Grover Beach is a coastal city in San Luis Obispo County, California, situated along the Pacific Ocean on the state's Central Coast, immediately south of Pismo Beach and north of Oceano. At the 2020 census, the city reported a population of 12,441. The city's origins date to 1887, when D.W. Grover, a lumberman from Santa Cruz, filed plans at the county courthouse and founded a settlement he called the City of Grover. The community incorporated in 1959 as Grover City, later adopting the name Grover Beach to better reflect its coastal setting and avoid the redundancy of "Grover City." The beachfront here is part of a continuous stretch of sand shared with Pismo Beach to the north and Oceano to the south, extending for miles along Pismo Bay, and the area is framed by the Oceano Dunes, one of the largest dune systems on the West Coast. Grover Beach has evolved into a more residential, laid-back alternative to the busier tourist town of Pismo Beach, offering many of the same coastal advantages at a more approachable price point. It is part of the Five Cities area of southern San Luis Obispo County, a cluster of communities that also includes Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, and Oceano. The city's location between U.S. Highway 101 and the shoreline gives residents convenient access to regional employers in San Luis Obispo to the north and Santa Maria to the south. Grover Beach appeals to families, professionals, and retirees drawn to coastal living, walkable neighborhoods near the beach, and a quieter pace than its northern neighbor, all within commuting distance of the Central Coast's larger job centers.