The Santa Ynez Valley is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley from east to west. The Santa Ynez Valley is separated from the Los Alamos Valley, to the northwest, by the Purisima Hills, and from the Santa Maria Valley by the Solomon Hills. The Santa Rita Hills separate the Santa Ynez Valley from the Santa Rita and Lompoc Valleys to the west.

The valley has a population of about 20,000 residents living in the communities of Solvang, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Buellton, and Ballard.

Culture

The 2004 film Sideways was set (and shot on location) in the Santa Ynez Valley. Since then, visits from tourists looking to recreate the experiences of the fictional characters Miles and Jack, have become common. Fans of the movie can often be seen making a pilgrimage from the Buellton Days Inn to the Hitching Post restaurant. Other movies that have been filmed in the Santa Ynez Valley include indie film "Flying Lessons" featuring Michael O’Neill, Maggie Grace, and Hal Holbrook, “Michael Jackson: The Untold Story of Neverland", “Uncorked” /Hallmark/Larry Levinson; “Bad Girls”; “It’s Complicated”/Universal; Nitro Circus/MTV; “Inside Luxury Travel”; “The Othersiders”/Red Varden Studios;“More to Love”; “Back in Wedding Shape”; “You’re Hired”; “Kathy Griffin Season 2”; and “Somewhere” Movie locations

The Santa Ynez Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA, and contains the greatest concentration of wineries in Santa Barbara County. The valley is formed by the Purisima Hills and San Rafael Mountains to the north and the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south. Chardonnay is the most planted grape varietal in the cooler, western portion of the valley, and Rhône varietals are more successful in the east.

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Santa Ynez is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California.

The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities of the Santa Ynez Valley. It features the Santa Ynez Airport for general aviation, with a paved 2804 x 75 foot runway. The population was 4,418 at the 2010 census, down from 4,584 at the 2000 census. It is named after Saint Agnes, Santa Ynez in the Spanish language.

Geography

Santa Ynez is located at 34°36′43″N 120°5′18″W / 34.61194°N 120.08833°W / 34.61194; -120.08833 (34.612080, -120.088262).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13 km²), 99.86% of it land, and 0.14% of it covered by water. Santa Ynez is located about 40 miles north of Santa Barbara, California, and is known for its world-class wineries.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Santa Ynez has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Santa Ynez (Spanish for Saint Agnes) can refer to:

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