From Montecito's wooded hills and magnificent estates to the laid back Mesa area, Santa Barbara's renowned beauty is more than skin deep. Active, community-minded residents have shaped this metropolitan area into a well-rounded, multifaceted gem of a place for the discriminating person to live and work. The mix of so many cultures and people with world travel under their belts makes for an exciting mix of life. Opportunities abound in Santa Barbara to enjoy a life tailored to families as well as the individual's needs. There is quality shopping, over 400 fine restaurants, numerous cultural activities, top educational institutions such as the University of California, and a small local airport to shoot you off to wherever you may need to go…while counting the days until you return.

Downtown

Santa Barbara's main thoroughfare, State Street, which divides the city of Santa Barbara between East and West, begins at Stearn's Wharf and continues for miles throughout the city. State Street itself is a microcosm of the entire city: filled with architectural beauty, performing arts and cultural centers (including the stately Arlington and Granada Theaters and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art), numerous fine restaurants and cafes, and world class shopping from chic boutiques to modern malls (including the historic El Paseo, California's first shopping center built in the 1920's).

The Mesa

Mesa, a Spanish word meaning "table", has been applied to the flat bench of elevated land fronting the ocean along Santa Barbara's southwestern border since the mission days. Stretching from the Santa Barbara City College on the east and extending two and one-half miles to Arroyo Burro County Beach (or "Hendry's/The Pit" to locals), the Mesa is an extremely desirable neighborhood and has often been voted the "Best Neighborhood" in a local paper's poll.

Residents of the Mesa cherish their accessibility to the beach and to two of Santa Barbara's most wonderful open spaces. Shoreline Park, a magnificent 15-acre blufftop strip of lawn, bike and pedestrian trails, picnic tables and jungle gyms, is regarded by many as the finest park in Santa Barbara. At the southwestern tip of the Mesa, the Douglas Family Preserve (known to locals as the "Wilcox property") is a stunning 70-acre recreation area left in its natural state, conserved as a peaceful retreat for all to enjoy forever.

Mesa residents also appreciate the convenience of the shopping centers at the intersection of Meigs Road and Cliff Drive and the excellent schools that serve the community. Mesa residents also enjoy the distinct weather that occurs on the Mesa: city weather records show that the Mesa's winter temperatures are 10 to 12 degrees warmer than downtown, and 10 to 12 degrees cooler in the summer.

Westside

The "Westside Story" of Santa Barbara is laid in our city's first suburb to be initiated by Anglos rather than Hispanics; the Spanish genesis of the city was located on the Eastside. In 1850, when the United States annexed California to the Union, the Westside was open grazing range and farmland, turning marshy near the beach. Today this area is solidly overlaid with urban development extending inland to the Goleta Valley, making it the most densely populated neighborhood in Santa Barbara. The earliest historical reference to the Westside came in 1793 when Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer-scientist, who was circumnavigating the globe, anchored the Discovery off West Beach and received permission for his seacook to chop stovewood from the Mesa oak groves and refill his water tanks from a steep at the base of the Mesa bluffs near Pershing Park.

Mission Canyon

Mission Canyon, which with the Old Mission complex and the area bounded on the south by Mission Street, making up Santa Barbara's "Mission District," is unique. No residential neighborhood in the city boasts a richer historical background, or offers more relics and landmarks of Old Spanish Days.Fr. Junipero Serra, when he helped found the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara in 1782, intended Santa Barbara's Franciscan mission to be built in El Montecito near the present site of Our Lady of Mount Carmel church on East Valley Road. But four years later, when his successor, Fr. Fermin Lasuen OFM, arrived to establish our mission, he decided that Montecito was too infested with grizzly bears and renegade Indians to risk building a mission so far removed from the protection of the presidio soldiers, so he looked elsewhere.

