San Luis Obispo began as a settlement around the fifth of twenty-one missions that the Franciscan Order established between 1769 and 1823 as part of Spain’s effort to secure its claim to Alta California. The county’s boundaries have remained virtually the same since the original formation of California’s counties in 1850.

Cambria Historical Society & Sites
Camp Roberts Historical Museum
Camp San Luis Obispo Historical Site
Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum
Conservation Corps State Museum
Dana Adobe
Estrella Warbird Museum
Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument
Jack House & Gardens
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Mission San Miguel Arcangel
Nine Sisters of San Luis Obispo (Sierra Club)
Paso Robles Pioneer Museum
Piedras Blancas Light Station
Piedras Blancas Lighthouse
Point San Luis Lighthouse
Rios-Caledonia Adobe
San Luis Obispo County Historical Society
Santa Margarita Historical Society
South County Historical Society & Sites