Avila Beach, California

Avila Beach is named after Miguel Avila, who was corporal of the guard at the Mission San Luis Obispo, from which the county's name is derived. In 1842, Avila was granted Rancho San Miguelito, which would later become part of the town of Avila, and in 1848, Avila Beach would become part of the United States when California was ceded from Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War. In the late 1800s, Avila Beach was the main shipping port of San Luis Obispo County; however, as time progressed, tourism would become more important to the area. The slow pace of commercial development, its location in California wine country and its warm beaches and natural hot springs bring visitors back to this tranquil coastal town time and time again. Visitors also enjoy the friendly and diverse group of people that make their home in Avila Beach, whose population is the descendants of Asian and European immigrants and of the Chumash Native American tribes that were once the area's only inhabitants.