Orcutt

Once a thriving oil town in the early 1900s, Old Town Orcutt has become the town of Orcutt's main shopping and dining corridor. Located on California’s Central Coast, 7 miles south of Santa Maria, streets in Old Town are lined with local restaurants and DIY shops with storefronts that look like they were taken straight out of an old western movie. “They’ve worked hard to make it very walker-friendly,” says Debi Tucker, co-owner of a local DIY shop, Victorian Stained Glass Works. “I always see ladies walking back and forth from the quilt shop. There’s a lady that teaches painting in our building, too; it makes you want to try new things.” Most residents are able to walk to the nearby shops from their early 20th-century Craftsman bungalows. Locals tend to be active in their community, participating in organizations like the Old Orcutt Merchants’ Association, the local Little League program, which meets at May Grisham Park, or religious institutions like the Revival Tabernacle Church, which has been active in Old Town since 1961. Many of these organizations come together to host events like the annual Chalk Festival, which features art by local kids and professionals. Along Clark Avenue, residents will find restaurants, boutiques and craft stores housed in buildings that date to the early 1900s. The area's historic feel is enhanced by locally owned DIY stores, like the Old Town Quilt Shop and Old Orcutt Yarnery, that host events and classes where locals can learn how to handcraft different products the old-fashioned way. These classes tend to be packed with hobbyists, both new and experienced, who live nearby. “We sell little pre-made gifts, and someone might see them and want to sign up for a class. The waiting list is always very long,” says Tucker. “They pick an individual project and work on it from start to finish. A lot of people want to keep going, and they can continue at home and buy the supplies from us or sign up for another class.” Aside from craft stores, Old Town Orcutt offers antique dealers, furniture stores and gift shops. Recognizable by its pink storefront, Kay’s Orcutt Country Kitchen is a community staple known for diner-style breakfasts. In the evenings, locals can head to Far Western Tavern for Santa Maria-style barbeque, a local specialty made by slow-cooking tender beef cuts over red oak coals on an iron grill, or try one of 10 house-made beers at Blast 825 Brewery. For groceries, residents can head to Old Town Market or the nearby Albertsons. Old Town Orcutt residents often come together to plan events like the Old Town Orcutt Christmas Parade, which features floats, marching bands and a special guest, Santa Claus. The annual Chalk Festival, organized by local nonprofits every October, allows residents to leave their mark on the community by purchasing a square portion of pavement for them and their friends and families to decorate. Most homes in Old Town Orcutt are early 20th-century Craftsman bungalows set close together on small lots, featuring simple exteriors and attached garages. Throughout the neighborhood, landscaping is minimal, and small, square front yards are often bordered by white picket fences and shaded by palm or pine trees. Two-bedroom homes can sell for as little as $400,000, though recently renovated or more recently built three- or four-bedroom homes can sell for more than $600,000. On the neighborhood’s west side, two-bedroom manufactured homes with covered carports sell for around $200,000. Inventory here remains low, so when houses do hit the market, they sell within an average of three days, compared to a national average of 43 days. Students here can start their education at Orcutt Union District schools like Patterson Road Elementary, rated B-plus by Niche, or the A-minus-rated Orcutt Junior High. They'll then continue to the B-plus-rated Ernest Righetti High in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, where they can participate in athletic programs like water polo, tennis and volleyball. The 10-acre May Grisham Park is home to Orcutt National Little League, which is open to local kids between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. On the corner of South First Street and Soares Avenue, Orcutt Park is a compact community green space where locals can picnic on a table or the grassy fields while young kids play on the small playground. State Route 1 runs north-south just west of Old Town Orcutt, connecting residents to nearby beaches like Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve, 16 miles away. Downtown Santa Maria is about 7 miles north on State Route 135, and Santa Maria Regional Transit’s Route 6 bus stops in Old Town Orcutt before heading to Crossroads Shopping Center in Santa Maria. Dignity Health Marian Regional Medical Center is about 9 miles away. Nearby airports include Santa Maria Airport, 4 miles away, and Los Angeles International Airport, 155 miles away.

A small neighborhood just south of Santa Maria, Waller Park shares a name with the largest park it contains, along with a convenient location near the Santa Maria Airport. “There are a lot of people that come from all over the U.S. because they like the weather here and the environment,” says Evelyn Hernandez who grew up in the neighborhood and works at the Santa Maria Valley YMCA. “People love the park because it’s really large and clean with two duck ponds and these adorable chimpanzee statues to commemorate the monkeys that used to live there.” At Waller Park, the duck pond may be the most popular feature, with plenty of locals stopping by to enjoy the park’s expansive 154-acre stretch. The park is also home to multiple playgrounds and sports courts along with a disc golf course and ample picnicking opportunities. “The park belongs to the county and they hold special events like egg hunts during Easter and pony rides and food trucks on the weekends that a lot of people enjoy,” Hernandez says. For a more private experience, the nearby Santa Maria Country Club was established in 1921 and has over 120 acres of scenic golf course amenities. There is also a wide range of programs at the Santa Maria YMCA. Homes in Waller Park are mostly ranch-style options with two-car garages, cozy front porches and barrel roof tiles. Small green lots are connected by sidewalks, and while lawns have limited landscaping made up of mostly stone and cacti, they are complemented by the surrounding mountain views. Home prices typically fall between $625,000 and $775,000. There are 580 total homes in the neighborhood and the average number of days on the market for Waller Park is less than half the national average. Home sizes can be anywhere from 1,300 to 2,900 square feet and most homes date back to the 1950s. Lots range from 7,800 square feet to 0.29 acres. The Salty Brigade Kitchen serves modern American food paired with beer and wine courtesy of an in-house chef known for his homemade chips, fries and burgers. The outdoor patio is a popular spot to enjoy seasonal, locally sourced, fresh ingredients. Viet Kitchen is known for having great pho and serves up its famous noodle soup alongside rice plates and vermicelli bowls. Fire and Vice Santa Maria has breakfast, lunch and dinner options with a focus on pizza, sausage, beer and coffee. Their specialty pizzas include options like Spicy Hawaiian and Fig-Buck-Goat. Locals can grab their groceries from Target, Costo and Spencer’s Fresh Markets. Students in Waller Park can attend Joe Nightingale Elementary School which received an A-minus rating from Niche and serves about 700 students with a student-teacher ratio of 25-to-1. Lakeview Junior High School is another option that received a B-plus rating from Niche and serves about 470 students with a student-teacher ratio of 22-to-1. Ernest Righetti High School received a B-plus rating from Niche and serves about 2,500 students with a student-teacher ratio of 22-to-1. The school has an impressive collection of athletic programs that vary from football to water polo. Residents of Waller Park have convenient access to local bus stops and Highway 101 and 135. The neighborhood is also right next to the Santa Maria Airport. Downtown Santa Maria is just 4.5 miles north of Waller Park.