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Detailed pages on related topics: Santa Barbara colleges • Santa Barbara travel • Santa Barbara mortgages and property.
Introduction to Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is a California city located along the Pacific Coast about 85 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It is bisected by Interstate Highway 101, which links the city to the rest of the Central Coast area. The coastal region comprising southern Santa Barbara County is often called the "American Riviera" due to its Mediterranean climate. For most of its history, Santa Barbara was a quiet agricultural community, but in the second half of the 20th century, it evolved into a robust, well rounded city. A great deal of the city's architecture is Spanish Colonial in style, in keeping with its Spanish heritage. Santa Barbara has passed strict ordinances in order to maintain this image, including restrictions on billboards and limits on the appearance of business signs.
Tourism is a major industry in Santa Barbara, which is renowned for its warm climate, downtown beaches, beautiful views of the Santa Ynez Mountains, and Spanish architecture. There are literally dozens of wineries in the region, which has earned a reputation in particular for high-quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Santa Barbara wine grapes command prices which are among the highest in the state of California. Many early movies were filmed in Santa Barbara, and because of this it was known as the first "Hollywood of the North".
Santa Barbara Attractions
There is an abundance of things to see and do in this town. Here is a brief description of just a few:
Santa Barbara houses a vibrant artistic community, and features a large permanent art collection at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Another art venue is the University Art Museum on the UC Santa Barbara Campus. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History offers outstanding exhibits and includes a modern planetarium. The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, located on the waterfront, is another outstanding attraction.
There are many parks in Santa Barbara, ranging from small to large, semi-wilderness areas. Some notable ones located within the city limits are: Elings Park, Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, De La Guerra Plaza, Skofield Park, Parma Park, Shoreline Park, Douglas Family Preserve, East Beach, Leadbetter Beach, West Beach, Hendry's Beach, and Andree Clark Bird Refuge.
A notable Santa Barbara event is the annual Fiesta, celebrated every August. Originally begun in the 1920's as a tourist attraction to draw business into town, it has evolved 80 years later into a several-day-long bash of Mexican food, Spanish dancing, and parades. Another annual event, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, is held in late January, runs for 10 days, and draws over 50,000 attendees including a wide variety of celebrities (many of whom reside year-round in Santa Barbara). The annual Summer Solstice Parade, held on the first weekend after the solstice, is an event which draws up to 100,000 people annually.
Fans of professional sports can take in games in the Los Angeles area, which is about a 90-minute drive away. Some of the options include:
Comparing Santa Barbara to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in California (State):
Ratings range from 
(lowest) to 
(highest).
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Well-Paid Single Men |  |  |
| Well-Paid Single Women | | |
| Male Share of the Population | |  |
| Racial Diversity |  |  |
| Senior Citizens | | |
| Age of the Population | | |
| Female Share of the Population |  | |
| Children Under 5 Years Old |  | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | | |
| Portion of People Married | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| College Educated Adults | | |
| Median Family Income | | |
| People in Middle Class or Better |  | |
| People Above Poverty | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Walking and Biking to Work | | |
| Working at Home | | |
| Short Commute Times | | |
| Public Transportation Use | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals | | |
| Seasonal and Vacation Housing | | |
| People Living Alone | | |
| Housing Recently Built | | |
| Affordability of Property Taxes | | |
| Affordability of Rents | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Low Property Crime | | |
| Low Violent Crime | | |
Detailed pages on related topics: Santa Barbara colleges • Santa Barbara travel • Santa Barbara mortgages and property.
 | Santa Barbara Careers Santa Barbara career and employment information. |
 | Santa Barbara Colleges Santa Barbara colleges and trade schools. |
 | Santa Barbara Hotels & Travel Santa Barbara hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation. |
 | Santa Barbara Mortgage Santa Barbara property, mortgage, and real estate. |
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Read about and discuss Santa Barbara and other places in California
We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.
Select a photo to view (Source):
East wing (Arlington Hotel) between 1910 and 1920
Street at crossing with East De La Guerra Street between 1900 and 1915
Santa Barbara (from the west) between 1880 and 1899
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