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.

You will fit right in. It is a cute little town and is mostly white and little redneck that way. I have never come across a bad area and I have been going up there over 30 years.

There are cute bars and places to eat. Close to the beach and wineries. They have a nice farmer’s market in town I think it is on Thursday nights.

It is too far for a day trip to LA or San, but good for a 3 day weekend.

The weather is not as since as it is in LA, but it is very unusual in that the area has microclimates It may be nice in SLO, pretty cold in Pismo, warm in Avila and boiling hot is Paso. Always keep a sweater or jacket with you.

Keep the question open. Mad Dog lives up there and is a bit younger than I am so he may have a different point of view.

"Mad Dog" lives in that area so I would defer to his knowledge of the area. One MAJOR consideration you may need to think about is that you will pay the EXTREMELY expensive non-resident tuition at any California school.

If you're not one of "J.R,s" illegtimate trust fund babes you may find the cost to be prohibtive.