Guadalupe, California

Guadalupe lays 9 miles west of the city of Santa Maria along Highway 1. The predominately Latino population of over 6,600 exists due to the fertile farmland that surrounds it. In its heyday during the 1940s and early 1950s, Guadalupe was home to 3 car dealerships, multiple hotels and a thriving business community that made it one of the fastest growing communities in Central California. However, since the designation of Highway 101 and its expansion throughout California in the mid to late 1950s Guadalupe has seen a steady decline while its neighbor Santa Maria (which is located along the 101) has seen steady growth. Now Guadalupe is a smaller version of its former self. No longer are there the hotels, bustling nightclubs or dealerships selling the latest automobiles, instead it exists as a beautiful small town that’s rich in history and representative of many other communities throughout the west coast.