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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Arroyo Grande (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Arroyo Grande. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Arroyo Grande is located in San Luis Obispo County.

To see how the shape of California's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of San Luis Obispo County: Kern, Kings, Monterey, Santa Barbara & Ventura.

Below are the counties that are near Arroyo Grande. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Arroyo Grande:

  • San Luis Obispo County     (The home county of Arroyo Grande)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Arroyo Grande, with the one closest to Arroyo Grande listed first.
    • Fairoaks
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairoaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairoaks
      • Fairoaks is located in San Luis Obispo County
    • Oceano
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Grover Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Pismo Beach
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Callender
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Shell Beach
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • San Miguelito
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Miguelito have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguelito
      • San Miguelito is located in San Luis Obispo County
    • Avila Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Nipomo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Port San Luis
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port San Luis
      • Port San Luis is located in San Luis Obispo County
    • San Luis Obispo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Santa Margarita
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • San Mateo County
  • Santa Barbara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Arroyo Grande, with the one closest to Arroyo Grande listed first.
    • Guadalupe
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Betteravia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Betteravia
      • Betteravia is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Santa Maria
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Casmalia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Orcutt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Garey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garey
      • Garey is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Lompoc Landing ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lompoc Landing. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lompoc Landing
      • Lompoc Landing is located in Santa Barbara County
    • Vandenberg Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandenberg Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandenberg Village
      • Vandenberg Village is located in Santa Barbara County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Arroyo Grande, see our County-by-County Page for Arroyo Grande.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Arroyo Grande ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around Arroyo Grande.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Arroyo Grande. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Arroyo Grande and those printed in the larger area surrounding Arroyo Grande.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Arroyo Grande.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Arroyo Grande:

Cemeteries Near Arroyo Grande ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Arroyo Grande.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Arroyo Grande covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Arroyo Grande, with the one closest to Arroyo Grande listed first.

  • Halcyon Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Halcyon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Halcyon Cemetery
  • San Luis Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Guadalupe Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Guadalupe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Guadalupe Cemetery
  • Old Mission Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Sutcliffe Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Santa Maria Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Maria Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Maria Cemetery
  • Los Osos Valley Memorial Park
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Santa Margarita Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Santa Margarita Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Santa Margarita Cemetery
  • Quintana Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quintana Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quintana Cemetery
  • Ontiveros Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ontiveros Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ontiveros Cemetery
  • Atascadero Pine Mtn. Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Foxen Canyon Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foxen Canyon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foxen Canyon Cemetery
  • Cayucos - Morro Bay District Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cayucos - Morro Bay District Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cayucos - Morro Bay District Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Arroyo Grande had a population of 466 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Arroyo Grande had a population of 17,821 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Arroyo Grande, with the one closest to Arroyo Grande listed first.

  • Los Berros
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Los Berros have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Berros
    • Los Berros is located in San Luis Obispo County
  • Reeds ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reeds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds
    • Reeds is located in San Luis Obispo County
  • Verde
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verde have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verde
    • Verde is located in San Luis Obispo County
  • Edna
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
    • Edna is located in San Luis Obispo County
  • Summit ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
    • Summit is located in San Luis Obispo County
  • Miles
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Miles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miles
    • Miles is located in San Luis Obispo County
  • Nipomo
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Guadalupe
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • San Luis Obispo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Huasna
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huasna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huasna
    • Huasna is located in San Luis Obispo County
  • Musick ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Musick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Musick
    • Musick is located in San Luis Obispo County
  • Santa Maria
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Pozo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pozo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pozo
      • Pozo is located in San Luis Obispo County
    • Santa Margarita
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Garey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garey
      • Garey is located in Santa Barbara County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Arroyo Grande. See our List of 1890's Communities around Arroyo Grande.

The official website for Arroyo Grande: www.arroyogrande.org/

The official website for San Luis Obispo County: www.co.slo.ca.us/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Arroyo Grande) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Arroyo Grande. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.1188, Longitude: -120.5915    
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Arroyo Grande, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024