Santa María

is the largest city in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the California State Department of Finance, Santa Maria's estimated population surpassed Santa Barbara's with an estimated population of 90,518. The 2000 census indicated Santa Maria's population at 77,423. The estimated population of the area is about 130,000, this area is the Santa Maria Valley which encompasses the city of Guadalupe and the unincorporated township of Orcutt and unincorporated areas of about 35,000. A further 12,000 people live in Nipomo, Santa Maria being the closest large town to it