Santa Barbara County
Cities and Towns
Source: Wikipedia
Lompoc
Lompoc is a city in Santa
Barbara County, California, United States. The population was
41,103 at the 2000 census.
The convento at Mission La Purísima Concepción, Lompoc
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PurismaConvento.jpg
History
Prior to the Spanish
conquest, the area was inhabited by the Chumash tribe. The name
of the city is derived from a Chumash word "Lum Poc"
that means "little lake" or "lagoon." The
Spanish called it "lumpoco." Mission La Purísima
Concepción was established in 1787, near what is now the
southern edge of the city of Lompoc. After an earthquake in 1812,
the mission was relocated to its present location 1 mile
northeast of the present city. In 1821, Mexico became independent
from Spain, and subsequently secularized the California missions
in 1833. Mission La Purísima gradually fell into ruins. The
Mexican government granted the land around Lompoc to various
settlers via land patents known as 'ranchos'.
The United States gained control of California in the
Mexican-American War, 1846-1848. The valley was acquired by
Thomas Diblee, Albert Diblee and William Welles Hollister, the
latter of whom sold his portion in 1874 to the Lompoc Valley Land
Company. It is from that portion that the present-day Lompoc was
established as a temperance colony. The town was originally
intended to be called New Vineland, modeled after the temperance
colony in New Jersey. The city was incorporated in 1888. The
coastal branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad replaced ship
transportation around 1900.The Dicolite Mine was a large employer
in the early 1900s. It's remnants can still be seen at the
northeast end of town. A paved road linked Lompoc to Buellton,
and the rest of California, around 1920. In 1923, the largest
peacetime naval loss of ships occurred, just off the coast: the
Honda Point Disaster. During the Great Depression, Mission La
Purisma Concepcion was restored by the Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC). The W.C. Fields movie The Bank Dick (1940), was set
in Lompoc (although the name was mis-pronounced as Lom' poc).
During World War II, the coast west of Lompoc was the site of
Camp Cooke, a U.S. Army training camp where large units could
practice maneuvers.
Lompoc grew slowly until 1958, when the U.S. Air Force announced
that the former Camp Cooke would be a test site for the Thor
intermediate-range ballistic missile, and the first operational
base for the Atlas intercontinental-range ballistic missile.
Lompoc then began to grow rapidly to provide housing for
thousands of civilian and contractor workers employed at what was
soon named Vandenberg Air Force Base. Vandenberg Air Force Base
was the first missile base of the United States Air Force. The
Space Shuttle program was slated to begin launches in the late
1980s. The city experienced a boom in restaurant and hotel
construction in the mid 1980s, due to the anticipated influx of
tourists coming to see shuttle launches. However, when the
Challenger exploded during take-off from Cape Canaveral in 1986,
the West Coast Shuttle Program was terminated, leaving Lompoc in
a severe recession.
The Lompoc Valley responded to the Shuttle disaster by focusing
on tourism as a means of fighting its way through the recession.
By focusing on the natural beauty of the Valley, its flower
industry, the pristine Central Coast, and by developing a
successful downtown mural program, the City of Lompoc has built
an excellent tourism industry that is to this day a primary
component of the Lompoc economy. Today, the City of Lompoc is
dubbed "The City of Arts and Flowers" and is also
becoming known for its local wines after the movie Sideways was
filmed here.
Lompoc, the City of Arts and Flowers
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lompoccityofartsandflowers.jpg
Geography
Lompoc is located at
34°38'46?N 120°27'37?W? /.
Most of the city is in the valley of the Santa Ynez River at an
elevation of about 80-100 feet; recent expansion has been to the
north, on higher ground known as Vandenberg Village, with
elevations of 150-300 feet. Like most rivers in Southern
California, the Santa Ynez River does not have a surface flow for
most of the year. Underground flow in the sandy river bed
recharges the aquifer beneath the city, from which 9 wells, with
a tenth one planned, supply the city with water. Unlike most
California cities, Lompoc is not connected to the State Water
Project.
The city was long known as the flower seed capital of the world.
Flower fields have diminished in recent years, so it's debatable
whether that title still stands. According to the United States
Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.6 square miles,
all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of
2000, there were 43,284 people, 13,059 households, and 9,311
families residing in the city. The population density was 3,532.2
people per square mile. There were 13,621 housing units at an
average density of 1,170.5/sq mi. The racial makeup of the city
was 65.81% White, 7.34% African American, 1.58% Native American,
3.90% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 15.68% from other races, and
5.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were
37.31% of the population.
There were 13,059 households out of which 41.1% had children
under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples
living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 28.7% were non-families. 23.5% of all households
were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88
and the average family size was 3.42.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.9% under the
age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45
to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 113.0 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,587, and
the median income for a family was $62,199. Males had a median
income of $35,074 versus $26,824 for females. The per capita
income for the city was $15,509. About 12.6% of families and
15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including
20.8% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Local economy
Vandenberg Air Force Base dominates the economy, directly
employing a large percentage of Lompoc's residents, and
contributes $1.7 billion to the regional economy. Other mainstays
of the economy include the Federal Correctional Institution, a
diatomaceous earth mine, and agriculture (especially seed flowers
and vegetables). Since the end of the Cold War, many workers
employed in Santa Barbara have moved to Lompoc to take advantage
of lower housing costs, effectively making Lompoc a 'bedroom
community' of Santa Barbara. The character of the town has
changed considerably with the growth associated with this
demographic shift; in addition, new housing developments are
spreading into the adjacent hills.
Wine production and wine tourism comprise the rapidly expanding
value-added agricultural sector of the Lompoc economy. Lompoc
Valley is the gateway to the Sta. Rita Hills AVA wine
appellation, internationally recognized for premium pinot noir
and chardonnay. Thirty premium boutique wine labels are produced
in Lompoc at wineries in the affectionately termed "Lompoc
wine ghetto" industrial park and other locations across
town. Numerous other wineries are located along Highway 246,
linking Lompoc with Buellton, and on Santa Rosa Road. Lompoc
hosts the Santa Barbara County Vintners' Festival held at River
Park in the spring. Wine tasting rooms are located in the
"Wine Ghetto" and other locations in Lompoc.
Notable Natives
Jarrod DeGeorgia, retired Arena Football quarterback, drafted by
the St Louis Cardinals in Baseball, Head Coach and Director of
Football Operations for the Sioux City Bandits (Indoor Football
League)
Jeffrey Combs, American Actor
Napoleon Kaufman, retired NFL running back for the Oakland
Raiders & college All-American. He, along with DeGeorgia won
the first ever CIF title in football for the Lompoc Braves in
1990
Ryan Church, MLB outfielder for the New York Mets
Tommy Thompson, former NFL punter, who played 3 seasons with the
San Francisco 49ers[3]
George Perry, Alzheimer's disease researcher and dean and
professor of biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio
Johnnie Gray, National Football league, safety for Green Bay
Packers
Mike Bratz, NBA, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago
Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings
Roy Howell, retired Major League Baseball player
Casey Candaele, retired Major League Baseball player
Gin Chow, Chinese-American Prophet
Dorien Wilson. Actor from The Parkers and Dream On
Brian Givens, MLB player for the Milwaukee Brewers
Jacqueline Gadsden, 1920's film actress
This page was last updated July 19, 2009.
