Carpinteria, California

City of Carpinteria
City
Sunset on the beach (end of Linden Ave)
Location in Santa Barbara County and the state of California
City of Carpinteria Location in the United States
Coordinates: 34°23′57″N 119°30′59″W / 34.39917°N 119.51639°W / 34.39917; -119.51639Coordinates: 34°23′57″N 119°30′59″W / 34.39917°N 119.51639°W / 34.39917; -119.51639
Country	United States
State	California
County	Santa Barbara
Incorporated	September 28, 1965[1]
Named for	The carpentry shops in the former Chumash settlement of Mishopshno ("Correspondence"[2])
Government
• Mayor	Gregg Carty[3]
• State senator	Hannah-Beth Jackson (D)[4]
• Assemblymember	Monique Limón (D)[4]
• U. S. rep.	Lois Capps (D)[5]
Area[6]
• Total	9.272 sq mi (24.012 km2)
• Land	2.586 sq mi (6.697 km2)
• Water	6.686 sq mi (17.315 km2)  72.11%
Elevation[7]	33 ft (10 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)[8]
• Total	13,040
• Estimate (2013)[8]	13,532
• Density	1,400/sq mi (540/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	93013-93014
Area code	805
FIPS code	06-11446
GNIS feature IDs	1652684, 2409990
GATV	Channel 18[9]
Website	www.carpinteria.ca.us

Carpinteria /kɑːrpᵻntəˈriːə/ is a small oceanside city located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura. The population was 13,040 at the 2010 census.

Carpinteria Beach is known for its gentle slope and calm waves in selected sandy areas but also good surfing swells in some of the more rocky areas.^[10] Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May at the rookery ^[11] in the nearby Carpinteria Bluffs,^[12] as well as an occasional gray whale. Tidepools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopuses and sea urchins. A marathon-length round trip north of the rookery along the beach to Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara is possible, though passable only during low tide. A popular campground is located adjacent to the beach. There is bird watching at Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve, established in 1977 and administered by the Natural Reserve System of the University of California.^[13] The Waldholme Torrey Pine, largest known Torrey pine tree on earth, is located in downtown Carpinteria.

Since 1987, the California Avocado Festival has been held in Carpinteria on the first weekend of October. The Santa Barbara Polo Club, one of the main equestrian polo fields in the country, is located in Carpinteria. The city is also home to Hollandia Produce, an organic produce company with 70 employees. lynda.com, an online software training company ranked as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. (according to Inc. magazine's 2010 500|5000 company listing) had its headquarters in Carpinteria. The company was purchased by LinkedIn in 2015 for $1.5 billion.^[14]

History

In 1769, the Spanish Portola expedition came west along the beach from the previous night's encampment at Rincon. The explorers found a large native village on the point of land where Carpinteria Pier is today. The party camped nearby on August 17. Fray Juan Crespi, a Franciscan missionary travelling with the expedition, noted that "Not far from the town we saw some springs of pitch. The Indians have many canoes, and at the time were building one, for which reason the soldiers named this town La Carpinteria" (the carpentry shop).^[15]

The Chumash people used the naturally occurring surface asphalt to seal their canoes, known as Tomols. Petroleum seeps are still visible along the beach bluffs at Tar Pits Park on the campground beach of Carpinteria State Beach. The three closest drilling platforms visible from the shore are within the Carpinteria Offshore Oil Field, the 50th-largest field in California.^[16]

Geography

Carpinteria is located several miles east of the city of Santa Barbara(the coast runs east to west in this section of California). Nearby is the unincorporated community of Summerland.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (24 km²), of which 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) is land and 6.7 square miles (17 km²) (72.11%) is water.

The city is located almost entirely on a coastal plain in between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Immediately to the north of Carpinteria lie foothills and then the Santa Ynez Mountains. Between the foothills and the populated area of the city is an agricultural zone. The mountains provide a scenic backdrop to town, covered in chaparral and displaying prominent sandstone outcrops. Because of the well-ventilated nature of the air basin, ozone concentrations are low while air quality is high.

Carpinteria Beach is known for its gentle slope and calm waves in selected sandy areas but also good surfing swells in some of the more rocky areas.^[10]

Wildlife

Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May at the rookery ^[11] in the nearby Carpinteria Bluffs,^[12] as well as an occasional gray whale. Tidepools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopuses and sea urchins. A marathon-length round trip north of the rookery along the beach to Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara is possible, though passable only during low tide. A popular campground is located adjacent to the beach. There is bird watching at Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve, established in 1977 and administered by the Natural Reserve System of the University of California.^[13] The Waldholme Torrey Pine, largest known Torrey pine tree on earth, is located in downtown Carpinteria.

