Atascadero, CA
Local News
- Atascadero police locate missing 11-year-old boy — San Luis Obispo Tribune
- Update: Earthquake measuring 2.1 struck area near Atascadero, CA on Oct. 21 — Sacramento Bee
- DUI suspected in Jolon Road crash that killed 2 — The King City Rustler
- 1 person rescued from SLO County house fire — San Luis Obispo Tribune
- Atascadero Air Quality Index (AQI) and USA Air Pollution — IQAir
Official Local Resources
City of Atascadero · San Luis Obispo County · ca.gov · California Department of Motor Vehicles
Atascadero is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It lies in the inland part of the Central Coast, between the Salinas River and the Santa Lucia Range, at the junction of U.S. Route 101 and State Route 41. Its population was 29,773 at the 2020 census.
The area has historical connections to the Salinan and Northern Chumash peoples. Publisher Edward Gardner Lewis founded the Atascadero Colony in 1913 as a planned agricultural community. Its development included orchards, a water system, a printing plant and a civic center. The colony also imposed racially restrictive property covenants. Atascadero incorporated as a city in 1979.
The former colony administration building serves as City Hall. Other institutions include Atascadero State Hospital, the Central Coast Zoo and the Atascadero Unified School District. Major employment sectors include healthcare and social services, retail, accommodation and food services, and education. Parks and open spaces include Atascadero Lake Park, Sunken Gardens and Stadium Park. The city has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and cooler, wetter winters.