Santa Barbara

A few miles south of downtown Santa Barbara, Alta Mesa is set in the hills overlooking the pristine blue harbor, just north of neighborhoods like West Mesa and East Mesa, which sit directly on the coast. First developed in the mid-20th century as a bedroom community for post-war veterans with the help of G.I. loans, this neighborhood is now prized for its recently renovated homes and views of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. “When Alta Mesa was developed, there was not high value in being near or having views of the ocean because it tends to be much more foggy than other parts of the city,” says Ruth Ann Bowe, an associate broker with Village Properties. “Obviously, in today’s world, beach access and water views are extremely sought after, and being on the hill provides many of the homes with gorgeous views.” Residents can get outside and explore the neighborhood’s 230-acre Eling Park or enjoy one of many locally owned eateries at the Mesa Shopping Center. Alta Mesa's steep, winding streets are lined with well-maintained sidewalks, as well as eucalyptus and palm trees. Most of the neighborhood's oldest homes were built in the 1950s and ''60s, including ranch-style homes and cottages with vinyl and stucco exteriors in beachy colors like pale blue and off-white. Many homes have been remodeled or rebuilt in the Mediterranean and Spanish Revival styles the city is known for. Prices for a three-bedroom cottage begin around $1.3 million, while a renovated Spanish-inspired house with three bedrooms can cost about $4 million. "Surprisingly, the market is doing well compared to the last few years, and even better than before Covid. It's a serious sellers' market because the inventory is low, and sales are increasing by the month," Bowe says. Local students may attend Washington Elementary, which receives an A rating from Niche and offers a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) magnet program; GATE students may choose between a cluster model or individualized study, both focusing on social-emotional development and academic growth. The B-plus-rated La Cumbre Junior High offers after-school cooking classes, a weight training room and a skate park, while students at the A-rated Santa Barbara High can enroll in the Multimedia Design, Culinary Arts or Computer Science programs. Santa Barbara City College is just east of Alta Mesa. “There are students that live near there in the apartments or out by Isla Vista,” Bowe says. “But it doesn’t impact the neighborhood much at all.” Elings Park, the largest community-supported nonprofit public park in the country, makes up the western edge of Alta Mesa. Spanning 230 acres, the park features a disc golf course and a remote-controlled auto racetrack and is home to several senior and adult athletic teams, from softball to lacrosse; the 9 miles of biking and hiking trails here offer stunning ocean views. Pocket parks around Alta Mesa include the 1-acre Hilda McIntyre Ray Park, which offers a bright red playground for little kids. On the community’s southern edge, the Mesa Harmony Garden is a community garden attached to the Holy Cross Church and tended to by local volunteers who provide fresh produce to locals in need. On Alta Mesa's southern border, the Mesa Shopping Center has a variety of local fast-casual eateries, grocery stores like Vons, and small shops like the Mesa Bookstore, which sells used tomes and hosts readings by local authors. Owned and operated since 1984, Mesa Café serves breakfast and lunch with an outdoor patio and renovated dining room. Across the street from the main shopping center, Mesa Verde offers a flavorful vegan Mediterranean food made from local organic produce, while Mesa Produce specializes in regional organic fruits and vegetables. The neighborhood's just over a mile from State Street, Santa Barbara's culinary, shopping and social hub, which has recently been converted to a pedestrian promenade between Sola and Haley streets. U.S. Route 101 lines the Pacific coastline, running just north of Alta Mesa and connecting residents to Los Angeles, 96 miles east. The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District’s bus system includes Route 4, which takes local passengers 2 miles north to downtown along Carillo Street, and Route 5, which travels Cliff Drive the 3 miles west to La Cumbre Shopping Plaza. Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is 3 miles away, while Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is 10 miles away, with direct flights to major hubs like Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO). Held each September at Elings Park, Local Vibes is a small outdoor concert festival featuring local rock and Americana bands and musicians. During the day-long event, folks can spread out on the grass and discover new artists while enjoying bites from on-site food trucks.

