The Santa Ynez Valley is located in

Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria. Santa Barba ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The

Santa Ynez River The Santa Ynez River is one of the largest rivers on the Central Coast of California. It is long, ArcExplorer GIS data viewer. flowing from east to west through the Santa Ynez Valley, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Surf, near Vandenberg Space ...

flows through the valley from east to west. The Santa Ynez Valley is separated from the Los Alamos Valley, to the northwest, by the Purisima Hills, and from the Santa Maria Valley by the

Solomon Hills The Solomon Hills are a low mountain range in the western Transverse Ranges, in northern Santa Barbara County, California. The Hills separate the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Maria to the north, from the Los Alamos Valley and the Santa Ynez Vall ...

. The Santa Rita Hills separate the Santa Ynez Valley from the Santa Rita and Lompoc Valleys to the west. The valley has a population of about 20,000 residents living in the communities of Solvang, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez,

Buellton Buellton is a small city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is located in the Santa Ynez Valley, west of Solvang. The population was 5,161 at the 2020 census, up from 4,828 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U. ...

, and Ballard.

Culture

The 2004 film '' Sideways'' was set (and shot on location) in the Santa Ynez Valley. Since then, visits from tourists looking to recreate the experiences of the fictional characters Miles and Jack, have become common. Fans of the movie can often be seen making a pilgrimage from the Buellton Days Inn to th
Hitching Post
restaurant. Other movies that have been filmed in the Santa Ynez Valley include indie film "Flying Lessons" featuring Michael O’Neill, Maggie Grace, and Hal Holbrook, “Michael Jackson: The Untold Story of Neverland", “Uncorked” /Hallmark/Larry Levinson; “Bad Girls”; “It’s Complicated”/Universal; Nitro Circus/MTV; “Inside Luxury Travel”; “The Othersiders”/Red Varden Studios;“More to Love”; “Back in Wedding Shape”; “You’re Hired”; “Kathy Griffin Season 2”; and “Somewhere�

Aerial-NeverlandTrainStation

An estate in the Valley, five miles from the town of Los Olivos, California, was one of the filming locations for a 1983 video of the song " Say Say Say", featuring

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...

and Linda McCartney. At the time, it was called Sycamore Valley Ranch. According to La Toya Jackson, Michael expressed interest in someday buying the property. In 1988, he would do so, renaming it Neverland Ranch. The singer sold the property prior to his death and in 2017, the estate, again Sycamore Valley Ranch (5225 Figueroa Mountain Road, Los Olivos), was for sale at an asking price of $67 million.

Politics

The Santa Ynez Valley is part of Santa Barbara County's Third Supervisorial District, whose voters are registered 39% Democratic and 31% Republican; however, registered voters within the Valley's two incorporated cities, Buellton and Solvang, are approximately 31% Democratic and 45% Republican, reflecting the greater Valley's more conservative political constituency. The Valley, geographically located at the center of Santa Barbara County and partially surrounded by the

Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Mon ...

, is sometimes regarded as more politically aligned with northern Santa Barbara County and would have been included in the proposed Mission County under "Measure H," rejected by 81% of County voters in the June 6, 2006 Direct Primary election. Numerous

smart growth Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl. It also advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood sc ...

-type coalitions have formed such as the Santa Ynez Valley Alliance, Preservation of Los Olivos (POLO), Preservation of Santa Ynez (POSY), WeWatch, and the Santa Ynez Valley Concerned Citizens. These groups' stated mission is the preservation of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Economy

Sunstone-Vineyards-in-Santa-Ynez-Valley-Winetour-Visit-American-Luxury-Limousine-2015

The economy of the Santa Ynez Valley is driven by agriculture (particularly

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

), the equine industry, and tourism.

Agriculture

The wine industry is a major part of the Santa Ynez Valley's economy. The Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association lists over 70 wineries and tasting rooms on their website. Besides grapes, the valley also has numerous apple farms, many of them with roadside apple stands or "pick your own" programs. It is the location of the Santa Ynez Valley American Viticultural Area.

