Cayucos (Calif.)

Cayucos is an unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It lies on the Central Coast, along State Route 1, north of Morro Bay. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Cayucos as a census-designated place (CDP). Its population was 2,505 at the 2020 census, down from 2,592 in 2010. The surrounding coast has a long Indigenous history associated with the Chumash and Salinan peoples. The town developed around James Cass's shipping business in the nineteenth century and later became a seaside visitor destination. Its waterfront includes Cayucos State Beach and a fishing pier. Cayucos has an economy of businesses serving residents and visitors, with agriculture in the surrounding rural area. Estero Bluffs State Park protects coastal grassland and shoreline north of the town. The community is older than the county as a whole, with a median age of 57.8 years and 36.4 percent of residents aged 65 or over in 2020. San Luis Obispo County treats water drawn from Whale Rock Reservoir, the Cayucos Sanitary District provides wastewater service, and the Cayucos Elementary School District operates the local school.