Questions about San Luis Obispo?

First off, congratulations on getting accepted to Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo.

1. People here are kind of mixed. The older generation of the area are mostly conservative while the younger generation of the area are mostly liberal. San Luis Obispo SCREAMS college town. I believe the majority of the city's population is actually in the range of 21-28. Lots of kids with sports cars and lots of stereos bumping. Lots of morons speeding like crazy.

2. Despite the town not having any bad neighborhoods (gang activity is non-existent!) I would still advise to keep caution due to the high trend of homeless people that reside in the area. In general, you really don't have to worry about bad neighborhoods, because San Luis Obispo County's gang activity is practically non-existent! Just a bunch of posers that act "gangsta."

3. Besides the typical bar scene in downtown San Luis Obispo, there's LOTS of hiking trails if you're into that kind of stuff. Head over to Los Osos for some tons of nature adventures as Sweet Springs Nature Preserve (it's beautiful in the spring time!) and Los Osos Oaks State Preserve.

For a little more entertainment, there's Pismo Beach. You can do the obvious such as visiting the beach and shop through downtown Pismo Beach. There's also the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach. HIGHLY RECOMMEND visiting the area. As of right now, an average of 12,000 butterflies are roaming this area as we speak. It is definitely quite the experience seeing all these butterflies!

Downtown San Luis Obispo also has a Farmer's Market every Thursday. It's actually pretty fun and I would recommend going at least once for the experience.

4. That's the beauty of living in San Luis Obispo! You are centrally located between San Francisco and Los Angeles (although, Paso Robles is the technical central, but close enough) and if you wanted to make a day trip in either area, you can! I used to make day trips to San Jose all the time, and as a kid, I would always go on day trips with the family to Los Angeles, so it works out great! Just expect to wake up early be up late.

5. A lot of people are going to say that there is no weather like the Central Coast of California anywhere else in the world. Considering I'm a native, I wouldn't know what they're talking about because it's all the same to me as far as the state of California goes. Considering SLO is more inland than the coastal cities, it's going to be cooler in the evenings (average in the 40's) and somewhat warmer in the days (average in the low 60's- early 70's.) In the summer, it gets pretty warm, but for a Texan, it's definitely going to still feel cool. It can range somewhere in the 80's-90's in the day and in the late 40's-50's in the evening. Don't be surprised if it reaches the 100's in the summer, or any time of the year for that matter.

6. Beware of the racists (you're White, so you don't have to worry.) Other than that, kick back, relax, and go with the flow.

1. The people there are very friendly on campus and off campus, and San Luis Obispo is definitely a college town, lots of stores.

2. The town is really nice, not at all ghetto or anything.

3. There are mountains and beaches near by (about a 30 min drive) so there are plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities.

4. SF is about 4 hours away and LA is 3 so if that's reasonable to you.........

5. Warm summers, although definitely not as hot as Texas. It's near the coast so I'd say it would rarely get into the upper 90s. Summers can be rainy but not super cold.

6. Make a visit. The campus is pretty with new buildings and the community there is really nice. It's not that big of a school so you'll get to know people

1. Yes it has a college atmosphere.

2. White and conservative.

3. Small town, very neat and clean

4. Weather is hot in summer. It is about 25 miles from the ocean.

5. It is about 4 hours from San Francisco and 3 1/2 from Los Angeles.

1) it is a very nice quaint college town of about 45,000 people. half of which attends either cal poly or nearby cuesta junior college. the town is 85% white. median age is 26.

2) there aren't really any bad areas to be honest with you. fairly nice non descript suburban type feel.

3) there are tons of open spaces around SLO. surfing at near by pismo beach and morro bay are nice. lots of hiking in the hills around town. the wildflower triatholan in near by lake san antonio is big draw. kind of a bit of a drive but is always a draw.

4) it is 230 miles to SF and 200 to LA. about 3 to 4 hours in either direction....slo is approximately 1/2 way between. not really a day trip option...santa barbara is closer at 90 miles south.

5) slo seasons are kind of wonky. fall is really nice and warm. dec - march super rainy. summer ius nice, but foggy. winter is dec - march highs in mid 60s, lows mid 40s. spring april - june mid 70s and lows mid 40s to 50s. summer june - october highs mid 70s/80s to lows low 50s. weather is pretty pleasant most of the year. not really humid, hot, cold, doesn't freeze. just rains a lot during winter quarter of school.

6) it is a really nice area. and most of us poly grads all want to go back and live there forever. it is home. it isn't a big town. so don't think LA or SF. it is really a small suburban type feel for community. it isn't a big division 1 school. so they aren't going to be super great at football like the texas schools. i enjoyed school there and would go back in a heart beat.

San Luis is a great school. I have a neice who is going there now. I had friends who went there many years ago. The people above gave you good info. Cal Poly is a big, old, town. If it weren't for the school, there wouldn't be anything there. it's a big town in the middle of nowhere. it seems that everyone who goes there likes it. There are a lot of kids from the San Francisco Bay Area who go there. it's a really good school. it's safe and nice there too. if you get accepted, it would be a good school to attend.