Equine

Horses are seen throughout the valley and a historic Western atmosphere is kept alive. Notable ranches include Monty Roberts' Flag Is Up Farms, River Edge Farm (

thoroughbreds The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

), and the nationally known Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center. This valley is noted for having over 52 different breeds of horses, plus 28 veterinarians.

Tourism

Tourists often visit the valley for its attractions including numerous art galleries,

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

rooms, and antique stores as well as resorts such as the Alisal Guest Ranch, Lake Cachuma, PCPA's Theatrefest, and the Chumash Casino. Because of good weather year round, many participate in outdoor activities such as hiking in the nearby

or bicycling throughout the valley.

Education

* Allan Hancock College: Solvang Campus * Santa Ynez Valley Union High School *

Los Olivos Elementary School Los Olivos Elementary School District is a public school district in Santa Barbara County, California, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country ...

Ballard Elementary School

Olive Grove Charter School
* Dunn School * Midland School
The Family School

Santa Ynez School

College School (Charter School)

Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy

Jonata Middle School

Oak Valley Elementary School

Solvang Elementary School

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Route 101 * California 154

State Route 154 * California 246

State Route 246

Public transportation

* Santa Ynez Valley Transit provides service to the communities of

, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, and Solvang. ''Route A'' is a clockwise-oriented route through the four communities, traveling along State Route 246 as its primary thoroughfare. ''Route B'' transit service circulates along the same route, in a counterclockwise direction.

Airports

Santa Ynez Airport Santa Ynez Airport is a public airport located one mile (2 km) southeast of the central business district of Santa Ynez, in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The airport covers and has one runway (08 ...

, a public regional

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation service ...

airport, which is located about southeast of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...

of Santa Ynez.

Notable residents

Notable present or past residents include * Robert Carradine * Jimmy Connors *

Jake Copass Jake Copass (April 18, 1920 – June 8, 2006) was a cowboy poet who lived in the Santa Ynez Valley. He had been working as a wrangler at the Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang, California since 1946. A native of Texas, he was shocked when he saw ...

* John Corbett *

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

* Bo Derek *

Bob Eubanks Robert Leland Eubanks (born January 8, 1938) is an American disc jockey, television personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show '' The Newlywed Game'' on and off since 1966. He also hosted the successful revamp version o ...

Brooks Firestone Anthony Brooks Firestone (born June 18, 1939) is an American businessman and politician. The son of Leonard Firestone, a grandson of Harvey Samuel Firestone and Idabelle Smith, and a nephew of Harvey Firestone, Jr., he was educated at The W ...

* John Forsythe * Dan Gerber * Richard A. Harris *

Dan Henry Dan Henry (1913-2012) is the inventor of directional pavement markings commonly used to guide participants along the route of organized bicycling events. The markers themselves are usually called Dan Henry Arrows. Originally, the markings consist ...

* Sandy Hill *

( Neverland Ranch) * Ed Joyce * Kelly Le Brock * Peter Lewis * Tom Leykis *

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

* Marty Paich *

Fess Parker Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.;Weaver, Tom.Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers p. 148 (McFarland 2012). August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010),(March 18, 2010Daniel Boone Actor Fess Parker Dies at 85" ''CBS ...

* Dolly Parton * Ronald Reagan ( Rancho del Cielo) * Monty Roberts * Todd Rogers * Steven Seagal * Edie Sedgwick * Doc Severinsen *

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spi ...

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Ta ...

* Noah Wyle * Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

References

External links

Activities in the Valley

The Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association

Santa Ynez Valley Online Community

The Santa Ynez Valley Alliance

Preservation of Los Olivos (P.O.L.O.)

Women's Environmental Watch (W.E. Watch)

The Santa Ynez Valley News

The Santa Ynez Valley Journal
{{Authority control Valleys of Santa Barbara County, California California wine Geography of Santa Barbara County, California Valleys of California