Culturally, if not geographically, San Luis Obispo (known locally as SLO), seems to divide Northern from Southern California. SLO itself lies just north from the spot where the 101 freeway takes a big curve away from the coastal towns of
Pismo,
Avila and other beachy towns that lay north of
Santa Barbara. You'll find advertising references to this area as the Central Coast, but I've never heard regular folk use this term. Of course everybody has their own idea of where the northern region of the state starts. If you live in San Francisco, that's the southern most border of the upper part of the state. Oddly enough if you live in Monterey,
that's the boundary line!
Some people seem to think the north/south division is a political thing, though SLO county isn't a hotbed of liberalism, the town of SLO is probably more blue than red. Others claim that lifestyles are different, more outdoor living in the southern zone, which is certainly the case in this hiking, biking, surfing community. It's all about feel, and I suppose it's all about where we live ourselves, and what we identify with.
All I know for sure, is that the hiking is mi-ti-fine heading up
Mount Madonna.