San Roque

Few residential neighborhoods of Santa Barbara can boast the rich historical background of the San Roque and Rutherford Park areas. Ten thousand years ago the area, bounded by Ontare Road, Foothill Road, Alamar Avenue and State Street, was an open expanse of treeless grassland, sloping up to the knees of the foothills and bisected by the jungled course of San Roque Canyon. Now a built-up, economically stabilized suburb, it is admired for its sweeping curved streets, its luxuriant landscaping, and its harmonious blend of many architectural themes - Spanish Colonial, English Tudor, French Normandy, California Redwood, Italian and American Colonial, mostly built since 1925. San Roque features older, custom homes with charm.

Samarkand

Samarkand meant "the land of heart's desire" in the archaic Persian tongue. It identified the fabulous Asian city where a mythical Queen Scheherazade spent her 1001 Arabian nights. In Santa Barbara, the melodic oriental name was first applied in 1920 to a deluxe Persian style hotel, formerly a boy's school. As the dominating landmark of a hilly, elevated neighborhood, the Samarkand gave its name to an area bounded on the east by Oak Park, on the north by Hollister Avenue (now De La Vina Street), on the west by a ranch boundary fence centered on modern Las Positas Road, and on the south by the old Coast Highway and the railroad. Samarkand is a delightful area of homes full of charm.

The Riviera

Bridging the two mile span which separates Mission and Sycamore Canyons, the sylvan uplift which the padres knew as the "mission ridge" has for the past 65 years been known as "the Riviera" due to its resemblance to slopes along the Mediterranean coasts of France and Italy. Residents lucky enough to live on this ridge attach premium value to their homes because of their unsurpassed views of the city, mountains, sea and islands.

The Upper East

It is generally believed the Upper East is one of Santa Barbara's most prestigious neighborhoods. The "Upper East" is defined by its location east of State Street and above Valerio Street, and then eventually merges into the Mission Canyon neighborhood and the Riviera foothills.

The Upper East is a wonderful walking neighborhood, though residents often do not get too far for the frequency with which they run into friends to chat with along their way. Because the topography is relatively flat to gently sloping, a healthy walk to downtown is very doable, as is a stroll through the nearby Mission rose gardens. Residents especially enjoy the convenience of being minutes from the city stores, museums, theaters and most of downtown. The newly reconstructed and very highly regarded Roosevelt School serves the Upper East and many of its students walk the few blocks to and from school each day.

Montecito

Full of beauty, history and grandeur, Montecito, approximately eight square miles of hidden neighborhoods and expansive estates, has been the destination of choice for celebrities and millionaires for over one hundred years. Montecito offers an unhurried pace of life, breathtaking scenery and two very quaint shopping and dining "villages" that make one feel that even the trip a few miles east to Santa Barbara is a mighty and unnecessary burden.

Montecito is certainly a desirable second home location for big city dwellers, but those who live in Montecito year round are truly fortunate. Two of the finest public schools in the country serve Montecito, and there are three golf courses, a tennis club, a luxury spa and several spectacular beaches within the immediate area.

Recognizing Montecito as a rustic, sylvan Eden which is unique in America, the owners of Montecito property have long waged battles with developers. In 1929, Montecito residents obtained a county ordinance, the first such in California history, to restrict lot sizes to the present average of eight acres, none being below one acre. Lot splits are rigidly controlled, utilities are kept underground and building permits are issued on a very strict basis. The Montecito Association was formed in 1948 to keep out sidewalks, concrete curbs and gutters, advertising signs, widening of streets and other threats to the unspoiled rural look of Montecito. To this day, the Association is considered to be one of the most powerful citizens bodies in the United States. While Montecito's growth has tripled in the 50 year period between the 3,000 inhabitants of 1928 and today's 9,500, Montecito residents feel that as long as they can control their own rate of growth, they can maintain Montecito as one of the most desirable and envied places to live in all the world.

Summerland

Summerland is a rather relaxed, tiny, hillside community snuggled on the coast between Carpinteria and Montecito with breathtaking ocean and island views. There are large and small homes, condominiums and ranches to choose from. Summerland is served by its own elementary school and is one of the areas wealthier neighborhoods.