A hillside neighborhood bordered by the Pacific Ocean and south of the Santa Ynez Mountains, Campanil is one of Santa Barbara's lushest and most scenic spots. The community is perched along sea cliffs and is known for its privacy and seclusion. The neighborhood is sometimes called "Yankee Farm" due to its farming and ranch community history. "You'll still occasionally see people riding horses today," says Realtor Randy Haden of Compass Realty. Haden has lived in Santa Barbara for over 20 years and has sold homes across the area for over five years. "But today, Campanil is in a transitional period. Most people are renovating their homes or buying them to rebuild completely." Set along the Pacific coast, Campanil has beach access and borders two of the most popular parks in the area. Just south of Cliff Drive is Arroyo Burro Beach County Park, which promises seasonal lifeguards for swimming and a grassy area for picnicking that allows off-leash dogs. Visitors love socializing with their pups or enjoying a meal at the Boathouse restaurant. Situated at the base of rocky hillsides, the beach, known locally as Hendry’s Beach, is beautiful, but seaweed is known to wash up on the shores sometimes. Adjacent is the Douglas Family Preserve, a 60-acre natural area donated to the city. Across Los Positas Road, right outside the border of the neighborhood, is Elings Park. Situated on 230 acres, it is the largest community-supported non-profit park in the country. Elings Park attracts over 200,000 visitors annually. The suburban spot has baseball fields and a BMX raceway, offering hang-gliding opportunities down its naturally sloping hills. Moser Meadow is a popular hiking area in the park with a network of trails. Original homes in Campanil are a mix of ranch-style houses and bungalows, some with Mediterranean influence. Homes on Vista Del Mar are from the 1950s, with a half-acre of land and 1,500 square feet. Custom waterfront estates on Cliff Drive, many with Spanish influence, are tucked behind a natural gate of crowded vegetation. “There’s a lot of construction going on in this area due to its proximity to the beach and ocean and mountain views," says Keller William agent Caleb Overton, a resident of Santa Barbara since 1999. “You’re looking at $1 million per acre, and then you’re two years out to get permits to build, which is longer than most places to preserve the historic integrity of the neighborhood.” There is a wide range of pricing in Campanil, starting around $2 million for a cozy ranch-style home up against a hillside removed from the coast, to around $6 million for something more expansive. Homes close to the water along Cliff Drive sell between $8 million and $12 million. "This is prime real estate, and prices explode near the ocean," Overton says. Santa Barbara has many annual events, including summer-specific events like the Summerland Block Party and the Downtown Summer Music Series, the latter occurring every Wednesday along State Street from early June to late July. The Old Spanish Days Fiesta celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024. The city’s rich heritage comes alive with music, dance and a little pageantry. The five-day party starts with a little fiesta on the steps of the Old Mission, with traditional flamenco and folkloric dance performances. Entirely residential, residents must drive outside of Campanil for shopping and dining. The neighborhood is only 5 miles from downtown Santa Barbara, though the area around La Cumbre Plaza is even closer. There is a Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Target along State Street for stocking up on groceries and essentials. Retail options include Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and Macy’s. For eating out, there is a selection of chain favorites like The Habit Burger Grill and Islands Restaurant, both of which are burger-focused venues with a laidback vibe. Owned and operated for over 30 years, Little Alex’s is a Mexican grill with a menu featuring their famous soup, chimichangas, nachos and tacos rajas. Children are served by Santa Barbara Unified, a public school district with an A grade from Niche. Students can start their education at Adams Elementary before moving on to La Cumbre Junior High, graded A-minus and B-plus, respectively, by Niche. Named a standout high school in California by Niche, San Marcos Senior High gets an A. Home of the Royals, SMSH has a full slate of athletic activities, including water polo, beach volleyball, tennis, golf and diving. Campanil is 5 miles from downtown Santa Barbara via U.S. route 101 and Las Positas Road, the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare in and out. The 101 is easily accessible and connects southeast to Thousand Oaks and eventually to greater Los Angeles. The neighborhood is a couple of miles from the highway, so there is no local through traffic on Campanil’s winding roads. Santa Barbara Airport is about 10 miles away via the 101, and the University of California-Santa Barbara is just beyond the airport. A lush hillside neighborhood butting up against green space on its northeastern side, Campanil has a significant wildfire risk. Santa Barbara has a community wildfire protection plan to mitigate and address risk potential. Still, fire insurance is a growing expense for many homebuyers as companies continue to pull out of California. Offsetting the fire risk is a very low crime rate. Campanil’s CAP Score Index for violent crime is a 1 (out of 10), compared to 4 nationally. Property crime is slightly more common but still occurs at half the national rate.

