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) is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Paso Robles is the fastest growing city in San Luis Obispo County: Its population at the 2000 census was 24,297; by 2007 this number had risen to 29,297, with a greater area population of 41,249. It is estimated that by 2010 the population will be approximately 32,400, and that it will reach 44,000 by 2025. Located on the Salinas River north of San Luis Obispo, California, the city is known for its hot springs, its abundance of wineries, and for playing host to the California Mid-State Fair. Translated to English, the city name means "Oak Pass" or "The Pass of the Oaks."
Paso Robles is located at , approximately halfway between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco on what is known as the "Central Coast". The elevation of Paso Robles ranges from 675 to 1,100 feet, but the majority of the main downtown area of the city sits at about 740 feet above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Paso Robles city limits contain a total land area of 19.9 square miles (51.56 km²), all of it land.
The topography of the area consists of gentle rolling hills on the eastern half of the city, and foothill peaks which rise in elevation to the Santa Lucia Coastal Range on the west, which are all blanketed in the Californian chaparral environment, which is mainly dry grassland and oak woodland. Simply "Paso", as it is referred to by locals, sits on the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucia Coastal Mountain Range, which lies directly to the West of the city, and runs in a North-South direction, starting at Monterey, then runs down South to its terminus, in the San Luis Obispo area. The city is located at the southern end of the fertile Salinas River Valley, which is centered in between the Temblor Range (including the San Andreas Fault), which lie about 28 miles to the East, and the Santa Lucia Coastal Range, which lie directly west, rising up from the city's western border. Paso Robles sits at the border where northern San Luis Obispo County and southern Monterey County meet, and is situated roughly 24 miles, or 20 minutes, inland from the Pacific Ocean.