Carpinteria

About 12 minutes to the east (The 101 Freeway south) of downtown Santa Barbara lies the Carpinteria Valley, located in the southeast corner of Santa Barbara County. Carpinteria is a little piece of coastal paradise with a splendid natural setting and still possesses a very small town charm that is very desirable. Dozens of antique stores, small shops and cafes are clustered along the main street of Carpinteria, which ends right on one of the safest beaches in all of California.

Carpinteria is home to a world destination surfing area off Rincon Point and has more than its share of beautiful beaches such as Carpinteria State Beach, Sandyland Cove, Sand Point Road, Santa Claus Beach and Padaro Lane. It also boasts wonderful parks, popular schools and many year round recreational activities. Carpinteria is also home to many nurseries, some of which are open to the public and offer a tremendous variety of lovely fresh flowers and plants to discriminating buyers.

Goleta

Goleta is a nicely established residential area of tract homes. Many of the engineers and employees of the aerospace companies and larger companies live in this area. Above Cathedral Oaks Road you move into an area of rolling hills and views of the ocean and mountains. There are many fine residences and citrus and avocado ranches. There is an abundance of condominiums and housing developments offering a variety of affordable living. Some of Santa Barbara area's most admired schools are located in Goleta. Within Goleta you will also find the Cathedral Oak Tennis and Athletic Club, Sandpiper Golf Course, Hidden Oaks Golf Course, Twin Lakes Golf Course and Glenn Annie Golf Course.

Hope Ranch

As you pass through the gate and under the infamous sign suspended across Las Palmas Drive, you enter another world - Hope Ranch. Towering palms, planted in the early 1900s, line the main boulevard. Wearing jodhpurs and shiny black boots, young girls on horseback gallop along a tree-lined trail. An early morning jogger circles serene Laguna Blanca Lake.

A golfing foursome takes turns putting on a manicured green at the La Cumbre Country Club. Incorporated in 1924, the Hope Ranch Park Homes Association watches over this elite residential area. Membership in the association is automatic upon purchasing a home and brings many privileges: the private beach, bridle paths, tennis courts, and the advantages of the Hope Ranch Riding Trails Association.

*Pleasant Weather Ratings, Consumer Travel, 1997.

Early on, the area's soothing climate provided a prime stomping ground for the Chumash Indians. They were followed by the Portuguese, Spaniards and Franciscans, who later left their stamp with the beautiful Mission Santa Ines in Solvang, La Purisma Mission State Historic Park in Lompoc (one of the most complete and authentic missions standing) and the Queen of the Missions, Mission Santa Barbara. Mexico stepped in for 24 years before Colonel John Fremont crowned Santa Barbara a U.S. territory in 1846.

In the early 1900s, Santa Barbara became the film capital of the world before the motion picture industry centralized in Hollywood. More than 1,200 movies (mostly Westerns) were made in a 10-year span and Santa Barbara became a favorite retreat for such legendary film stars as Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin.

The area soon evolved into a haven for wealthy Easterners and a hot spot for health-seekers lured by the city's curing mineral baths. At the turn of the century, luxury rail cars turned out the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Carnegies and Duponts, followed by an artistic swell of painters, poets and authors.

Today, Santa Barbara is home to some 90,000 residents and still exudes the warmth and relaxation of a small city, coupled with the major attractions of a metropolis. Pedestrian-friendly with 76 designated historic landmarks, an impressive line-up of performing arts venues, museums, galleries and restaurants, the area is an excellent vacation destination, especially from the California hubs of Los Angeles (92 miles south) and San Francisco (332 miles north).

Touring the vineyards of Santa Barbara Wine Country is always a tasty sojourn. Some 42 wineries dot the inland region with 12,000 acres of planted vines. Warm days, cool nights and dry summer weather create excellent growing regions here, along with the east/west mountain chain, which serves as a fan from the Pacific. The Santa Ynez and Santa Maria regions produce world-class wines, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Reisling, as well as a few Rhone and Italian varietals.

Tasting rooms and tours are available throughout the area, as well as first-class restaurants and gourmet delicatessens to pack up a picnic. Throughout the year, concerts, dinners and harvest parties make visiting a surreal experience. Mark your calendar for the annual Vintners' Festival in April and Celebration of Harvest each October.

