Los Osos

Los Osos / Baywood Park, once inhabited by California Grizzly Bears and Chumash Indians, has become a community where nature still prevails. From the moment you enter the "Valley of the Bears" you enter a truly enchanted part of the California Central Coast. Los Osos CA is the gateway to Montana de Oro State Park. The park's name, meaning "mountain of gold" comes from the fields of wild flowers that blanket the landscape each spring. This breathtaking 8,000 acre park offers visitors a wealth of natural beauty, over fifty miles of hiking, bicycling, and equestrian trails, camping, shore-fishing and scuba diving. Nestled within the borders of Los Osos are numerous pristine wilderness preserves such as the magical Elfin Forest, Los Osos Oak Preserve, Sweet Springs Nature Preserve, and Audubon Overlook. Los Osos and Baywood Park, California make a single community stretched out along the south end of the Morro Bay National Estuary and just north of Montana de Oro State Park. The village climbs up the steep hill on the south side toward the State Park, looking out over the Bay. Los Osos is the slowest growing town in the county, with only a 3% increase in dwelling units since 1990. Los Osos and Baywood Park, California make a single community. The village climbs up the steep hill on the south side toward the State Park, looking out over the Bay. Los Osos is the slowest growing town in the county, with only a 3% increase in dwelling units since 1990.

The town is a bit off the beaten track since it is not on either Highway 101 or the California Highway 1. You can take either Los Osos Valley Road about 10 miles from San Luis Obispo or use the South Bay Boulevard from Morro Bay, about 4 miles. Either way, the short ride is a treat in itself. Ranging from rugged sea coast on a peninsula surrounded by sea life to mountain hillsides, nature will reward the mountain biker or hiker. From the distances we just gave you, you can tell that Los Osos really isn't secluded (lots of its residents work in San Luis Obispo), but it feels apart-some of its residents refer to it as the "California Central Coast Best Kept Secret." You know there aren't any bears in the valley anymore, but the way the drama of nature extends right into town helps you understand how there could have been. The Morro Bay National Estuary with its strong daily tides imprints a slow measure of time on everything.

More about Los Osos-Baywood Park, California
Population (2003): 14,461
Founded: 1842
Los Osos-Baywood Park formed a Community Services District in 1998.

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