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is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. Santa Maria's estimated population in November 2008 was 111,972 and has surpassed that of Santa Barbara, making it the largest city in the county. The estimated population of the area is about 161,227, which includes the Santa Maria Valley, the city of Guadalupe, the unincorporated township of Orcutt. Nipomo is also considered part of the Santa Maria area, as it is adjacent to Santa Maria on the north in San Luis Obispo County. The city is notable for its wine industry and Santa Maria Style Barbecue.
In 1769, the Portola exploration party came through the Santa Maria Valley on its trek up the coast of California to find the Monterey Bay. After Mission San Luis Obispo was established in 1772 and Mission La Purisima was established in what is now Lompoc in 1787, settlers were attracted to the Santa Maria Valley by way of the gold fields elsewhere in California. Rather than rich soil, they were attracted here by the possibility of free land. In 1821, when Spain granted Mexico its independence, mission lands were made available for private ownership.
Before the Spanish cattle grazing explorers and settlers came to the Santa Maria Valley, it was a stretch of sagebrush, deer, bears and rabbits stretching from the Santa Lucia Mountains toward the Pacific Ocean. The Chumash Indians made their homes on the slopes of the surrounding hills among the oaks and sycamores where there was more moisture and shelter, and along the beach areas. In the 1800s, when California gained statehood (in 1850), the rich soil drew farmers and other settlers, and the Santa Maria River Valley became one of the most productive agricultural areas in the state. Agriculture is still a key component of the economy for the city and the entire region.
Between 1869 and 1874, four of the valley's prominent settlers, Rudolph Cook, John Thornburg, Isaac Fesler, and Isaac Miller, farmed the land that today corners on Broadway and Main Street. The townsite map was recorded in Santa Barbara in 1875. The new city was first called Grangerville, then Central City. The City's name was changed to "Santa Maria" on February 18, 1885, because mail for the community was being sent by mistake to Central City, Colorado. "Santa Maria" comes from the name that settler Juan Pacifico Ontiveros had given to his property 25 years earlier.
The Santa Maria Valley saw oil exploration begin in 1888, leading to large-scale discoveries around the turn of the century. In 1901, Union Oil and a number of smaller companies began pumping for oil. By the end of 1903, Union Oil, the major player in the region, had 22 wells in production. Several significant discoveries followed. For the next 80 years, thousands of oil wells were drilled and put into production in the area. Oil development intensified in 1930s, spurring the City's growth even further. By 1957 there were 1,775 oil wells in operation in the Santa Maria Valley, producing more than $64 million worth of oil.
Today, The Santa Maria Valley remains a major agricultural hub in California and the City of Santa Maria has continued to add major "destination" retail outlets to its existing retail offerings. Santa Maria is the leader in Santa Barbara County in terms of retail sales growth.