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Interesting Facts
- Black gold? Texas tea? In 1902, Santa Maria received a shot in the arm when oil was discovered.
- Santa Maria's aviation roots can be traced to the 1920s, when Captain G. Allan Hancock founded the area's first air field. It would later serve as an aviation school to train pilots for the Army Air Corps prior to WW II and as a school for plane mechanics during the Korean War.
- Perhaps the Central Coast's most famous residence is Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, located just outside of Santa Maria.
- Although better known in viticultural circles, Napa and Sonoma no longer have exclusive claim to the title "California Wine Country." Indeed, the counties of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo boast well over 50 separate wineries and more than 20,000 square acres of vineyards. Thanks to warm year-round temperatures, dry summers, cool Pacific breezes, and fertile soil, the Central Coast region is ideal for growing Burgundian-style varietals. Within short driving distance of Santa Maria is Foxen Canyon, a 20-mile stretch wherein travelers will find such estates as the Cambria Winery and Vineyard, Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard, and Zaca Mesa Winery.
- Where is Santa Maria? The answer to that question is easy enough: A little less than half-way. San Francisco is 270 miles north of Santa Maria, while Los Angeles is 170 miles south.
- Before command was transferred to the Air Force in 1957, Vandenberg Air Force Base was actually a U.S. Army base in the 1940s. With 5000 personnel, the base is the region's largest employer, and it's home to the U.S.A.F.'s 30th Space Wing. It's also the only United States military base that launches commercial and governmental satellites into polar orbit. In addition, the base test-fires intercontinental ballistic missiles, which splash down in the South Pacific – near the Marshall Islands' Kwajalein Atoll, to be exact.
- Santa Maria's Captain G. Allan Hancock was one of the primary sponsors of the "Southern Cross," a Fokker Tri-motor piloted by Charles Kingsford-Smith. It completed the first trans-Pacific flight in 1928, landing in Brisbane, AU, after having left Oakland, CA.
- Hollywood came to the Central Coast when, in the early 1920s, famed director Cecil B. DeMille chose to shoot segments of his silent epic "The Ten Commandments" in the Oceano Dunes. The set – at that time the largest in movie-making history – was called the "City of the Pharaoh," and after production, DeMille had it disassembled and buried. Some 60 years later, an enthusiastic group of movie buffs found the "remains" of the city and excavated it.
- Just off the old Mission Trail, Santa Maria is within an hour's drive of three Franciscan missions: Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa (1772), La Purisima Mission (1787), and Mission Santa Inés (1804) – 5th, 11th, and 19th, respectively, of the 21 Spanish missions established in Alta California.
- While terrific beaches and an ever-developing wine country are nice assets for Santa Maria, its barbecue is a source of great civic pride. The so-called "Best Barbecue in the World" is the entrée du jour at nearly all of the city's public functions. The Santa Maria-style barbecue tradition dates from the late 19th century, when ranch hands would gather after a hard day of work for a hearty dinner of beef barbecued over a red-oak fire. Today, resident chefs have perfected the art of preparing the "tri-tip": a triangular cut of sirloin seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic, then barbecued over red-oak coals. As for condiments, according to locals, the only one worthy of such a steak is homemade salsa ... No steak sauce here, thank you very much!
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