Orcutt is an unincorporated town in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.

Located in the Santa Maria Valley, Orcutt is named for William Warren Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil Company.

For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Orcutt as a census-designated place.

Known as the “Dean of Petroleum Geologists" Orcutt is credited with discovering fossilized prehistoric animal bones preserved in pools of asphalt on the Hancock Ranch.

[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.1 square miles (29 km2), 99.95% of it land and 0.05% of it water.

Orcutt, originally sited along a railroad siding of the Pacific Coast Railroad as a townsite for oil field workers,[7] is now primarily a bedroom community/suburb of Santa Maria, which is adjacent to the north.

[8] Located between California State Route 135 on the east and south, and the Cabrillo Highway (Route 1) on the west, the community's northern boundary is the south side of the Foxenwood section of Santa Maria.

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F.

[14] As an unincorporated California community, Orcutt's general law enforcement services are provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

[15][circular reference] Lying within an unincorporated area, the community is under the responsibility of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.