Info on Carpinteria? (Oxnard, Santa Barbara, Port Hueneme: real estate, renting, employment)

[3tulips]

I would love more info on Carpinteria. Is it a nice place to raise a family? Are the schools considered "good"? Is there a strong sense of community there? Do people love living there? What do you get for your money? Thanks for any insight!

[Winston Smith]

Let's get one thing out of the way, Carpinteria is expensive! Carp has beautiful scenery, great hiking around the bluffs and nice beaches. But it's quite small by So CA standards (around 13-14,000 people). The town basically rolls up and goes to bed around 9:30 p.m. The biggest stores are Carp's only two chain grocery stores. There are a lot of good little hole-in-the-wall Mexican joints and nice lunch eateries downtown, all excellent alternatives to Carps one plastic fast-food restaurant, McDonald's. Can't help you on schools, though I know one mom who pulled her kid out of the schools there because of a gang look & feel and associated problems. But I must underscore that this is second-hand info. There are two highly touted private schools, Kate and Howard Carden.

In my experience, people who live in Carp wouldn't live anywhere else. Sense of community? Perhaps. But as a small town, "entrenched" in many ways, change does not happen easily, especially at the behest of outsiders and newcomers.

For me Carp was too small and too far from conveniences. Found myself traveling to Santa Barbara (15 miles) or Ventura/Oxnard (15/20 miles) on the only highway (US 101) through town for everything from adult-school classes to movies, books, thrift stores and work -- civilization IOW . The distances to civilization are not trivial, either, as the traffic in and out of Carp can be very heavy. The weather in Carp is similar to anywhere in coastal SB/VTA counties -- awesome all year!

[3tulips]

Thanks so much "the seeker!". That helps me a lot.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by 3tulips

Thanks so much "the seeker!". That helps me a lot.

No prob and good luck! If you haven't come across it already, there's a few-months-old thread floating around that compares Morro Bay, Port Hueneme and Carpinteria. You might search for the thread for more insights on Carp.

[Shadowwind]

Thank you, Seeker for the info on Carpinteria, CA, as I am seriously thinking of moving there, yet have never been there.

I want the quieter life and the way you described it, it sounds right.

Is there any NEIGHBORHOOD to stay away from? The place I am thinking of renting is Shephards Place.

Please give me any info you can about any more STUFF about Carpinteria.

Thanks.

Shadowwind

[tigerclaws]

Hi,

I lived in Carp briefly before I moved to Santa Barbara. Carp was way too small for me and there was hardly anything to do there. Santa barbara is also in the same price band but it does have the small town feeling and it doesn't feel that urban.

Carp had a lot of retirement communities if I am not mistaken so maybe someone who is retired would like it there.

I remember the avocado festival though, lots of traffic and lots of people in Carp at that festival.

GL with your decision.

[mallthus]

I worked in Carp for a few years, ending in 2005.

Pros:
- Great Beach
- Tasty and Interesting Local Eateries
- Nice, Walkable Downtown With A Few Interesting Boutiques
- Amtrak Station
- Slightly Lower Cost of Housing Than Santa Barbara

Cons:
- Limited Everyday Shopping Choices
- Very Little High End Dinning
- Very High Real Estate Prices
- Community in Flux and Conflict Between Traditional Retiree and Farm Labor Populations and Newer "Santa Barbara Real Estate Refugees"

As we relocated to the area from LA, the drive from Ventura didn't phase me, so we elected to buy there and I drove the 20 miles each way everyday. One thing to keep in mind is that the morning traffic on 101 north starts to back up just as you enter Carp from the south. If you're planning to work in Santa Barbara, you'll find Carp a poor choice.

Depending on what you're looking for from a community, you might find other areas have more to offer.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by 3tulips

I would love more info on Carpinteria. Is it a nice place to raise a family? Are the schools considered "good"? Is there a strong sense of community there? Do people love living there? What do you get for your money? Thanks for any insight!

Where are you going to work? If you leave this job where are you going to work for your next job? Are there potential opportunities for employment in Santa Barbara and on the Oxnard plain?
What is your housing price range?
As far as schools are concerned, what is your opinion of your analysis on the public schools in the places you are considering? If you could provide a few viable choices then we'll fill in the cracks.