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Area Info
Carpinteria
Montecito
Santa Barbara
Hope Ranch
Goleta
Santa Ynez Valley
Carpinteria
Carpinteria is a beautiful seaside community set in the scenic Carpinteria Valley just south of Montecito. Home to long stretches of sandy beach and abundant sunshine, there is plenty to keep oneself happy in this lovely seaside town. Wonderful restaurants, tree-lined streets, outdoor markets, oceanside park facilities, special shows and endless beach activities.
Carpinteria beach is known for its gentle slope and clam waves. Just to the south surfers can find some of the best shaped waves in the world at Rincon Point near the Carpinteria Bluffs. With a nearby seal rookery and occasional gray whale visits the area´s endless sea life can be observed and appreciated year round.
Montecito
Desirable weather, gorgeous wooded hills, secluded hot springs and plentiful land brought wealthy tourists to Montecito in the early 1900s. Today the exclusive seaside town of approximately 10,000 residents just east of Santa Barbara is home to some of the most impressive homes in California. One of Montecito´s famed architects George Washington Smith popularized the Spanish Colonial Revival style in the early twentieth century, starting with several residences in the area. A beautiful diversity of architecture has since been added including Normandy style castles, Cap Cod colonials, cutting edge Contemporaries, and stately English manor houses. An array of culture, activities, shops and restaurants can be found in Montecito´s Upper and Lower Villages, numerous country clubs and prestigious resorts. Abundant mountain trails, flowing creeks, waterfalls and sandy beach provide an endless natural haven to enjoy. Montecito offers privacy and seclusion in a beautiful paradise to those who seek it.
Just south of Montecito is Summerland, an area of only 790 homes, condos or apartments and 1,540 residents. A calm hillside community with spectacular ocean and island views. Summerland is known throughout California for its incredible weather, peaceful residents, flavorful restaurants, nice antique shops, and wonderful beach.
Santa Barbara
A paradise known as "America´s Riviera", Santa Barbara lives up to its name with incredible lifestyle opportunities. One of only five Mediterranean climates on earth, Santa Barbara´s unique geographic location allows for near perfect sun-drenched weather year round. Nestled between scenic mountain ranges, a unique east-west Pacific shoreline and beautiful Channel Islands to the South.
Santa Barbara has a wonderful variety of residential areas which all have desirable attractions of their own.
Riviera
With resemblance to the Mediterranean slopes along France and Italy, the Riviera is a spectacularly scenic two mile stretch of land that separates Sycamore and Mission Canyons. Homes of tremendous value have been built along this hillside with commanding mountain, city, ocean, island, and harbor views. There is no better view point of Santa Barbara than from the area´s Upper and Lower Riviera.
Upper East
Reflecting the rich history and architecture of Santa Barbara, the Upper East has attracted connoisseurs of the area´s finest quality living since its early onset. Grand homes of Victorian, New England, Monterey, Spanish Colonial and Mission Revival architecture are all a part of this lovely neighborhood that is perfectly positioned between Santa Barbara´s stunningly beautiful downtown and Old Mission district. Beautiful gardens designed by the area´s most prominent landscape architects have further enhanced the sensual appeal surrounding gorgeous walkways and estates. Alice Keck Park and the Mission rose garden are two popular gathering places for residents and visitors to enjoy this treasured area.
Mission Canyon
Stretching from Santa Barbara´s Mission to the gorgeous foothills of the neighboring mountains lays Mission Canyon. Some of the most interesting architecture in the city can be found tucked away along the creeks and foliage of this story book like setting. The Whale House and Creekspirit are two of many notable buildings in the area. Santa Barbara´s famed Botanic Garden is located in Mission Canyon along with the city´s beautiful and Rocky Nook Park. Parma Park also boarders Mission Canyon and is a favorite amongst rustic hikers.
San Roque
A neighborhood rich in tradition and diverse architecture, comfortably nestled next to the foothills of Santa Barbara. This charming community enjoys beautiful mountain views, plentiful sunny days, inviting winding streets and scenic park areas. Homes of all style, built from the 1920´s on, give San Roque a sense of tradition and suburban feel that residents have appreciated for decades.
