San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County
Cal Poly, founded in 1901, sits on the north side of San Luis Obispo and teaches by a motto of learning by doing. Every Thursday evening Higuera Street closes to traffic for a farmers market known for its oak-smoked barbecue. Other local curiosities include Bubblegum Alley, its walls coated with decades of chewed gum, and the pink Madonna Inn beside the freeway.