Situated along Highway 101, Paso Robles is located 230 miles north of Los Angeles and 210 miles south of San Francisco.

About Paso Robles In Spanish, our name means “Pass of the Oaks,” a tribute to the rolling hills and majestic oaks that captivated our pioneers. Today, these oaks are joined by vineyards, olive orchards, farms and ranches that inspire our local cuisine and culture.  Paso Robles resides midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on California’s Central Coast. Our community of 30,000 residents is known for its warm hospitality and entrepreneurial spirit. The heart of our downtown is called City Park, a classic plaza featuring grand old shade trees, a Carnegie library, a children’s playground and a traditional bandstand that serves as the centerpiece for our many events. All around the park, restaurants, wine bars, pubs, inns and specialty shops set a relaxed and flavorful tone amid early 20th century-style architecture. Just minutes from town, along country roads, you will discover what Sunset Magazine recently called the West Coast’s “most exciting wine region,” where more than 200 wineries make their home. Brimming with good taste yet always down to earth, Paso Robles is pleased to be in your plans. We look forward to showing you around.  Official Name El Paso de Robles (Spanish for “Pass of the Oaks”) Population Estimated at 30,000 Elevation Sea level to 721 feet; located 17 air miles east of the Pacific Ocean Area Of Town Approximately 19 square miles Climate When summer and fall days heat up, it’s just a matter of time before ocean breezes billow inland through the gaps, cooling everything back down. Ironically, it’s this same coastal air that also keeps things from getting too cold in the winter. Rainfall Precipitation averages 12 inches to 14 inches per year. Auto Situated along highway 101, Paso Robles is located 230 miles north of Los Angeles and 210 miles south of San Francisco. It is 70 miles west of Interstate 5. For car rentals, Enterprise Car Rental is a local provider. Contact: (805) 239-0628. A wealth of transportation services, including shuttle vans, limousines, buses, trolleys, wine tour companies and even helicopter tours, are also at the ready. Air The Paso Robles Municipal Airport serves charter flights, including larger private jets. Contact: (805) 237-3877. The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport offers commercial air travel just 32 miles south of Paso Robles. Contact: (805) 781-5205. Rail & Bus Amtrak and Greyhound depots are located at Paso Robles’ North County Transit center. The Coast Starlight train makes two stops daily, southbound and northbound. Amtrak buses also pick up at the depot. For information, contact the Transit Center at (805) 238-1242. A county bus also runs between San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. Contact: (805)-541-2228. Visitor Services A Visitor Center is located at 1225 Park Street for maps, visitor guides and helpful recommendations. Media & Film Permits Shonna Howenstine / (805) 227-7236 / showenstine@prcity.com Fast Facts Hot sulfur springs still flow through Paso Robles and are open to the public in three locations: River Oaks Hot Springs Spa, Franklin Hot Springs and in select guest rooms at the Paso Robles Inn. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio spent the first night of their honeymoon at the Clifton motel on the south side of Paso Robles in 1954. They were married in San Francisco and were en route to Palm Springs. While no longer a motel, the building is still on the corner of 1st and Spring streets. Drury James, the uncle of the outlaw Jesse James, was one of the city’s original architects who built the original Hotel El Paso de Robles. He also gave the town a two-block city park and envisioned a planned spa community, heavily publicizing the area as a hot springs tourist attraction. What do Paso Robles and the television shows, “American Idol” and “So, You Think You Can Dance” have in common? Nigel Lythgoe, who has worked as a producer on both shows, owns a vineyard has built a winery in the Paso Robles wine country. His winery project was spun into the reality television show “Corkscrewed: The Wrath of Grapes.” The label for the new winery is Villa San Juliette. Beginning in 1914 and for 25 years thereafter, the piano virtuoso and Polish statesman Ignacy Paderewski visited Paso Robles as a place of respite between his concert tours and other responsibilities. He purchased 2,000 acres and planted Petite Sirah and Zinfandel on his Rancho San Ignacio vineyard in the Adelaide area. With his performances at the Paso Robles Inn, he became a fixture amid a glittering scene, which entertained the likes of Jack Dempsey, President Theodore Roosevelt, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, Douglas Fairbanks, Boris Karloff, Bob Hope and Clark Gable. Once known as the “Almond City,” Paso Robles possessed the world’s largest concentration of almond orchards until the Central Valley gained access to plentiful irrigation.  As the health benefits of olive oil become more well-known, Paso Robles is becoming a mecca for all things olive-related. You can tour an olive processing facility and take your pick of a number of olive oil tasting rooms. And at We Olive's flagship store in downtwon Paso Robles, you can taste samples of dozens of local olive oils in one place. The California Mid-State Fair draws more than 360,000 attendees annually to the Paso Robles Event Center. Known for showcasing big-name bands and artists such as Aerosmith, Tim McGraw, Rod Stewart, Alan Jackson and Fergie, the fair has been in existence since 1946. From 1924 to 1934, the Pittsburgh Pirates were headquartered at Hotel El Paso de Robles during their spring training. The ballpark they used in downtown Paso Robles had been previously used by the Chicago White Sox. The “Templeton Gap,” a notch in the coastal Santa Lucia mountain range, allows marine air to cascade inland and across the Paso Robles wine country—a cooling influence that fosters quality and complexity in the local wines. Temperature swings of 50 degrees within a 24-hour period are not uncommon during the late summer months.