Chorro, California

Chorro, California
Unincorporated community
Nickname(s): El Chorro Regional Park
Chorro, California
Coordinates: 35°19′36″N 120°40′40″W / 35.32667°N 120.67778°W / 35.32667; -120.67778Coordinates: 35°19′36″N 120°40′40″W / 35.32667°N 120.67778°W / 35.32667; -120.67778
Country United States
State California
County San Luis Obispo
Elevation 666 ft (203 m)
Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
Area code(s) 805
GNIS feature ID 1660479[1]

Chorro is an unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Chorro is located along a railroad line, and California State Route 1, just north of San Luis Obispo. It is the location of El Chorro Regional Park.

Chorro is a populated place located at latitude 35.327 and longitude -120.678.[2] The elevation of Chorro is 666 feet (203 m).

El Chorro Regional Park

Chorro is known for the adjacent and popular El Chorro Regional Park, an SLO county regional park.[3]

History

Chorro (historically El Chorro) is derived from a Spanish phrase meaning "the gushing water".[4]

In what was once an area extensively used by local ranchers, primarily for dairy production and cattle grazing, the land was acquired by the Federal Government in the 1940s to establish Camp San Luis Obispo and is still owned by them to this day. The camp was used for training purposes by the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. In 1972 the land was deeded to the county, during President Nixon’s “Legacy of Parks” program, to be managed as a natural park and recreational area for the citizens and visitors of San Luis Obispo County.[5]

Features

El Chorro Regional Park Campground features 63 campsites (43 sites are full hook-up with electricity, sewer and water; 18 sites are primitive with water nearby). Each site at the campground can accommodate approximately 6–8 people and either a couple of tents or a full-sized R.V. The maximum trailer length at some of the sites is 40 feet, and there are a couple of pull-through sites.[5]

The Regional Park has many different activities available such as rock climbing, golf courses, hiking, biking, picnic sites, playground, softball, volleyball, and bird watching[6][5] The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is located in El Chorro Regional Park on Highway 1 between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. There is a long-range master plan for a 150-acre botanical garden, representing the flora of the five Mediterranean Climate ecoregions around the world. The current three-acre garden has several areas displaying California native plants, with many suitable for growing in local water-conserving and wildlife gardens.[7]

Near Chorro, there is a well-known horseshoe curve included on Amtrak's Coast Starlight route between Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington, on the grade from San Luis Obispo to Cuesta Pass.[8]

Earth Day

Chorro and El Chorro Regional Park is also known for its contributions to San Luis Obispo County for Earth Day, where many residents stay and spend the night in the park and throughout the town.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ Halifornia.hometownlocator.com: "Chorro"
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  4. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 116.
  5. 1 2 3 SLOcountyparks.com: El Chorro Regional Park — Activities Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  7. ↑ Schmidt, Marjorie (March 26, 2012). Growing California Native Plants, Second Edition: Expanded and Updated. University of California Press. p. 261. ASIN B008KU3XEC.
  8. ↑ Sullivan, Kerry (February 28, 2011). Southern Pacific in California. Arcadia Publishing. p. 39. ISBN 978-0738582078.
  9. ↑ http://earthdayalliance.com
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