Raccoons, skunks, and foxes are common in yards. In the wild, coyotes and bobcats roam around, preying on other smaller mammals. Mountain lions are larger than their canine and feline counterparts, but submit to the apex predator, the American Black Bear.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Carpinteria has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.^[17]

Demographics

Linden Avenue (looking away from the beach)

Linden Avenue (looking toward the beach)

2010

The 2010 United States Census^[21] reported that Carpinteria had a population of 13,040. The population density was 1,406.5 people per square mile (543.1/km²). The racial makeup of Carpinteria was 9,348 (71.7%) White, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,351 persons (48.7%), 109 (0.8%) African American, 144 (1.1%) Native American, 296 (2.3%) Asian, 15 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 2,599 (19.9%) from other races, and 529 (4.1%) from two or more races.

The Census reported that 13,021 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 19 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,759 households, out of which 1,510 (31.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,305 (48.4%) were married couples living together, 597 (12.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 239 (5.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 293 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 28 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,203 households (25.3%) were made up of individuals and 525 (11.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74. There were 3,141 families (66.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.23.

The population was spread out with 2,791 people (21.4%) under the age of 18, 1,267 people (9.7%) aged 18 to 24, 3,466 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 3,717 people (28.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,799 people (13.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.5 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.

There were 5,429 housing units at an average density of 585.6 per square mile (226.1/km²), of which 2,347 (49.3%) were owner-occupied, and 2,412 (50.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 6,130 people (47.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 6,891 people (52.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census^[22] of 2000, there were 14,194 persons, 4,989 households, and 3,332 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,250.8 people per square mile (2,029.8/km²). There were 5,464 housing units at an average density of 2,021.3 per square mile (781.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.40% White, 0.59% African American, 0.99% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 18.09% from other races, and 4.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.50% of the population.

There were 4,989 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.38.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,729, and the median income for a family was $54,849. Males had a median income of $35,679 versus $30,736 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,563. About 7.1% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to the City's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[23] the top employers in the city are:

Transportation

The Carpinteria Amtrak Station is an Amtrak rail station stop located on Linden Avenue by the beach. It is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego.

Carpinteria MTD provides local bus service. VISTA provides commuter bus service to Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles.

Arts and culture

Carpinteria hosts an annual California Avocado Festival, with a history extending back to 1986.^[24] Over 80,000 persons attend the three-day festival which takes place during the first weekend of October on Linden Avenue. The festival offers avocado products and locally made goods.

Media

The city has a weekly newspaper called The Coastal View.

Education

The city of Carpinteria is served by the Carpinteria Unified School District. It includes one high school, one middle (junior high) school, and four public elementary schools, one of which is an alternative school of choice (K-5). The district also has an alternative high school. Other schools include: Howard Carden School, a private preK - 7 elementary school, Carpinteria Christian School, a Baptist K-8 school, Cate School, a private preparatory school and Pacifica Graduate Institute, home of the Joseph Campbell and Marija Gimbutas Library. This graduate school offers master's and PhD programs in depth psychology and mythology.

The Carpinteria Unified School District,^[25] which also includes the community of Summerland, and some outlying areas, includes the following:

• Carpinteria Middle (5351 Carpinteria Ave)
• Canalino Elementary (1480 Linden Ave)
• Aliso Elementary (4545 Carpinteria Ave)
• Carpinteria Family School (1480 Linden Ave)
• Summerland Elementary (135 Valencia Road)
• Carpinteria Senior High (4810 Foothill Rd)
• Rincon High (4698 Foothill Rd)
• Foothill Alternative High (4698 Foothill Rd)

Students at elementary schools prepared two web sites about Carpinteria for the year 2000^[26] and 2001^[27] International Schools CyberFair competitions.^[28]

Notable people

• Jacob M. Appel, writer (b. 1973)
• David Binney, alto saxophonist, composer, producer
• Maxwell Caulfield, actor
• Stan Cornyn, recording executive^[29]
• Kevin Costner, actor
• Susan Flannery, actress
• Chris Gocong, football player
• Dennis Miller, comedian, talk show host^[30]
• Alan Thicke, actor, songwriter, game and talk show host
• Robert Zemeckis, film director^[31]

Notable locations

• Carpinteria Valley Museum of History
• Carpinteria State Beach
• Carpinteria Tar Pits
• Franklin Trail Hiking trail in Carpinteria providing access to the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest.^[32]
• Wardholme Torrey Pine, largest known Torrey Pine on earth.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carpinteria, California.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Carpinteria.

• Official website
• Movies and television shows filmed in Carpinteria

Municipalities and communities of Santa Barbara County, California, United States
County seat: Santa Barbara
Cities	Buellton Carpinteria Goleta Guadalupe Lompoc Santa Barbara Santa Maria Solvang
CDPs	Ballard Casmalia Cuyama Garey Isla Vista Los Alamos Los Olivos Mission Canyon Mission Hills Montecito New Cuyama Orcutt Santa Ynez Sisquoc Summerland Toro Canyon Vandenberg AFB Vandenberg Village
Unincorporated communities	Gaviota Hope Ranch La Patera Las Cruces Painted Cave Surf Ventucopa
Indian reservation	Santa Ynez Chumash Indian Reservation
Ghost towns	Betteravia Santa Rita