Mesa
Along the bluffs just west of the Waterfront, the Mesa has come into its own as one of Santa Barbara´s premier neighborhoods. With some residences built in the 20s, the Mesa´s primary development took place after World War II when affordable tract homes for veterans were built. A large number of these original 1950s tract homes have since been rebuilt or beautifully remodeled to accentuate the vibrant Santa Barbara lifestyle the area affords today. Cap Code, Contemporary, Cottage, Ranch and Mediterranean are amongst some of the most popular new home designs.
Beach and outdoor lovers are directly in line with their passions on the Mesa. Shoreline Park, La Mesa Park, and the Douglas Preserve provide great beachfront gathering, walking and scenic venues. Two of Santa Barbara´s favorite beaches lie next to the Mesa, Leadbetter Beach and Henry´s Beach. Here local residents can be spotted sailing paragliding, kite boarding, windsurfing, surfing, paddle boarding and enjoying Santa Barbara´s outdoor paradise year round.
Hope Ranch
This luxury community is located in a privately developed area bordering the Pacific just west of Santa Barbara. Its 1,865 acres of lush landscape is framed with native vegetation abundant in California oak and chaparral. Irishman Thomas Hope originally purchased the land in 1861 to raise sheep. It was later sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad and then to Harold Chase in 1923. The Hope Ranch Homes Association was incorporated in 1924 with the first major estates completed in 1925. Early architecture saw such well known Santa Barbara names as George Washington Smith, Reginald Johnson, and Peter Barber. With a minimum lot size of one acre in Hope Ranch, and some lots as large as 50 acres, the area has maintained a spacious open feeling. There are 686 homes today, ranging from fairly modest to ultra high end luxury, many with spectacular views of both the mountains and the ocean. Amenities in the ranch include thirty miles of bridal paths, a private beach with picnic tables and cabanas, picturesque Lake Laguna Blanca, a polo field, soccer field, tennis courts, and security patrol services. Hope Ranch is also home to the exclusive La Cumbre Country Club and Laguna Blanca School which was founded in 1933.
Goleta
Populated for thousands of years by the native Chumash Indians, Goleta was later visited in the eighteenth century by two Spanish expeditions that began converting the area. In the nineteenth century ranching took over after much deforestation of the native oak trees. Local ranchers who acquired land grants became wealthy in the late 1840s by selling beef grown in the area during the California Gold Rush. The Goleta Valley became a well know lemon-growing region during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the 1940s and 1950s an airport was completed and Lake Cachuma was constructed. This allowed for the start of the housing boom accompanied by research and aerospace firm development. The University of California Santa Barbara also moved to the area in 1954.
Today Goleta is a thriving residential community bordered on one side by gorgeous beaches of the Pacific and the other by fertile ranch land tucked beneath the beautiful Santa Ynez Mountains. Wonderful parks easily accessible to the residents include Tucker´s Grove, Stow Park, Lake Los Carneros, Elwood Mesa Open Space and Goleta Beach Park. Neighborhoods are primarily composed of ranch style tract homes, along with smaller areas of newer condominium developments and apartments. There are also areas of custom built homes that provide varying architecture and scale. Goleta has many incredible estates that are set in the rolling hills with spectacular ocean and mountain views.
Santa Ynez Valley
The scenic Santa Ynez Valley is located just thirty minutes northwest of Santa Barbara. A beautiful drive through either the ocean side Gaviota Pass or more mountainous San Marcos Pass takes you to this wonderful countryside. Bordered by the Santa Ynez and San Rafael Mountain Ranges the valley is filled with rolling hills, majestic oaks, and grazing livestock. Stretches of open land encompass horse ranches, cattle ranches, lavender farms, olive orchards, and ever increasingly popular vineyards and wineries.
Sunshine is plentiful in the valley as noted by its city named Solvang which means "sunny fields". Four other distinctive communities are located throughout the valley; Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Bailard and Buellton. These communities encompass roughly 100 square miles and are home to the fortunate 25,000 residents. Architectural styles in the area vary from Western, Victorian, Danish, and Ranch with parcel sizes tending to be generous thanks to the abundance of land.
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