New Cuyama, CA

New Cuyama sits in the Cuyama Valley of northern Santa Barbara County, where the high desert opens between mountain ranges and four counties come close together. The name comes from the Chumash word Kuyam, or clam, a reference to the fossil clam shells found in the surrounding valley. Mexican land grants reached the lower valley in the 1840s, but the modern town took shape after oil was discovered at the South Cuyama field in 1949.

ATTRMikeGogulski / CC BY 2.5

In 1952, the Richfield Oil Company developed New Cuyama with homes, a school, shops, and utility systems for workers and their families. Oil production has declined, and agriculture now plays a larger role in the valley economy, but much of the company-built layout remains in use. New Cuyama also serves as a practical center for nearby Cuyama, with the Cuyama Valley Recreation District and the public-use New Cuyama Airport adding to its reach. Highway 166 ties the community to Santa Maria, Bakersfield, and the long rural distances between them.