2022 Best Places to Live in San Luis Obispo County

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 4.18 out of 5  112 reviews

Current Resident: SLO is a great place to live if you can afford it. Weather is amazing! It feels very safe and had an overall chill and friendly atmosphere. Its great for families who enjoy the beach, parks and hiking. We have only a couple venues for kids in the area, a couple small farms, a small train museum, and a children’s museum. It’s great because we have a very small town atmosphere and enjoy independent shops and restaurants, however there are very few late night options. The arts and entertainment scene is great for a small town especially, but expect to pay a lot for any sort of night out. Housing is extremely expensive and can come times favor college students, food is very expensive and just about everything else. We do have Costco, Target, World Market and plenty of chain stores too so there is a nice blend. Drive thru restaurants are not allowed for environmental reasons. Overall amazing place to be, but expensive. Also jobs don’t pay very well here, unfortunately.... Read 112 reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• Population 47,257

Current Resident: It is a typical beach town. It is family friendly, nice restaurants downtown, and if you want to have fun you can go to the bowling alley or play pool at the arcade. There are 2 new beautiful hotels that opened up near the shoreline. Shell Beach, Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo and Oceano Dunes are a short drive away. I personally enjoy the yearly memorial and veterans day celebration on the pier, the 4th of July celebrations on the pier and other yearly festivals downtown. There are active police patrol present, which is good to keep crime to a limit. Over all it is a safe and enjoyable town to live in, plus you can't beat walking to the pier to caught an awesome sunset, surfers contest or polar bear run in the winter.... Read 17 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Population 8,058

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 4.07 out of 5  60 reviews

Current Resident: Los Osos is a beautiful, small town. I love that there are nearby beaches and many hiking trails. The town is pretty quiet, and there isn't a lot going on at night. I love walking here and always feel safe, even at night. One interesting thing about Los Osos is that sidewalks and streetlights are rare! A few neighborhoods have them, but they are not as frequent as in other cities. It's a great little town.... Read 60 reviews

• grade B+

• grade A

• Population 15,692

• Town in California

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  Rating 4.19 out of 5  47 reviews

Current Resident: It is a very small business oriented town. The demographics are a mixture between elderly white people and young adults of mixed ethnicity. The crime rates are extremely low. The overall presentation of the community is very gorgeous and is fairly active. They have some sort of festival just about once a month in the village. There are a solid amount of good restaurants of all varieties and the people are a lot more personable than those who live closer to Los Angeles. There are a good amount of elementary and middle schools in the city along with Arroyo Grande High School. I run into a lot of people who really feel comfortable raising their kids in the city and are happy living here. The only negative thing about living in the community is that there is a very dim night life for the younger generations. It is also fairly expensive to rent or buy a house in the area, but if you can afford it you should get a place. All in all, it is a great town to live!... Read 47 reviews

• grade B+

• grade A

• Population 18,422

Current Resident: The town is easy...easy to drive, good food, friendly store owners and neighbors.For being coastal, it is not stuffy. Only downside is, until jr high, the schools are not the best, but the teachers are outstanding! North side is new family oriented. South side is older, with older homeowners, but contain many hidden rental gems.... Read 37 reviews

• grade B+

• grade A

• Population 12,846

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 2.9 out of 5  20 reviews

Current Resident: Do not listen to the recent low reviews from individuals who have never visited Morro Bay but have only watched a YouTube video about a rare incident. Morro Bay is a cute, quiet town with friendly residents. The food is excellent, with an abundance of natural beauty and amazing weather. It's a sleepy beach town, which is nice. The beaches are clean, and there is a dog beach, which is a must if you have dogs! When I first moved here, my neighbors made an effort to introduce themselves to my family and I. I’m from the Central Valley and have been visiting Morro bay for decades and I am happy to call this place home :) come try the amazing seafood, walk along our scenic beaches and visit the Morro rock!... Read 20 reviews

• grade B

• grade A

• Population 10,785

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  3 reviews

Current Resident: There's something magical when your sitting on the warm sand and starring off into the glimmering ocean. Or at night when your laying in bed and the only noise you hear out your window are the waves crashing alongside the buoy faint ringing. The best time of year is on the winter after all the loud vacation mode tourist have gone back home. Its one of the safest peaceful towns that supports local business and good ethics.... Read 3 reviews

• grade B

• grade A

• Population 2,133

Current Resident: Great town, small community, local farms and close to the beach. Oceano is next to another four cities and combines they are referred to as "the five cities".... Read 18 reviews

• grade B

• grade A

• Population 7,371

Current Resident: Fun little town. There is a lot of little family friendly bars/breweries/wineries. Most business have awesome outdoor seating areas to enjoy the outside and fresh air. Staff and community are very friendly and welcoming. Food is great with a few different styles to choose from. There is a lot of festivals and local events at the parks. Also lots of outdoor activities like hiking and camping. During the summer there is a lot of free outdoor concerts to attend. Or even local that bands that perform during the day or at night. Seems like wherever you go there is a live band. During the winter months it's not as lively. It does get pretty cold outside. But they still manage to have some local events that take place. Especially around christmas time. It seems like everyone contributes to the festivities and joins in on the fun. I wouldn't know much about the housing market. I not currently looking to buy just yet.... Read 50 reviews

