On April 20, 1889, the Southern Pacific Railroad reached Santa Margarita from Templeton. Patrick Murphy worked to restore the Rancho to a working agricultural ranch. After downturns in the economy and personal debts, Estrada sold the Rancho to the Martin Murphy family in 1860. Estrada was famed for his “Rancho Hospitality” with rodeos, BBQs and fiestas. In 1841, following Mexico’s 1822 independence and 1830s mission secularization, Joaquin Estrada became the owner of the Rancho Santa Margarita. The Spanish El Camino Real trail past it is the city's present-day main street. The Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia was founded circa 1775, and was named for the Italian Saint, Santa Margarita de Cortona. Junipero Serra founded the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, he realized that an assistancia (sub-mission) was needed. The de Anza Expedition traversed the Cuesta Grade into the valley in 1776. Santa Margarita Valley, with its year-round running streams and abundant acorns, was a meeting place for northern Chumash and southern Salinan around 6500 BCE. Although heat extremes in the 110s have been recorded, the maritime moderation is generally strong due to the proximity to the cool ocean waters. On January 15, 2021, the weather station at California Polytechnic University (San Luis Obispo) recorded a temperature of 93 ☏ (34 ☌), being the warmest "winter" temperature ever recorded in the city. Temperatures do, however, vary widely at any time of the year, with 80 ☏ (27 ☌) readings in January and February not uncommon. Measurable snowfall in San Luis Obispo has not officially been recorded since records began in 1870, although photos show about 0.3 inches (0.76 cm) fell in 1922 and snow flurries were reported in both 19. Winters are generally mild, though below freezing lows may be expected four nights per year. Summers are generally warm and sunny, often with morning fog from the Pacific coast.
On average it has 50 days with measurable rain per year – mostly during winter months. Santa Margarita experiences a cool Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification Csb).
#Santa margarita code
It is served by ZIP code 93453 and area code 805.Īccording to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km 2), all of it land. Santa Margarita Lake, a major water source for San Luis Obispo, is located several miles southeast of the town on the headwaters of the Salinas River.
Located in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, it is one of the most rural communities in San Luis Obispo County. Santa Margarita was named for the 13th-century Italian saint Margaret of Cortona (1247-1297).