Solvang

Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. It is located in the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census. Solvang was incorporated as a city on May 1, 1985.Solvang was founded in 1911 on almost of the Rancho San Carlos de Jonata Mexican land grant, by a group of Danes who traveled west to establish a Danish colony far from the midwestern winters. The city is home to a number of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark in California. The architecture of many of the façades and buildings reflects traditional Danish style. There is a copy of the famous Little Mermaid statue from Copenhagen, as well as one featuring the bust of famed Danish fable writer Hans Christian Andersen. A replica of Copenhagen's Round Tower or Rundetårn in the scale 1:3 was finished in 1991 and can be seen in the town center.Mission Santa Inés, one of the California missions (National Historic Landmark), is located near the center of the town, at the junction of State Route 246 and Alisal Road.Geography and climateSolvang is located at. At an elevation of 505 ft (154 m), it lies in the Santa Ynez Valley some 46mi north-west of Santa Barbara and about 15mi north of the Pacific coast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4sqmi, 99.95% of it land and 0.05% of it water.