• grade B

• grade B+

• Population 29,771

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 4.33 out of 5  3 reviews

Current Resident: Purchased a home here to get away from the heat of the California Central Valley. Gorgeous place, right next to the ocean. Between 60 and 75 degrees all year round. Very quiet residential community but downtown is quaint and full of artist shops and galleries and restaurants. Moonstone beach is a great place to gather colorful stones (including, yes, moonstones) with the rugged California coast stretching up to nearby Hearst Castle.... Read 3 reviews

• grade B

• grade B+

• Population 5,487

Current Resident: I like Templeton. I have lived for here about 2 years but have lived in the general area for about 30. Great small town feel downtown, local businesses get lot of local support. The beaches are 25 minutes away as if San Luis Obispo. More shopping choices in neighboring Paso Robles. One thing is, for California it is very very conservative and very very white. People in the local businesses ignored COVID restrictions as much as they possibly could, but hey the inhabitants didn't all die, so.... On July 4th though there were literally 2000 people lining the downtown streets and the wonderful central park for the parade, and I counted literally 10 people of a race other than white Caucasian in the whole place. Flags for the guy who lost the last big election still fly here; haven't seen a confederate one though. If I was person of color I might feel a little uncomfortable. Haven't seen anything negative toward "others" but I am a straight white ex-cop. 4 stars for me.... Read 11 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade A

• Population 8,458

Visitor: A wonderful town. Beautiful and soothing. Lots to do or just relax. The beaches are very clean. Great selection of restaurants , anything you could want is near by.... Read 1 review

• grade B minus

• grade A+

• Population 1,613

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 3.9 out of 5  89 reviews

Current Resident: I love Paso Robles. I was born and raised here and appreciate the small town feel. Beautiful wine country, home of the Mid-State Fair, and 35 Mins away from beautiful beaches. The weather is not to extreme, but fluctuates between the 50s during winter and 90s during summer. Paso is a safe community and is 30 mins away from the college town of San Luis Obispo. The cost of living is relatively high, but Paso is a hidden Gem for those who call this place home. Enough tourism to keep the city clean and allow fine dining, but not enough to interfere with everyday local life. Overall, a great place to raise children, got to college, or retire.... Read 89 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade A minus

• Population 31,593

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 4.02 out of 5  61 reviews

Former Resident: Nipomo is a very small town with a population size roughly around 13,000 people. Nipomo consists of one grocery store, two high schools, and thousands of friendly happy faces. With being such a small community, everybody pitches in to make it a welcoming and loving little town. The town is safe, quite, and overall a perfect town to raise your children in. Not many people know about Nipomo, but if you did you would want to move out here as well! The weather is absolutely beautiful with a constant temperature of 73 degrees throughout most of the year. Nipomo is a small yet perfect little town that almost anybody would love.... Read 61 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B+

• Population 18,440

Current Resident: Santa Margarita is a quaint little town just outside of San Luis Obispo. It a place where neighbors gather at the local Post office to get their mail and have a conversation with one another. We have a two wonderful restaurants The Southern Station and The Range. The Range is more fine dining, serving steak where the southern station is family friendly and features signature sandwiches. There is also a local wine tasting room called Ancient Peaks with a variety of wines harvested from the Santa Margarita vineyards. Finally if food is not what you are looking for but rather entertainment we have Margarita Adventures where one can venture onto the vineyards and partake in ziplining.... Read 3 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B+

• Population 800

• grade C+

• grade B+

• Population 2,245

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 373

• grade B

• grade A+

• Population 393

• Town in California

• grade C+

• grade B+

• Population 510

• grade C

• grade B+

• Population 165

• Town in California

• grade C minus

• grade B+

• Population 3,050

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 3.27 out of 5  15 reviews

Current Resident: It's quiet, mostly roads. When going through the exit, the San Miguel mission is right in your line of sight, and you continue to drive through the town. It's a small town, arguably a village; The population as of 2022 is a bit over 3,200. Recreational activities could use some much needed improvement as the population grows - both the library and community center are small. Otherwise, silent. I personally find it enjoyable. The downside is mostly commute; San Miguel is off the highway, therefore the next town over is about 10 miles away. There is only one bus that come in to town 3 times a week. There is also no established grocery store and no farmers market, both of which are in town 10 miles away, but there is a corner market and a Dollar general which recently got in some produce, but not nearly enough, same as the corner market. If you have a car, you should have no problem, but if you really on public commute, you really need to have your day revolved around the bus schedule.... Read 15 reviews

• grade C minus

• grade C

• Population 2,837

• Town in California

• grade D+

• grade A minus

• Population 58

• Town in California

• •
  Rating 3.17 out of 5  6 reviews

Current Resident: I live here 20 years now, the +'s, 20 min to Paso Robles and NO traffic on a nice hwy, when I lived in San Jose sometimes it took 20 min to get to the hwy. Must go to post office to pick up mail. + Most of the time you see someone you know and get to talk face to face. It has a small town feel, and most of the people are friendly. At first it was hard not having fast food at every corner, but I don' miss it now. Just keep extra gas a round.... Read 6 reviews

• grade D minus

• grade C minus

• Population 1,110