Los Osos, California
Los Osos is a community of 14,166 people in San Luis Obispo County, California.
Why visit Los Osos
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 13 parks and trails, 28 places to eat, 5 places to stay and 9 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Cerro Cabrillo, Morro Bay Museum of Natural History, Rancho Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay and Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve.
October is the warmest month, with average highs of 72°F; December lows average 46°F.
Weather in Los Osos
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Los Osos
Los Osos (Spanish for "the bears") is an unincorporated town in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast of California, Los Osos had a reported population of 14,465 in 2020. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Los Osos as a census-designated place (CDP).
From the Wikipedia article Los Osos, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do9
Museums and landmarks7
Rancho Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Place in California listed on National Register of Historic Places
Morro Bay Maritime Museum
Museum · 4.7 mi
Maritime museum in California
Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History
Museum · 3.0 mi
Natural history museum in Morro Bay, California
Parks, trails and playgrounds13
1 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes28
Central Coast Pizza & Grill
Restaurant · Pizza, Burger · 0.5 mi
Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos
11:00-21:30
Nautical Bean
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.7 mi
1399 2nd Street, Los Osos
Mo-Fr 06:00-14:00; Sa, Su 07:00-14:00
Blue Heron
Restaurant · American, Seafood · 1.7 mi
Mo-Su 16:00-21:00; Tu off; We off; Fr,Sa 16:00-21:30
Celia's Garden Café
Cafe · 0.4 mi
1188 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos
Mo-Fr 07:30-14:00; Sa,Su 07:30-14:30
Merrimaker
Bar and pub · 1.7 mi
2nd Street, Los Osos
Mo-Th, Su 14:00-22:00; Fr 14:00-00:00; Sa 12:00-00:00
Hong Kong
Restaurant · Chinese · 0.6 mi
905 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos
Tu-Su 10:00-21:00
16 more on the map.
History
Northern Chumash people, known in their language as yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini, are the first inhabitants of the Los Osos area, as well as much of San Luis Obispo County. The Northern Chumash place name Petpatsu has been identified to be near or within the area of Los Osos. These peoples traditionally rely on the harvesting of fish and shellfish (e.g. Macoma nasuta) from Morro Bay, as well as the harvesting of acorns and vegetables from the surrounding areas. There is a large Northern Chumash archaeological site on a stabilized sand dune in Los Osos dating to at least as early as 1200 CE. The remains of two Northern Chumash people were removed from a site at Sweet Springs Nature Preserve dating to around 1700 BCE, and were later inventoried under NAGPRA and are possibly in the process of repatriation to the individuals' descendants. Cabrillo first encountered the Chumash in the year 1542. Today, Northern Chumash people are as of yet federally unrecognized, but continue to organize themselves under the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, which is headquartered in Los Osos.
From the History section of Los Osos, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay5
Churches and places of worship10
First Baptist Church of Los Osos
Church · Baptist · 0.8 mi
1900 Los Osos Valley Road
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries14
Grizzly Challenge Charter
School · 5.5 mi
721 Mendocino Ave. Camp San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo
San Luis County Special Education
School · 5.0 mi
3360 Education Dr., San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo County Community
School · 5.4 mi
2494 Pennington Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo
Healthcare3
Map of Los Osos
97 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65°F | 46°F | 3.6 in | 0.1 in |
| Feb | 65°F | 48°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 66°F | 49°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 67°F | 49°F | 1.0 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 67°F | 52°F | 0.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 66°F | 54°F | 0.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 67°F | 56°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 70°F | 57°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 72°F | 56°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 72°F | 54°F | 0.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 69°F | 50°F | 1.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 65°F | 46°F | 2.8 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Morro Bay Fire Dept (4 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, 11 miles away.
- Morro Bay 5 mi northwest, about 8 min by car
- San Luis Obispo 9 mi east, about 15 min by car
- Atascadero 15 mi northeast, about 23 min by car
- Grover Beach 17 mi southeast, about 28 min by car
- Arroyo Grande 19 mi southeast, about 30 min by car
- El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) 24 mi northeast, about 39 min by car
- Nipomo 27 mi southeast, about 43 min by car
- Santa Maria 34 mi southeast, about 54 min by car
- Orcutt 38 mi southeast, about 1 h by car
- Lompoc 49 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 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
- Los Osos Irish Hills, Michael "Mike" L. Baird from Morro Bay, USA., CC BY 2.0
- Spooner Ranch House living history, Joyce Cory on Flickr as docentjoyce from Los Osos, u.s.a., CC BY 2.0
- Baccharis pilularis in Los Osos Oaks State Preserve, Evangele19, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Morro Bay Museum of Natural History, Mike Baird, CC BY 2.0
- Morro Bay Maritime Museum, Morro Bay, California, September 2018, Hu Nhu, CC0
- Arcyria obvelata 57962518, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Arcyria obvelata 57962515, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Leucopaxillus albissimus 60863637, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Leucopaxillus albissimus 60863630, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Leucopaxillus albissimus 60863617, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Female Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) (49756353273), Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Exidia glandulosa 58496894, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Exidia glandulosa 58496903, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Paruroctonus silvestrii 235437417, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Paruroctonus silvestrii 237068614, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Callirhytis quercusagrifoliae, iNaturalist user: garmonb0zia, CC0
- Calicium abietinum 60390405, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Calicium abietinum 60390387, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Calicium abietinum 60390365, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Calicium abietinum 60390395, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Calicium abietinum 60390370, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Calicium abietinum 60390376, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Gymnopus dryophilus 29170205, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Gymnopus dryophilus 29594270, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Gymnopus dryophilus 29170209, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Lecanora caesiorubella 22192428, Cindy Trubovitz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lecanora caesiorubella 22192417, Cindy Trubovitz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lecanora caesiorubella 22192426, Cindy Trubovitz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lecanora caesiorubella 22192420, Cindy Trubovitz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Punctularia atropurpurascens 30794056, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Punctularia atropurpurascens 30794050, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Phymaphora californica 352271918, Alex Heyman, CC0
- Gloeoporus dichrous 31426690, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Astraeus hygrometricus 28514172, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Astraeus hygrometricus 57729786, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Astraeus hygrometricus 28514160, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Astraeus hygrometricus 28514166, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Amanita phalloides 60804631, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Amanita phalloides 60804626, garmonb0zia, CC0
- Amanita phalloides 60804612, garmonb0zia, CC0
_(49756353273).jpg){kind=link}
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.