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San Luis Obispo (also "SLO" or often times "San Luis"), in spanish there is a diacritical accent on the i in, "Luís," which many hispanic residents tend to denote, is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, USA. "Luis" is pronounced locally as the more anglophone "Lewis." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 44,174.

Home to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly SLO).

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The City of San Luis Obispo serves as the commercial, governmental and cultural hub of California’s Central Coast. One of California’s oldest communities, it began with the founding of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in 1772 by Father Junípero Serra as the fifth mission in the California chain of 21 missions. The mission was named after Saint Louis, a 13th Century Bishop of Toulouse, France. (San Luis Obispo is Spanish for "St. Louis, the Bishop".) It was first incorporated in 1856 as a General Law City, and became a Charter City in 1876.

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.1 km² (10.8 mi²). 27.6 km² (10.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.66% water.

of 2000, there are 44,174 people, 18,639 households, and 7,697 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,600.0mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 84.11% White, 1.46% African American, 0.65% Native American, 5.28% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 4.82% from other races, and 3.55% from two or more races. 11.65% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 18,639 households out of which 17.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.3% are married couples living together, 7.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 58.7% are non-families. 32.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 2.86.

In the city the population is spread out with 14.2% under the age of 18, 33.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 106.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $31,926, and the median income for a family is $56,319. Males have a median income of $41,915 versus $27,407 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,386. 26.6% of the population and 7.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Though San Luis Obispo county has sustained enormous growth over the past two decades, San Luis Obispo itself has not because of a Slow Growth policy. Because of the slow growth policy, combined with many wealthy Los Angeles residents moving to San Luis, the real estate market has skyrocketed to an almost equivalent level to San Francisco. Only 19% of residents of San Luis Obispo have adequate income to sustain a loan for buying a house.

San Luis Obispo is also home to California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly for short. Cal Poly is home to approximately 20,000 students working on degrees from one of the six colleges of Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Design, Agriculture, Science and Math, Business, and Liberal Arts. For the 13th year in a row in 2006, Cal Poly has been rated the best public-master's university in the West by U.S. News World Report. Cal Poly is also tied with the U.S. Naval and U.S. Military academies as the No. 1 Engineering program at a public school, and its architecture school is third in the nation.

There are two High Schools in the town, SLOHS and Mission College Preparatory, and two colleges, Cuesta Community College and the well-known California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Roughly one third of the population of the town is of college age or attending college.

The farmer's market is an enjoyable festival held downtown on Higuera street every Thursday year-round. About 34 of a mile of the street is closed to cars and nearby farmers and residents of the city sell goods. Live music is almost always put on at several places up and down the street and most local restauraunts set up booths and sell food. It is a family-friendly event and an important tourist attraction.

During the summer, the city hosts "Concerts in the Plaza" every Friday. Musical artists of varying s (including reggae, classic rock, and jazz) perform in the Mission Plaza in downtown San Luis Obispo. There are beverages and food for sale and attendance usually ranges from 300-700 people.

One source of tourism to San Luis Obispo is the Madonna Inn. Founded by Alex Madonna, the Inn is a famously eccentric building. Known for its generous helping of pink, Madonna Inn contains richly decorated rooms, themed bathrooms, and a collection of animals from around the world.

San Luis Obispo has a bizarre attraction called Bubble Gum Alley. The alley is located downtown and since about 1960, people have been sticking their chewed gum on the walls. The alley can be found on Higuera Street, between Broad and Garden Streets. People may add their own gum to the walls, if they wish, but littering anywhere else risks a substantial fine.

The new San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is now being planted in El Chorro Regional Park. When complete, it will be one of the largest botanical gardens in the western United States. The Leaning Pine Arboretum is also nearby.