Avila Beach, California
Avila Beach is a community of 1,303 people in San Luis Obispo County, California.
Why visit Avila Beach
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 16 places to eat, 6 places to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Point San Luis Light, Gopher Glen Apple Farm, San Luis Obispo Octagon Barn and Avila Beach Community Park.
October is the warmest month, with average highs of 72°F; December lows average 44°F.
Weather in Avila Beach
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Avila Beach
Avila Beach (Spanish: Ávila) is an unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, located on San Luis Obispo Bay about 160 miles (257 km) northwest of Los Angeles, and about 200 miles (320 km) south of San Francisco. The population was 1,576 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Avila Beach as a census-designated place (CDP).
From the Wikipedia article Avila Beach, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do5
Point San Luis Light
Lighthouse · National Register of Historic Places · 3.5 mi
Former lighthouse in California, United States
Museums and landmarks4
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San Luis Obispo Octagon Barn
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.5 mi
Place in California listed on National Register of Historic Places
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Restaurants and cafes16
Peloton Cellars
Brewery and winery · 1.6 mi
Front Street, Avila Beach
Su-Th 12:00-17:00, Fr,Sa 12:00-20:00
4 more on the map.
History
The Chumash are the Indigenous people of Avila Beach. The first European contact with the Northern Chumash is believed to have occurred in the area in 1595 between Sebastian Rodriguez Cermeno and the indigenous peoples. Cermeno recorded at least 300 Chumash people with many settlements in the area who fed his crew with acorn-based dishes.
The name Avila commemorates Miguel Ávila, who was granted Rancho San Miguelito in 1842. The town was established in the latter half of the 19th century, when it served as the main shipping port for San Luis Obispo. Around this time, Luigi Marre built a honeymoon hotel here and steamboats brought customers from San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Although Avila Beach still has a working commercial fishing pier and the inland areas have extensive apple orchards, tourism is now the main industry. There are few historical structures remaining; among the oldest is the Point San Luis Lighthouse, built in 1890 after a series of shipping accidents. During World War II the beach and port were used for Amphibious Training Base Morro Bay.
From the History section of Avila Beach, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay6
Churches and places of worship1
Shopping7
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Map of Avila Beach
56 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65°F | 44°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 65°F | 44°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 68°F | 46°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 70°F | 48°F | 1.0 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 72°F | 50°F | 0.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 70°F | 51°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 70°F | 54°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 71°F | 55°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 72°F | 54°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 72°F | 53°F | 0.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 69°F | 46°F | 1.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 65°F | 44°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Pismo Beach (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
San Luis Obispo County has had 16 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for floods.
- 2024-04-13: Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-14: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-03-22: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
San Luis Obispo Regional Airport (SBP) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 miles away.
- San Luis Obispo 5 mi northeast, about 9 min by car
- Grover Beach 8 mi southeast, about 13 min by car
- Arroyo Grande 9 mi southeast, about 15 min by car
- Los Osos 9 mi northwest, about 15 min by car
- Morro Bay 14 mi northwest, about 23 min by car
- Nipomo 17 mi southeast, about 28 min by car
- Atascadero 20 mi north, about 32 min by car
- Santa Maria 24 mi southeast, about 39 min by car
- Orcutt 28 mi southeast, about 46 min by car
- El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) 30 mi north, about 48 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Avila Beach 10-12-07, No machine-readable author provided. Scooterboss assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (4), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (6), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (5), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (7), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach - panoramio, hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (8), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (9), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (10), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, United States (Unsplash), Tim Mossholder timmossholder, CC0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (11), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (12), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (13), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (55), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (56), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (54), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Avila Beach, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (1), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0
- Port San Luis LIghthouse, Voyacantar, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Octagon Barn San Luis Obispo wiki, Bishoppeak, Public domain
- ISS053-E-284656 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-285961 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS047-E-99048 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS041-E-111356 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Pycnoclavella stanleyi 114131991, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Pismo Beach - panoramio (1), hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Avila Valley Barn, San Luis Obispo, United States (Unsplash), Tim Mossholder timmossholder, CC0
- Avila Valley Barn, San Luis Obispo, United States (Unsplash wvU2iglx2ME), Tim Mossholder timmossholder, CC0
- Highliningavila, Alexander Bohlen, CC BY 3.0
- Highliningavila, Alexander Bohlen, CC BY 3.0
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