January 2010The City of Santa Barbara
Median Sales Price
$825,000
Homes & PUDs
27 Closed Sales
28 Currently in Escrow
146 Active Listings
5.2 Months of Inventory
 Santa Barbara is one of the best, if not the best, places to live on the West Coast of the United States and ranks among the favorites of all year-round resort areas in the world. With a premier combination of natural beauty and lifestyles as you could hope to find anywhere, Santa Barbara offers rich physical and cultural diversity. The City of Santa Barbara is located in a low coastal valley between the mountains of the Los Padres National Forest and the Santa Barbara Channel. Being the only South facing coastline on the West Coast of the United States, one can enjoy a Mediterranean climate with mild temperatures year-round; this is why it is often called "The American Riviera".Beneath this wildly beautiful visage, Santa Barbara's culture and history run deep. It may have the sole of a small beach town, but exudes all the sophistication of a world-class city. Opera, theater, ballet, classical music, art galleries, museums and top-notch restaurants are all within a very short drive, bike ride, or walk from many residential areas. Santa Barbara's excellent educational resources attract students from around the world. Just look around and you will see the legacies of our colorful past-in the beautiful architecture, the food, the street names and the people.
The City of Santa Barbara has many distinct neighborhoods, many unique in their own way! Santa Barbara NeighborhoodsWest Beach Mission Canyon
 The roots of this area began with the 'discovery' of Santa Barbara by Captain Sebastian Viscaino in 1602 and with the founding of the Spanish Royal Persidio in 1782, in what was then still a wilderness frontier. The Spanish influence is still visible today as the City made a planning decision after an earthquake in 1925; emphasize Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with cream stucco surfaces, low pitched red tiled roofs, French Doors, terraces and wrought iron as a decorative element. Throw in a fountain or two and some brick walkways; the effect is dazzling. There is no better example of this style than the Santa Barbara Court house completed in 1929 which has been called "the most beautiful government building in America." It resembles a Spanish castle with its arches, a sunken garden and an the 85-foot "El Mirador" clock tower which is open to the public and affords mountain, City and ocean views. The Spanish Colonial Revival style of the City remains to this day; few cities in the United States have maintained a style for close to a 100 years and few are so unified in their architecture.
The Santa Barbara Mission was founded in 1786, the 10th of 21 Missions built in California, and rebuilt over the years is still known as the "Queen of the Missions" for  its graceful beauty, City and ocean views. Surrounded by lawns, towering oaks and a rose garden, the Mission remains a true classic to this day. In a 1848 treaty, Mexico ceded California to the United Sates, gold was discovered in 1849, and California became a State in 1850. Since Santa Barbara was an incorporated City prior to the State being formed, it was given 'Charter City' status.
Construction of the Chapala Street pier in 1868 and Stearns Wharf in 1872 (still in existence existence today) provided for the importing and exporting of goods, much more than for passenger transportation. Wealthy families from all over the USA still discovered and made their way to Santa Barbara every year, building many fine residences which still stand to this day. In 1887 the railroad finally was put through to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles, replacing the Wells Fargo Stage Coach Line as the main mode of passenger transportation. In 1901 the railroad connection to San Francisco was finished and with this new ease of transportation, many more tourists/residents followed. Santa Barbara may be blessed with some of the best weather in the United States with an average of 300 days of sunshine a year, but  it is the remarkable philanthropy of the lucky ones who call this place home which supports over 600 nonprofit organizations and 900 social or cultural programs. Our art museum, zoo, natural history museum, ballet, opera, symphony, film festival and chamber orchestra can compete and compare with those of cities with populations in the millions, but still with a comfortable feel. |
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