Los Osos (Spanish for “the bears”) is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in San Luis Obispo County, California. Located on the Central Coast of California, Los Osos had a population estimated to be 16,533 in 2019.

Northern Chumash people, known in their language as yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini, are the first inhabitants of the Los Osos area, as competently as much of San Luis Obispo County. The Northern Chumash place name Petpatsu has been identified to be near or within the area of Los Osos. These peoples traditionally rely upon the harvesting of fish and shellfish (e.g. Macoma nasuta) from Morro Bay, as skillfully as the harvesting of acorns and vegetables from the surrounding areas. There is a large Northern Chumash archaeological site upon a stabilized sand dune in Los Osos dating to at least as in advance as 1200 CE. The remains of two Northern Chumash people were removed from a site at Sweet Springs Nature Preserve dating to approximately 1700 BCE, and were complex inventoried below NAGPRA and are possibly in the process of repatriation to the individuals’ descendants. Cabrillo first encountered the Chumash in the year 1542. Today, Northern Chumash people are as of nevertheless federally unrecognized, but continue to organize themselves under the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, which is headquartered in Los Osos.

On September 7 – 8, 1769, the Portolà expedition traveled through the San Luis Obispo area on his pretension to rediscover the Bay of Monterey. Finding an abundance of bears in the area, his diarist, Padre Juan Crespi, O.F.M., recorded that the name unconditional the area by his soldiers was “Los Osos” (Spanish for “the bears”). Sources disagree roughly whether the blazing of the Spanish publish Crespi recorded was “llano” (plain) or “cañada” (glen).

The Portolà expedition was the dawn of a shove by Spain to probe the northwestern frontier of Las Californias, and to support both military outposts and missions. The imitate was intended to counter what were thought to be colonial designs by Russian traders from Alaska and the British fur companies in the Pacific Northwest. (See: Fort Ross, Russian-American Company, Hudson’s Bay Company) The Portolà expedition was organized by the Visitadór Generál of New Spain, José de Gálvez, following up (belatedly) on previous maritime expeditions, most notably that of Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602-3, who visited and described many points along the coast, including Monterey Bay, Portolà’s primary destination.