east by Ventura County, on the south by the Santa Barbara 

 Channel, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. 



As it lies on both sides the isothermal division line between the northern 

 and southern parts of California, its climate partakes of the best of each, 

 that portion especially lying along the Santa Barbara Channel having long 

 been famous as the climatic capital not only of California, but of the 

 world. The area of the county, including the islands of Santa Cruz and 

 Santa Rosa, lying twenty-five miles off the mainland, is 2,630 square 

 miles, being more than twice that of Rhode Island. The entire eastern 

 portion Is mountainous, and forms a part of the Santa Barbara Forest 

 Reserve. 



The Santa Maria Valley contains about 100,000 acres of agricultural 

 lands adapted to varied productions, mainly grains, beans, fruit, and sugar- 

 beets. Westward, eastward, and southward the rolling and hill lands are 

 occupied by dairy and stock ranges. The soil of the valley is a sandy loam, 

 very easily worked and holding moisture well in a drought. Santa Maria, 

 with a population of 2,00.0, is the principal town. Guadalupe, the center 

 of the dairy interests; Betteravia, of the beet sugar industry; Orcutt, of the 

 oil interests, and Carey, of the fruit section, are the other towns of this 

 valley. The Santa Maria oil-fields are the most important in the State. 



Los Alamos Valley is mainly devoted to the raising of grain and cattle. 

 Some parts of the valley are very picturesquely wooded. Here are also 

 found some excellent oil wells, and many large deposits of asphaltum are 

 known to exist. The town of Los Alamos, with a population of about 500, 

 occupies a central point in the valley. 



Lompoc Valley has an area of about 150,000 acres suitable for culti- 

 vation. Of this about 12,000 or 13,000 acres is of the richest kind of valley 

 soil, of great depth and of inexhaustible fertility. In this soil every crop 

 thrives to a bountiful harvest. 



Santa Barbara Valley is the semi-valley lying between the Santa Ynez 

 Mountains and the Santa Barbara Channel. Its southern exposure, with 

 the protecting mountain range on the north, gives it the finest climate 

 of any part of the United States. This climatic advantage produces a won- 

 derful flora, and everything that grows in the temperate zone, and nearly 

 everything that grows in the tropics as well here finds favorable conditions. 

 The most profitable crops grown for export are English walnuts, lemons, 

 and olives. The English walnut is easily the most profitable horticultural 

 production of California, and It is in this valley that its perfection is reached. 

 The crop the present year will bring the growers at least $300,000. 



Apples, pears, quinces, peaches, prunes, persimmons, apricots, loquats, 

 pomegranates, oranges, limes, citrons, guavas, figs, plums, grapes of all 

 varieties, custard apples, bananas, dates, pineapples, and strawberries all 

 the year round are some of the products. Small dairies and poultry farms 

 return a good living on a small Investment, and the growing of vegetables 

 and all kinds of garden truck, on account of the large and rapidly increas- 

 ing non-productive population, is proving profitable. Santa Barbara, the 

 county seat of Santa Barbara County, has a population of over 12,000, 

 and has doubled the number of inhabitants since 1900. It is beyond ques- 

 tion the most delightful of all the California residence cities. For quality 

 and quantity of v/ater supply, for convenience of transportation, for educa- 

 tional and social advantages, for beauty of environment, for ease of access, 

 for hotel and boarding-house facilities, and for all the comforts and con- 

 veniences that go to make the modern city, Santa Barbara is fully up 



to date. 



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