The Pacific Coast History

Pacific Coast Home & Garden sits in the heart of the Historic Railroad District. Once the home of the Pacific Coast Railroad, the district now houses many landmarks that have been renovated to preserve them for future generations.

Established in 1876, the Pacific Coast Railway joined San Luis Obispo and San Luis Obispo Bay. A narrow gauge railway (3-foot rather than the standard 4 feet 8.5 inches), the Pacific Coast Railway stretched more than 76 miles serving Arroyo Grande, Nipomo, Santa Maria, Los Olivos with San Luis Obispo being the line’s economic hub.

With the discovery of oil and gravel pits and exceptional agricultural harvests, the Pacific Coast Railway remained profitable into the early 1900s. With increased railway competition, the increase in paved roads and the economic crash of the Great Depression, however, the railways revenues declined severely in the 1930s. On December 20, 1941, the railway received government approval to abandon its remaining trackage and on October 29^th, 1942, the firm ceased operation.

As part of the railway’s operation, our historic barn was used as an offloading site of freight and livestock. The building that is now The Cottage served as a business office where the original office doors, flooring and safe is still visible.

More information about the railroad can be located on the web by visiting the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum website.