Information wanted on GOLETA (Oxnard, Oceanside: apartments, condos, low crime)

[stephanie54]

Hi:

I am living in southern California right now, in Oceanside. But I am considering a live-in job in Goleta.

Is there anyone out there from Goleta, or has anyone any information on the town? I am looking for any information about the area.

Thanks!

Stephanie

[goatherder]

The Goleta area varies between rural ranches, crowded apartments and lots of nice suburban areas.
Can you be more specific about what parts of Goleta and what sort of info you want?

[Winston Smith]

Suburban, expensive, five to ten miles north of Santa Barbara. Apartments and condos can be crowded, parking difficult. Some funkier apartments (even questionable) in Old Town. Avoid Isla Vista, unless you like rowdy college kids. Weather is perfect almost all year round. Nice bike path south from UCSB past the beach/pier and through the Goleta Slough. Goleta Bluffs are nice for an afternoon walk to unwind.

[stephanie54]

Thanks Goatherder and cre8:

What I wanted to know is, I guess, what's the geography like? Is it green and treed or high desert like Socal? What's the little town like? What sort of stores does it have? Does it have much crime?

Is it fairly small enough to get around easily? Is a car absolutely needed? How far is the beach? Mountains?

That sort of stuff.

Thanks all!

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by stephanie54

Thanks Goatherder and cre8:

What I wanted to know is, I guess, what's the geography like? Is it green and treed or high desert like Socal? What's the little town like? What sort of stores does it have? Does it have much crime?

Is it fairly small enough to get around easily? Is a car absolutely needed? How far is the beach? Mountains?

That sort of stuff.

Thanks all!

Goleta sits on a narrow plane between the Santa Barbara Channel (ocean) and the mountains. It's not high-desert at all. The area is Mediterranean. Think Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece. There are a lot of urban trees and landscaping all over Goleta and Santa Barbara. Beaches and mountains are immediately availabe. Goleta is on the coast. North of Goleta, the Gaviota area is still wide open space and ranches for miles. It's generally safe with a low crime rate.

Not much in the way of stores, except grocery, a few Mexican mercados in Old Town, small restaurants, etc. There are two big shopping areas, one at the north end of the Airport; you'll find CostCo and a few other big chains there. Another shopping center on Calle Real, mainly strip malls. It's not far to Santa Barbara, where you'll find more stores. But for anything serious (major department stores, outlet centers, bigger malls) you'll have to travel to Ventura County, 40 or so miles south.

You can easily get around the Goleta/Santa Barbara area without a car. In fact, the area encourages it: Traffic Solutions Online. The bus system is not great, but certainly accommodating and convenient during the day, MTD Santa Barbara. If you move closer to Old Town or Fairview, you'll have easy access to the main bus lines. From Santa Barbabra, express buses run to north SB County and Ventura County, Ventura County Transportation Commission - Coastal Express, south (broken link). Amtrak serves both SB and Goleta with several daily schedules. How are your bicycling skills? SB/Goleta is quite bike friendly, Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition.

Let us know how it goes for you.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by cre8

Goleta sits on a narrow plane between the Santa Barbara Channel (ocean) and the mountains. It's not high-desert at all. The area is Mediterranean. Think Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece. There are a lot of urban trees and landscaping all over Goleta and Santa Barbara. Beaches and mountains are immediately availabe. Goleta is on the coast. North of Goleta, the Gaviota area is still wide open space and ranches for miles. It's generally safe with a low crime rate.

Not much in the way of stores, except grocery, a few Mexican mercados in Old Town, small restaurants, etc. There are two big shopping areas, one at the north end of the Airport; you'll find CostCo and a few other big chains there. Another shopping center on Calle Real, mainly strip malls. It's not far to Santa Barbara, where you'll find more stores. But for anything serious (major department stores, outlet centers, bigger malls) you'll have to travel to Ventura County, 40 or so miles south.

You can easily get around the Goleta/Santa Barbara area without a car. In fact, the area encourages it: Traffic Solutions Online. The bus system is not great, but certainly accommodating and convenient during the day, MTD Santa Barbara. If you move closer to Old Town or Fairview, you'll have easy access to the main bus lines. From Santa Barbabra, express buses run to north SB County and Ventura County, Ventura County Transportation Commission - Coastal Express, south (broken link). Amtrak serves both SB and Goleta with several daily schedules. How are your bicycling skills? SB/Goleta is quite bike friendly, Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition.

Let us know how it goes for you.

I went to grad school at UCSB. I lived in Isla Vista. No way can you make it around that region without a car. You will spontaneously go shopping, go to Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Marcos pass, and eventually LA. Sure, anything is possible. Unless you never leave Goleta proper, you will need a car; Let's be realistic. However a bike is a very popular ride. Everyone is riding one all the time.
Geographically Goleta is as described, on the coast, the best of the best weather. Never hot, 45 minutes from 3985' La Cumbre Peak. One hour from Lake Cachuma (where I rowed for UCSB).