Back along the Pacific Coast lie the sun-drenched cities of Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito and Goleta. Remaining relatively undiscovered, the small town of Carpinteria, 12 miles south of Santa Barbara, boasts Carpinteria State Beach Park with 4,000 feet of beautiful ocean, overnight camping and the best surf fishing and tidepooling in the region. Also in this area are The Carpinteria Valley Museum of History, the picturesque Santa Barbara Polo Club and annual California Avocado Festival (October), which comes to town with plenty of green served every which way.

More than a dozen antique stores and small shops dot the main street in nearby Summerland, making the area a browser's paradise. Stop in for brunch at the famous Big Yellow House; visit the exotic bird Menagerie or Pan's Garden for some pottery. The Summerland Market is a well-known stop for intrepid travelers, who pack home a selection of homemade turkey sausages spiced with curry, sweet potato or sun-dried tomato.

Spanish for "little mountain," Montecito is an exclusive residential enclave framed with lush, exotic gardens and expansive estates. One of the area's favorite hideaways, the San Ysidro Ranch, set the stage for John and Jacqueline Kennedy's honeymoon. Nearby, the historic Four Seasons Biltmore hotel sits perched overlooking the Pacific. At the foot of town lies the Montecito Inn, built by Charlie Chaplin to cater to Hollywood's elite. A great side step for families just down the road in Santa Barbara is the Zoological Gardens/Santa Barbara Zoo, which features an impressive botanical garden and 700 animals from around the world, including 14 endangered species.

Closer in town lies Coast Village Road, a quaint stretch of restaurants, high-end boutiques and specialty shops peppered with real estate businesses. Just up Hot Springs Road lies a beautiful adobe church and nearby Casa del Herrero and Lotusland public gardens (reservations required).

Sheltered at the base of Santa Ynez Mountains in the northern tip of Santa Barbara, Goleta is a sportsman's paradise with a host of family recreational activities, including biking, bird watching on the famous Goleta Slough, fishing from the pier or volleyball at Goleta Beach. Goleta is also home to the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and a well-heeled crop of local surfers. The area's history is on display at South Coast Railroad Museum and at the restored Stow House. Other museums worth seeing: Maritime Museum and an Air Heritage Museum located at the Santa Barbara Airport. Each October, the city hosts the zesty Goleta Lemon Festival.

A visit to one of Santa Barbara's many beaches is a must, and here you will find many from which to choose: from the beautiful Summerland and Butterfly Beach offering calm swimming waters, to the tourist filled East and West Beach with volleyball and lifeguards on duty.

Bordering the beach is Chase Palm Park on Cabrillo Blvd. this $5 million, 10-acre playland is a perfect steam valve for kids with its beautifully restored Antique Carousel, Shipwreck Playground, complete with a turn-of-the-century schooner, and meandering faux riverbeds for splashing up a storm. A three-mile paved bike path spans the waterfront, from Leadbetter Beach to the Andree Clark Bird Refuge, and the Goleta Bikeway leads all the way out to UCSB. Bicycles, roller skates, and family surreys (bicycles for four to six) can be rented on lower State Street.

The ocean is an expansive playground, offering every physical type of water sport from scuba diving to sailing, parasailing, seasonal whale watching, sunset cruises and kayaking. Boasting one of the largest sailing rental fleets worldwide, Santa Barbara answers every wannabe-sailor's dream, with vessels ranging from small craft to large yachts.

In 1998, Santa Barbara Harbor began direct service to The Channel Islands. Of the five islands, Santa Cruz Island, California's largest, makes for a great day trip and the Nature Conservancy offers tours of this ecological preserve called Channel Islands National Park. Multi-day tours are also available. The islands offer camping, hiking, kayaking, tidepooling and exploring the many rare plant and animal species, ancient pygmy sites and gentle coastal waters.

