Pismo Beach is a city in the southern portion of San Luis Obispo County, in the Central Coast area of California, United States. The estimated population was 8,213 in 2018, up from 7,655 in the 2010 census. It is part of the Five Cities Area, a cluster of cities in that area of San Luis Obispo County. The "Five Cities" area historically is made up of Arroyo Grande, Grover City (now Grover Beach), Halcyon, Fair Oaks and Nipomo. Now most people refer to the Five Cities as Grover Beach, Pismo Beach, Shell Beach (which is actually a part of Pismo Beach), Arroyo Grande and Oceano (which is unincorporated county land serviced by the Oceano Community Services District).

San Luis Obispo (, Spanish: [san ˈlwis oˈβispo]) is a city in the U.S. state of California and San Luis Obispo County, 190 miles (310 km) north of Los Angeles and 230 miles (370 km) south of San Francisco on Southern California's Central Coast. The population was 45,119 at the 2010 census.Founded in 1772 by Spanish Franciscan Junípero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California's oldest European-founded communities. Serra's Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was named after the 13th-century saint and bishop Louis of Toulouse. The city, locally referred to as San Luis or SLO, is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University.

Morro Bay is unlike any other California seaside town. The walkable town has an active seaside fishing village and bustling waterfront Embarcadero filled with shops, art galleries and restaurants.

Cayucos is an unincorporated community on the coast in San Luis Obispo County, California, along California State Route 1 between Cambria to the north and Morro Bay to the south. The population was 2,592 at the 2010 census, down from 2,943 at the 2000 census.