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Charles

I went to grad school at UCSB. I lived in Isla Vista. No way can you make it around that region without a car.

With all due respect, Charles, no way for you, perhaps. Frankly, I surprised to hear you say this. When were you in Santa Barbara last? Or, when did you last try to get around there without a car? The area's improvements in public transportation and stepped-up Amtrak service over the past years has changed the car-need aspect of SB tremendously. It's absolutely possible to get by without a car. Express buses run all day between Goleta/UCSB - Santa Barbara - Carpinteria; SB - Ventura; and SB - north County. The area is small -- you can bike from Goleta to Carp with moderate good health. (Ortega Hill has a bike bypass, now .) Plus, the area has an ambition to become like Davis or Boulder, CO. A car-must-have attitude in today's Santa Barbara just lacks imagination, IMHO . Check this: Santa Barbara Car Free.

[fairweathergolfer]

Hey All!!

I appreciate all the comments and even Charles and cre8 disagreeing on the car issue. I can't comment on the livability as I live in LA, although I am soon to be a Santa Barbaran/Goletan (We'll see what homes become available after we sell ours here.

Cre8 one thing you said confused me a bit. You said there are no major department stores, but I thought there was both a Nordstroms and a Sax (Not that one could even call Sax a legitimate department store, but I would negating the impossible pricing of course.) Also, isn't there a Macy's as well? Do they not have the normal selection as most Macy's? I have found all those stores sufficient to call them major department stores. Might you be speaking more in the direction of a Sears or a Target type store? I also thought they had Pier I, Restoration Hardware, The Pottery Barn, ZGallerie, many antique stores (Hopefully somewhere in all of these choices there is a few pieces of furniture!--cross fingers and they do not have truncated showroooms and abnormally small amounts of inventory.) Isn't there a Home Depot in Goleta as well?

For the life of me I can not imagine what is missing, except maybe amazing kitchen stores, tile stores, big appliance stores etc. Which I assume is when one needs to drive into Ventura. I can only imagine the delivery pricing there . Are there appliance stores in SB/Goleta? Goleta and SB also have plenty of garden stores I believe.

Stephanie54 even though SB and Goleta are 2 different towns/cities one can't tell the dividing line, unless possibly they know what to look for and have lived there awhile, but the two downtowns are worlds a part.

I always love threads about SB and Goleta.

Charles, how has the shift from SB to Colorado been? You must have a monster home there (I assume you were a SB home owner, but forgive if I am wrong .) I grew up in Montana so my heart is often in the rural country .

Cre8 I look forward to your response.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by fairweathergolfer

Charles, how has the shift from SB to Colorado been? You must have a monster home there (I assume you were a SB home owner, but forgive if I am wrong .) I grew up in Montana so my heart is often in the rural country .

Actually, I had a home in Moorpark and worked at Point Mugu and I received an academic fellowship to UCSB (1994-96). I lived at the Santa Ynez graduate student housing at El Colegio & Los Carneros and rented out my Moorpark home. I have three little girls with a fourth on the way so we needed and wanted more room. Plus there are more jobs per traffic minute and per capita in Colorado than in Southern California. Also, the housing costs to salary ratio is about one third too. The same job I do here would pay me a whopping 8.6% more in El Segundo (I checked).

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by fairweathergolfer

Cre8 one thing you said confused me a bit. You said there are no major department stores, but I thought there was both a Nordstroms and a Sax (Not that one could even call Sax a legitimate department store, but I would negating the impossible pricing of course.) Also, isn't there a Macy's as well? Do they not have the normal selection as most Macy's? I have found all those stores sufficient to call them major department stores. Might you be speaking more in the direction of a Sears or a Target type store? I also thought they had Pier I, Restoration Hardware, The Pottery Barn, ZGallerie, many antique stores (Hopefully somewhere in all of these choices there is a few pieces of furniture!--cross fingers and they do not have truncated showroooms and abnormally small amounts of inventory.) Isn't there a Home Depot in Goleta as well?

For the life of me I can not imagine what is missing, except maybe amazing kitchen stores, tile stores, big appliance stores etc. Which I assume is when one needs to drive into Ventura. I can only imagine the delivery pricing there . Are there appliance stores in SB/Goleta? Goleta and SB also have plenty of garden stores I believe.

You're correct, fairweathergolfer, there are shopping opportunities and department stores in SB/Goleta. I didn't mean to imply that there were none. And as you point out, Goleta has even accepted "bix box" stores. (Didn't Target try but fail to open a store in Goleta or SB somewhere?) Mainly what I was getting at is that one finds more variety and bigger stores as you go south. And though I didn't mention it, part of what I was considering is that a big part of Ventura County's retail revenue comes from Santa Barbara County residents, i.e. Pacific View Mall, Camarillo Outlet Centers, Esplanade, car dealers, etc. I lived in Carpinteria for a time where my neighbors and I often found ourselves in Ventura or Oxnard for this, that and the other.