I’ve lived in California for 29 years and there still remains much of the state that
I have yet to see.
Up until last weekend, one of those places was Solvang, California.
Ok, I went once when I was 5, but that doesn’t really count.
I can’t wait to tell you all about it, so be sure to like this video and then to receive
future updates, subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications!
Nicknamed “the Danish Capital of America,” Solvang is located off highway 101 between
the neighboring cities of Buellton and Santa Ynez.
Take a drive down highway 246 which runs right through the center of town and it’ll feel
as though you’ve been teleported straight to Denmark.
The street is lined with restaurants, shops and bakeries resembling traditional Danish
architecture.
But Solvang’s rich history isn’t just limited to windmills and aebleskivers.
The central and southern coastal regions of California were originally inhabited for at
least 13,000 years by the Chumash; a Native American people group of hunter-gathers and
fishermen whose name literally means “Bead Maker” or “Seashell P eople.”
Their way of life dramatically changed in 1542 when they were first visited by Europeans.
Spain officially settled on the Chumash territories in 1770 and began constructing missions to
Christianize the Native Americans in their new colonies.
In 1804, Mission Santa Ines became one of the 21 Spanish Missions in California founded
by Catholic priests of the Franciscan order.
When Mexico eventually earned its independence from Spain in 1821, the new government passed
the Mexican secularization act of 1833 which required much of the land owned by the Spanish
Missions be transferred to local ranchers in the form of land grants.
Much of Mission Santa Ines’ land became part of the roughly 27,000-acre Rancho San
Carlos de Jonata land grant which included present day Solvang.
Between 1850 and 1930, Denmark suffered an economic downturn and pretty soon one out
of every ten Danish citizens began emigrating to the United States mostly in the Midwest.
At the turn of the twentieth century, many of the Danish immigrants who settled in these
areas were looking to escape the harsh winters.
Eventually in 1910 under the leadership of Jens Gregersen and Peder Hornsyld, they formed
the Danish-American Colony Company in San Francisco, tasked with the mission of finding
viable land for a new Danish community on the west coast.
Just one year later in 1911, the Danes purchased roughly 9,000 acres of land which once belonged
to Mission Santa Ines and they called their new settlement “Solvang” which is Danish
for “sunny field.”
Today, Solvang is an enjoyable place to experience a piece of Denmark.
You can spend the day exploring gift shops, delicious restaurants and Danish bakeries
offering tasty treats.
Just outside the town you will find Ostritchland USA, a small road-side ostrich and emu ranch
where for $6 dollars you can get up close and feed the birds.
But be careful if you go in the morning because they get pretty hangry.
A little further down the road in the neighboring city of Lompoc, you will definitely want to
spend some time at Mission La Purisima Concepcion which is operated by the California State
Parks system.
Fully restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1941, La Purisima is the only example
in California of a complete mission complex.
With the choice of either a guided or self-guided tour, you’ll learn all about the inner-workings
of the Spanish missions and get a feel for what mission-life was like for the Chumash
people and Spanish settlers of the day.
If you’ve never visited Solvang and the surrounding area, I definitely recommend that
you put it on your travel bucket-list.
Before you go, please leave a comment down below letting me know your favorite travel
spots in California.
Thanks for watching and remember to Never Stop Exploring!