Ballard, California

Geography

Ballard is a small, mostly residential town in the Santa Ynez Valley, which is in the center of Santa Barbara County, California. It is one of six towns in the valley, along with Buellton to the west, Los Alamos to the northwest, Los Olivos to the north, Santa Ynez to the southeast, and Solvang to the south. The town is located next to Ballard Canyon. Ballard is accessible by taking Alamo Pintado Road south from Los Olivos, which is located on California State Route 154, or by taking Alamo Pintado north from Solvang, which is located on State Route 246. From Alamo Pintado, Baseline Avenue is used to enter the main part of town. Baseline Avenue is also accessible directly from State Route 154.

In 1987, Michelle Grimm and Tom Grimm wrote in the Los Angeles Times that Ballard was often visited by "city folks [who] stop by to enjoy the tranquillity of a small town from bygone times." In 2012, the Santa Barbara Independent said the town "still has a 19th-century feel." The town's school is Ballard School, which serves grades K-6. It is famous for its one-room schoolhouse, named the "Little Red Schoolhouse". Some of Ballard's most important businesses and community locations include the Ballard Inn bed & breakfast, the Bob's Well Bread bakery, the Loper Chapel used mainly for funeral services, and the Oak Hill Cemetery. The Santa Ynez Valley's climate is useful for winemaking. The Ballard Canyon AVA produces Rhône and Bordeaux wines.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.8 square miles (7.2 km2), 99.98% of it land, and 0.02% of it water.

History

Ballard was founded in 1880 at the location of a Wells Fargo stage line station, being named by George Lewis after William Ballard, the former proprietor, who ran the station from 1862 to 1870. In 1882 it was believed that Ballard would grow into the central metropolis of Santa Barbara County. The first school, Ballard's Little Red School House, was built in 1882 and is still in operation today, being the primary tourist attraction.

The wine-producing region around Ballard was featured in the Academy Award-nominated film Sideways.[[File:Ballard School 1B.jpg|thumb|left|200x200px|Ballard School in 2011]]

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Ballard first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census formed from part of the Santa Ynez CDP and additional area.

The 2020 United States census reported that Ballard had a population of 768. The population density was 274.9 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Ballard was 75.9% White, 1.0% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 17.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.1% of the population.

The whole population lived in households. There were 304 households, out of which 25.7% included children under the age of 18, 50.3% were married-couple households, 5.9% were cohabiting couple households, 30.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.5% had a male householder with no partner present. 30.9% of households were one person, and 18.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.53. There were 189 families (62.2% of all households).

The age distribution was 15.8% under the age of 18, 5.6% aged 18 to 24, 21.2% aged 25 to 44, 29.6% aged 45 to 64, and 27.9% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 52.4years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males.

There were 347 housing units at an average density of 124.2 /mi2, of which 304 (87.6%) were occupied. Of these, 68.4% were owner-occupied, and 31.6% were occupied by renters.

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{gnis. 2582938
3. Palmer, Norma E. (1994). ''Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties''. Automobile Club of Southern California. Page 67. {{ISBN. 9781564131867.
4. Rubin, Elycia. (2023-03-05). "Santa Barbara Wine Country: The Best Places to Eat, Stay and Sip in the Santa Ynez Valley".
5. Grimm, Michele. (1987-12-20). "Gentle Love Story With a Mapped-Out Plot".
6. Report, Santa Ynez Valley News Staff. (2024-09-16). "Detours available as roundabout project at Hwy 154 near Los Olivos continues".
7. Indy Staff. (2012-06-06). "Ballard".
8. (2019-11-16). "Judith Dale: Visiting Ballard school district".
9. Hodgson, Mike. (2017-11-28). "Davison House: Ballard home to Santa Barbara County's newest historic landmark".
10. A sign in Ballard about the stagecoach and town's name.
11. "Decennial Census by Decade".
12. "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County".
13. "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County".
14. "1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions".
15. "1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions".
16. "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California".
17. "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
18. "1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California".
19. "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
20. "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
21. "1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California".
22. "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
23. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
24. "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
25. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
26. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
27. "Ballard CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
28. "Ballard CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".