At the foot of State Street, Stearns Wharf welcomes visitors to the oldest working West Coast pier with fresh seafood restaurants, souvenir shops, wine tasting and the educational Sea Center, with its fascinating display of marine life exhibits and touch tanks. Built in 1872 and now a Santa Barbara landmark, the wharf was once owned by Hollywood legend Jimmy Cagney and his brothers.

With the nearby Santa Ynez Mountains just minutes away, hikers and bikers share a number of well-marked trails that begin a few miles from downtown. Also nearby are a host of horseback riding facilities, including the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort (which requires overnight booking), and Rancho Oso Riding Stables on Paradise Road, which offers cabins, camping or an overnight stay in a covered wagon. Daily trail rides are also available. Circle Bar B Guest Ranch in Goleta offers daily trail rides as well as lively stage theater productions.

Framing the beach is Santa Barbara's massive park system - nearly 50 in all. From tranquil groves to vast meadows, each park provides a perfect respite for picnics and relaxation.

Golf is big in Santa Barbara, especially with the 1998 addition of two new courses. Rancho San Marcos, a Robert Trent Jones II course perched atop scenic Highway 154, offers 72-par championship play, a clubhouse and luxury surroundings. Glen Annie Golf Club in Goleta adds 130 acres of prime green with commanding views of the Pacific. The Alisal Guest Ranch has also redesigned its Ranch Course, offering 72-par 18-hole championship play to match its River Course, which was designed by Billy Bell. Other area public courses include the top-rated La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc and Sandpiper, which is consistently rated among the top 25 public courses in the country (Golf Digest), Santa Barbara Golf Club, and Twin Lakes Golf Course. For wonderful instruction of all ages and a great kids learning center, contact Doug Crane at Twin Lakes Golf Course.

The city's oldest and most stately park, Alameda Park, is best known for its rare and extinct trees, and turn of the century Victorian gazebo. Offering expansive panoramas of the shoreline and ocean, Franceschi Park boasts old stone walkways that create a labyrinth through colorful flowers and shrubs surrounding the former estate of one of Santa Barbara's most prominent horticulturists. Other parks and gardens include the massive Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden and Mission Park Rose Garden, with 1,000 fragrant rose bushes.

As the sun sets, Santa Barbara sizzles with a multitude of clubs and restaurants offering live entertainment from soft jazz to R&B and beyond. Whatever your musical inclination might be, you'll find it somewhere in the area.

Santa Barbara has been gaining plenty of culinary kudos for its inventive cuisine and fresh-from-the-farm focus. Local products, such as Santa Barbara Spot Prawns, Carpinteria squab, locally bred ostrich, Santa Maria strawberries, Los Olivos mushrooms, freshly grown avocados, lemons and locally produced wines and olive oils lend to the area's culinary cash crop.

Classic, ethnic, contemporary-Californian and fusion foods are part and parcel of the Santa Barbara dining experience, with plenty of talent and imagination to back it up.

Quaint courtyards, chic boutiques and modern malls merge together to create a shopper's paradise in Santa Barbara. Historic El Paseo, California's first shopping center, was built in the 20s and features a variety of unique gift shops, galleries and restaurants nestled amongst romantic gardens and Spanish courtyards. La Arcada Court, a T-shaped Spanish paseo and courtyard on State Street, spotlights a range of specialty stores and fine art. Paseo Nuevo, anchored by Nordstrom and Macy's, features a variety of boutiques, restaurants, fashionable clothing stores, gardening shops, live music and art galleries.

If antiques are your quest, Brinkerhoff Avenue, a charming one-block lane dotted with Victorian homes, houses a fine selection of rare and unusual antiques and specialty gifts. This quaint area, set off State Street near Cota Street, is walking distance from downtown Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara's largest shopping mall is La Cumbre Plaza, which features two major department stores and more than 60 shops, restaurants, services and plenty of available free parking. Coast Village Road in Montecito hosts some of the most upscale shopping in Santa Barbara.

For bargain hunters, Santa Barbara offers an impressive selection of factory and studio outlet stores. Bargain districts to explore include the beach area just a few blocks from Stearns Wharf, downtown State Street and lower Milpas and Salsipuedes Streets.