Right beside the Pacific Ocean, 3 miles south of downtown Santa Barbara, East Mesa features narrow sandy beaches that are walking distance from most residents' homes, and more moderate summer temperatures than the rest of the city. Set two miles off the US-101 freeway, East Mesa is as walkable and bikeable as neighboring West Mesa and Alta Mesa, but it's set apart by its proximity to Shoreline Park and Leadbetter Beach, two of the coast's most popular outdoor spaces. With well-maintained midcentury homes, ocean views and highly rated schools, as well as locally owned eateries and markets, East Mesa is in high demand. Shoreline Park is one of the most popular spots in East Mesa, featuring 15 grassy fields set between the coast and Shoreline Drive, which includes a playground for small children. A steep bluff separates Shoreline Park from Ledbetter Beach, a long, thin, white-sand beach popular among catamaran sailors and windsurfers. The rest of the neighborhood is bordered by One Thousand Steps Beach, a narrow shoreline that can be accessed by traversing a tall staircase over the bluff. Further inland from the shore, La Mesa Park offers a large playground with a swing set and grassy fields shaded by tall mature trees. Most homes here were built in the 1950s and ’60s, either Spanish Revival-style properties with white stucco exteriors and terra cotta barrel-tile roofs (similar to those on the nearby Holy Cross Church, a neighborhood landmark since 1958) or California Cottages with low-slung roofs that overhang front porches. A three-bedroom cottage can sell for $1.9 million, while a four-bedroom Spanish Revival-style home near the water can go for upwards of $8 million. Neatly squared front yards feature low-water plantings shaded with tall palm and eucalyptus trees, and neighborhood streets are hilly and tightly packed, with sidewalks that wind around the community, leading to nearby parks and restaurants. East Mesa is next to the Santa Barbara Harbor and West Beach, where many local events and festivals are held. During the city’s day-long Fourth of July Celebration on West Beach, locals can enjoy a full day of live music by local musicians and DJs before closing out the night with a 20-minute firework display over the water. Just west of the neighborhood, a few shopping centers are clustered along Cliff Drive, including small grocery stores like Lazy Acres Market and Mesa Produce, as well as a selection of small, locally owned eateries. Many of these restaurants have close ties to the community; for instance, Mesa Burger began in 2016 as a collaboration between Mesa residents and other Santa Barbara partners. “The idea came up on a surf trip,” says Chiarappa, one of Mesa Burger's original founders. “We wanted a feel-good restaurant, with hamburgers being comfort food, and thought of it as a way to give back to the community.” Lighthouse Coffee, which now has 5 locations across Santa Barbara and nearby Goleta, is owned by the same collective and began serving locally roasted coffee at the original Mesa location in 2018. East Mesa is zoned for the Santa Barbara Unified School District. “The schools here are great,” says Chris Chiarappa, local business owner. “There’s a lot of parent involvement, and everyone is invested in their success.” Local students may attend Washington Elementary, which receives an A rating from Niche and employs a full-time STEM teacher, who works weekly with students in all grade levels to help them develop a strong STEM foundation. The B-plus-rated La Cumbre Junior High offers an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) elective, which promotes college readiness for kids who could be the first in their families to attend university. The A-rated Santa Barbara High is the district's only high school to offer Computer Science and Multimedia Arts & Design Academies, and its 40-acre campus features tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a large football and track stadium. East Mesa is located next to Santa Barbara City College’s main campus, but few of its students live in East Mesa, and the school's proximity doesn’t affect residents much, if at all. U.S. Route 101 runs east-west, 2 miles north of the neighborhood, and downtown Santa Barbara is 3 miles away. The 96-mile commute to Los Angeles can take up to two and a half hours, depending on traffic on the 101. Locals can easily walk or bike around their neighborhood to get to nearby parks and beaches, and several Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District bus routes that pass through East Mesa; for example, Route 5 stops along the neighborhood’s northern border and travels to La Cumbre Plaza shopping center and downtown. Nearby hospitals include Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, about 3 miles north, and Santa Barbara Airport is about 10 miles east. For international travel, Los Angeles Airport is about 100 miles away.