Overview

Santa Barbara, California is alive with youthful energy within an atmosphere of casual sophistication and charm. Students from five colleges in the area bring vitality and enthusiasm, collaborating with local residents on many worthwhile projects. The city rests on a narrow shelf between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific coast, and is one of southern California's foremost vacation areas.

A day in the city could be spent biking, beach-going, fishing, or hiking in a setting rich with distinctive architecture, public art, beautiful parks and playgrounds. The same day could also include spending time at Santa Barbara's enchanting zoo or visiting a selection of museums with special children's exhibits.

The Santa Ynez Valley stretches west through central Santa Barbara County, reaching toward the city and the Pacific Ocean beyond. It's a land of relaxed beauty, where narrow roads curl through the knobby, windswept Santa Rita Hills, through rows of walnut trees and strawberry fields, past acres of cabbage and broccoli and, here and there, a few vineyards. Santa Barbara has the perfect climate for growing the varieties of grapes that produce the finest wines. Visitors benefit from the fact that this secret is just being discovered, and they can still take a tour of Santa Barbara's wine country at a leisurely pace without the press of crowds.

It is exhilarating to venture into the back country and enjoy the rugged beauty of National Forest lands, home to everything from modern lakeside campgrounds to trackless wilderness, providing almost unlimited recreational choices for families. Returning to Santa Barbara from a day of hiking, there is the opportunity to ease back gradually into city life through a visit to the alpine village of Solvang. This is the county's "Little Denmark," with windmills, Tudor architecture, and a wealth of Scandinavian food and souvenirs.

Santa Barbara County offers an outstanding variety of cultural attractions, such as, theater, dance, art galleries and musical performances.

You don't need a car to enjoy downtown Santa Barbara because most everything, from shopping and dining to performances and historic attractions, is within walking distance. Walking through Santa Barbara on foot gives a close-up look at its distinctive architectural style. This style is largely the work of engineer Bernhard Hoffman, who founded the City Planning Commission and worked with other community organizations to enforce building codes and architectural standards early in the 20th century. Following a major earthquake, legislation was enacted to insure that all new construction would conform to modern safety guidelines. The new style that emerged was influenced by the architecture of Spain, but is a blend of genres, including Spanish, Mediterranean, and Moorish/Islamic. Its key features are the gleaming white stucco surfaces, the famous red tile roofs, courtyards, and the decorative wrought iron windows, light fixtures, and staircases.

A free electric shuttle runs every 10-15 minutes to all points of interest. Shopping is a major pastime on State street, which is lined with boutiques, cafés, bookstores, as well as toy and book stores of interest to children. On Brinkerhoff Avenue there are a large number of antique shops.

The beach is beautiful, the weather almost always perfect, and the people friendly. Many vacationers rent bikes and blades and travel up and down the beachfront path along Cabrillo Boulevard. The county draws surfers, hikers, naturalists, in-line skaters, mountain bikers, rock climbers, scuba divers and hang gliders, to mention a few. Santa Barbara has been described by many as " heaven on earth".

At one time a small, isolated military outpost, Santa Barbara has since become a world-famous resort. For thousands of years, amidst the protection of forbidding mountains and the Pacific ocean, the Chumash Indians lived an easy, comfortable life. The sea and the land around them contributed everything that was needed in order not only to survive but to flourish. In 1542 the first Europeans arrived. Juan Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer, entered the Channel, claimed the land for Spain, and left. The Chumashs' next encounter with the Spanish came a century later when,on the eve of December 4, 1602,(the feast day of Santa Barbara) frigates under the command of Sabastian Vizcaino, a map maker for the Duke of Monte Rey, entered the Santa Barbara Channel, named the settlement, marked it on his map, and also left.

In 1782, the Spaniards returned for good. A group led by Governor Felipe de Neve, Captain Jose Ortega, and Father Junipero Serra, permanently settled in the area in order to establish a military presidio and mission and, in the process, founded the city of Santa Barbara. In the process of the Spaniards' teaching the native Americans to wear European clothing, to eat meat instead of their healthful diet of fruit, vegetables, nuts and fish, most the Chumash became ill and died. of European diseases. The Spaniards governed the area until 1822, when California became a Mexican territory. The United States took Santa Barbara from Mexico 24 years later, in 1846. Thus was created a melting pot of Chumash, Spanish, Mexican and North American languages and cultures.

Up until the late 1800's the serene, peaceful community of Santa Barbara was over looked by the rush of westward migrators. About that time word began to reach the east coast that there was a place in California called Santa Barbara which had attributes more valuable than gold or silver. It possessed an ideal climate, hot and cold springs, and a restful atmosphere. Many people began to converge on the little mission with a desire to recuperate from the stresses of life. Santa Barbara was touted as one of the most idyllic health spas to be found anywhere, attracting visitors from around the U.S. and beyond. Some came to relax and recharge and then left, others came and found they did not want to leave. Many of those who remained had money to invest, and the small, sleepy mission soon began showing signs of growth. Modern hotels and cultural centers were created. Presidents, kings and queens, the rich and the famous, all came from around the globe to bask in the beauty and culture that was now Santa Barbara.

In 1910, before Hollywood became the film capital of the world, Santa Barbara was the center of the motion picture industry. The American Film Company opened the Flying A Studio there. At that time and for several years thereafter, the studio was the largest of its kind in the world. In a ten year span over 1200 movies (mostly westerns) were made. Today, many film celebrities own homes in Santa Barbara. For them it was the perfect place to escape the glare of Hollywood, while at the same time be less than two hours away from their work.

Santa Barbara's architecture springs from the roots of its historic past. Splendid old adobes with court yards named after historical figures and Mediterranean style buildings found throughout the city, were inspired by the Spanish residences of the early years. The museums and cultural centers preserve much of the town's past. The Chumash (now restored to health and reestablished as a native American community), Hispanic, Mexican and North American influences are very much a part of life in this peaceful sanctuary.