Santa Maria (Spanish for “St. Mary”) is a city in the Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County. It is approximately 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Santa Barbara and 150 miles (240 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was 109,707 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous city in the county and the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Metro Area. The city is notable for its wine industry and Santa Maria-style barbecue.

The Santa Maria Valley, stretching from the Santa Lucia Mountains toward the Pacific Ocean, was the homeland of the Chumash people for several thousand years. The Native Americans made their homes on the slopes of the surrounding hills accompanied by the oaks, on the banks of the Santa Maria River accompanied by the sycamores, and along the coast. They had unique plank-built boats, called Tomol, which they used for ocean fishing.

In 1769, the Portolá Expedition passed through the Santa Maria Valley during the first Spanish house exploration up the coast of Las Californias Province. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was acknowledged just north of the valley in 1772, and Mission La Purísima Concepción was established near present-day Lompoc in 1787. Rather than wealthy soil, white settlers were attracted here by the possibility of pardon land. In 1821, after the Mexican War of Independence, the mission lands in Santa Maria Valley were made nearby for private ownership under a Mexican land attain called Rancho Punta de Laguna. At the halt of the Mexican War in 1848, California was ceded to the United States, and was established statehood like the Compromise of 1850.

In the late 19th century, the area’s rich soil attracted farmers and other settlers. By the subside of the century, the Santa Maria River Valley had become one of the most productive agricultural areas in the state. Agriculture remains a key component of the economy for the city and every single one region.