Project Site

The North Hills mixed use community is envisioned on a portion of the 4,000 acres of land of low agricultural value owned by BreitBurn Energy, located in the Orcutt Hills, south of Santa Maria between Highway 101 and Route 135. 

Bicknelldateunknown.jpgThis area was previously developed as oil field worker housing, starting in the early 1900s. Hundreds of families lived in homes adjacent to oil wells, throughout the hillsides.  At least two company towns, Orcutt Hill and Bicknell were located in the area.

Between 1932 and 1935, during a period of declining oil prices and high unemployment Union Oil officials made a decision to move its workers off the hills and actually relocated several of the houses in Old Town Orcutt, where they still are today. The original Orcutt School house remains on the hill and is still used by the current landowner BreitBurn Energy.

Schoolhousetoday.jpgBicknell was founded by Western Union Oil Company, which was followed by Shell Oil in 1922. According to Bob Nelson's "Old Town Orcutt," published by the Orcutt Historical Committee, Bicknell included a post office, school house, grocery store, gas station, boarding house and bunkhouses, and the first swimming pool in the Santa Maria Valley.

BicknellPoolDedication1923_.jpg