SANTA MARIA OIL DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA. 
15 
GEOGRAPHY AIN'T) TOPOGRAPHY. 
LOCATION. 
The region discussed in this paper is situated on the California coast 
in Santa Barbara County, between 120° and 120° 40' west longitude 
and 34° 30' and 35° north latitude. In areal extent it is about 1,300 
square miles and it practically covers the Lompoc and Guadalupe 
quadrangles as topographically mapped by the United States Geo¬ 
logical Survey. It includes portions of the San Rafael and Santa 
\ nez divisions of the Coast Ranges and the basin region lying between 
them, which is occupied by the Santa Maria, Los Alamos, and Santa 
Ynez valleys and the intervening hill ranges. It is bordered on the 
north by the San Luis Obispo County line, on the west and south by 
the Pacific Ocean, and on the east by the Santa Ynez quadrangle, 
which covers the high, wild mountains north of Santa Barbara. On 
its west coast are Point Sal and Point Arguello, and the south coast 
includes Point Conception and part of the long, straight shore line 
that runs due east from that point toward Santa Barbara. These are 
among the most prominent coastal features of California. 
The region is thoroughly intersected by roads, except in some of 
the uninhabited portions. The Southern Pacific Railroad coast line, 
part of the transcontinental system, extends close to the ocean entirely 
around two, sides of the area, and the Pacific Coast Railroad, a local 
line from Port Harford and San Luis Obispo, runs into the region as 
far as Los Olivos via Santa Maria. A rough estimate would place 
the number of inhabitants of this region between 5,000 and 10,000. 
The Arroyo Grande and Huasna oil fields, in the San Luis quad¬ 
rangle, San Luis Obispo County, are also briefly mentioned, although 
not a part of the region whose general features are described in this 
report. 
DEFINITIONS OF PLACE NAMES. 
The following list defines certain place names as used on the map 
and in this report. The two main mountain ranges have heretofore 
been indefinitely designated The other names are newly applied. 
The only land comprised within the Guadalupe quadrangle is the 
narrow strip of coast west of longitude 120° 30' W. The Lompoc 
quadrangle covers the rest of the area shown on the map east of that 
line. 
The San Rafael Mountains include the whole group between Santa 
Ynez and Cuvama rivers. 
The Santa Ynez Mountains include the whole range east of Point 
Arguello between Santa Ynez River and the ocean. 
