Santa Barbara

Formed February 18, 1850 (16^th county)

Santa Barbara County (448,217), Santa Barbara (88,676), Santa Maria (109,695)

An appearance of an old Spanish mission was built into the 1929 Spanish Castle style courthouse.  Located on a square at Anapaca, Anapamu, Santa Barbara, and Figueroa streets, the design was provided by William Mooser Company, Edwards and Plunkett and J. Wilmer Hershey.  In 1872 an earlier version existed in Santa Barbara, the only county seat.  An Administration Building was built in 1965.  Santa Barbara is an original California county with an origin of February 18, 1850.  It is the 16^th county. 

Santa Barbara County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, controller, and treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Twenty Superior Court Judges, clerk, and counsel serve Santa Barbara County (judicial.)  The Pacific Ocean is the southern and western borders of this county located southwest of Los Angeles, California.  The county center is 32.2 miles Northwest of Santa Barbara nearer Los Olivos.  The county is surrounded clockwise by San Luis Obispo, Kern, and Ventura counties and the Pacific Ocean.  Santa Barbara County and City were named after the Santa Barbara Mission.  The mission was founded on December 4 which is the feast day of Sainte Barbara for which the mission was named.  The county is a bowl of fruit except the straight eastern border.  Santa Barbara is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Santa Maria is on the northwest border of the county.  Santa Barbara is the county seat and Santa Maria is the largest city.  Santa Barbara is 19.8% of the county population while Santa Maria is 24.5% of the county population.  

The area of the county is 2738 square miles.  It is 22 out of 58 in the state.  It ranks 20 out of 58 in population in the state.  It has a density of 163.7 persons per square mile making it 23 out of 58 in the state.  Santa Barbara County has 68.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 101 crosses north to east, San Luis Obispo County to Ventura County.  This county is in the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Statistical Area.