Arroyo Grande Tutors

About Arroyo Grande

Its local residents often refer to the city of Arroyo Grande in San Luis Obispo County as simply “A.G.”. It is one of the “Five Cities”, which according to Arroyo Grande tutors is incorrect as technically there are only three cities. The name “Five Cities” describes the Central Coast area that encompasses Arroyo Grande, and the neighboring Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Shell Beach and Oceano. Oceano is technically a Community Service District and not considered a city, and Shell Beach is within the Pismo Beach city limits, hence the confusion with the term “Five Cities”.

The San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors established Arroyo Grande in 1862, and the township centered round the busy thoroughfare of “Branch Street”. “Branch Street” was named after “Francis Ziba Branch” a New Yorker who stumbled upon the area during a seasonal hunting trip, when he fell in love with and married Maria Manuela Carlon. Their union entitled them to a Mexican land grant, (as at this time San Luis Obispo and the surrounding lands were still a part of Mexico.) the land they were entrusted with is where Arroyo Grande is located today.

Arroyo Grande remained a small-scale agricultural town for many years until the 1970s. At this time the town was designated the location for expansion of its wastewater treatment plant when a grant was designated by the EPA. As a result of this, previous limitations with regards to growth constraints were removed and investors saw incredible potential in the beautiful neighborhood and so new housing developments began to immerge.

The environmental impact assessment, which examined the positive and negative impact of the proposed expansion, was the first insight given into the local coastal ecosystem of Arroyo Grande. Arroyo Grande continues to be responsible for the environmental impact of the population growth in the area. One of the biggest drives is the water conservation effort, which includes limiting outdoor irrigation in order to maintain an adequate water supply for the residents of the city. The city council has lifted many of the restrictions that were in place for residential use thanks to an increase in rainfall that replenished the water level. Even though restrictions have been lifted the City of Arroyo Grande according to Arroyo Grande tutors still actively encourages education of water conservation practices as a way of life. Arroyo Grande residents responded well to the water conservation program and far exceeded the state mandate to reduce consumption by 28%.