| Official Name: | Honda, California |
| Pushpin Map: | California |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | California |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Santa Barbara |
| Timezone: | Pacific (PST) |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Timezone Dst: | PDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
| Elevation Ft: | 92 |
| Coordinates: | 34.6156°N -120.6336°W |
| Area Code: | 805 & 820 |
| Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank Info: | 1660767 |
Honda was a remote and sparsely populated rural district in the vicinity of Cañada Honda Creek in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.[1] The area produced sweet peas[2] and beans,[3] and supported dairy farms.[4] A newspaper account of 1947 stated, "The Jesus Maria rancho, Packard rancho, Bear Creek ranch, Honda section, and a large area in the lower [<nowiki/>[[Lompoc]]] valley once yielded great crops of cattle and produce and furnished a livelihood for many families."[5] The area is now part of Vandenberg Space Force Base.[6]
The main feature of the area, other than the creek, was a Southern Pacific rail stop that opened in 1898.[7] The station, located between Arlight and Surf, was built on land that was part of the "old Steele place now owned by H. Dutard."[8] Honda station was the site of a 1907 train wreck that killed 32 people.[9] The victims were primarily Shriners coming from a conference.[10]
Due to a sharp turn in the coastline, and sharp rocks and reef formations underwater, the spot was risky for ships when the coastal landmarks and/or lighthouses of Point Arguello, Point Sal, and Point Sur were obscured by darkness and foggy, low-visibility conditions. Honda was the site of several shipwrecks including 1923 Honda Point disaster that destroyed seven U.S. Navy ships off the coast, just north of Point Arguello.[11] Locals pulled up railroad ties from Honda station and lit them on fire with kerosene to provide illumination for the nighttime rescue of the shipwrecked sailors.[12] The steamer Santa Rosa ran aground at the mouth of Honda Creek in 1911; four crewmembers were killed.[13] The steamer Harvard ran aground "directly opposite Honda station" in 1931.[14]
A seawall was also built along the Honda coastline in 1906 but there was little evidence of it left 30 years later.[15] In 1926 Honda was the site of a rock-crushing operation that was providing road-construction materials to the county.[16] A new schoolhouse was built for the Honda district in 1933.[17] There are no buildings or people left at Honda today, only a "long passing track" north of the arroyo.