What's the truth about Santa Maria - Orcutt? (Los Angeles, San Diego: crimes, neighborhood)

[Chingadero88]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

My question is how do you make $100k up there? I've been through that area many times and I don't see a whole lot of industry other than picking vegetables or fast food/retail. And yet housing prices are almost as high as LA/OC.

you would probably have to work at the Vandenberg AFB. There is some small companies in Santa Maria you could possibly make that kind of cash.

[Chingadero88]

Originally Posted by CalBerkeley2002

I hear a lot of good and bad things about Santa Maria. Especially from GreatBasin (please don't jump in greatbasin, we all know you hate Santa Maria). But I'm looking for an unbiased opinion - perhaps someone who lives there now or has in the past? If you have a good income (+$100,000) certainly there are parts of the town that are nice where one can enjoy the nice weather and scenery, right? I assume there are school districts that are better than others as well, can anyone point me in the right direction in terms of where one should live if they are interested in moving to the area? Unlike greatbasin I enjoy a culturally diverse place and people speaking spanish does not bother me...hablo espanol tambien. Thanks everyone.

I come from Santa Maria, but currently live in Europe. I can honestly say Santa Maria is a great town and I will comeback someday soon. Yes, there is some troubled areas, but you would not be seen going there anyways. The cool thing is in the surrounding areas there is stuff to do. You just have to be curious enough to find them.

[winedy]

Being born and raised in Santa Maria, I grew to hate it more with each passing year. I knew I wanted out, and I had never lived anywhere else. Now that I live only 15 miles to the North I am happy as a Pismo Clam.
I would not recommend buying a home there, prices are going to drop even further. You will lose your equity quickly. If you must buy in the area, buy in Orcutt, although it's only a little better.
Santa Maria is filled with gangs and illegal aliens, especially on the northwest side of town. If anyone else in your family is looking for a job, they must speak Spanish.
The wind blows constantly and always carries the smell of fertilizer or broccoli with it. In certain areas of town you can hardly stand up because the wind blows so hard.
There are no decent restaurants, with only 2-3 exceptions. Do I sound harsh? Move there and get back to me in a year or two.

[Dean Trails]

It is a shame that Santa Maria has so many negatives. THe home prices are great and I see why.
By the way is there any place along the central coast where you can still catch the pismo clam?

Also, weighing all the comments I have seen here the favorite town seems to be Arroyo Grande. SLO is too expensive and Santa Maria has problems.
Does the problems of Santa Maria ever spill over into The Pismo Area?

I did read that Nipomo has the best weather in the nation. Or was that just realtor hype?

And, the most important question of all......Where is the best Clam Chowder served?

[nevergoingback]

Originally Posted by Dean Trails

Does the problems of Santa Maria ever spill over into The Pismo Area?


And, the most important question of all......Where is the best Clam Chowder served?

No, but Oceano's problems spill into Pismo Beach, IMO of course.


Splash Cafe ~ Artisan Bakery real good clam chowder.

[corndog67]

It's been 16 months now. Here's an update. I bought a house in Dec 07 for about $250k, now it's worth about $200. But at least I'm in. Maybe it will come back, if it does, and I can make a little bit of money or possibly break even, I'm out of Santa Maria.

The gang problem is getting worse and worse, in the gated community that I live in, the little punks are starting to tag mailboxes, the swimming pool signs and just in general being punks. Apparently you have to shave your head and tattoo 13 on the back of it to be accepted here. Might as well make yourself completely unemployable, huh?

The only sizeable mall in town is dying. Gottshaulks is going away. Mervyns is gone. I'd be willing to bet that Macy's is going away next. And I've never seen more than 10 people in the JC Penney in town at one time either.

And an earlier post was completely right, this town is a sanctuary city even though the mayor says it is not. Agri-business is big money, Agri-business needs the illegals to keep profits high, and big money always wins. The illegal problem is getting worse and worse, they operate freely and openly, although with the number of unregistered, unlicensed cars getting towed and lien saled, the tow truck companies are doing well.

As I mentioned earlier, I was burglarized within 2 days of moving in. I now have 2 90 pound dogs that seem to keep anyone from coming too close, so that's good. Oh yeah, a dope dealer that has traffic and makes delivieries all day and all night long, just 4 houses down the street. I've already had to talk to some lowlifes that were waiting in front of my driveway while one of them walked down the street to get their stuff. And the cops completely ignored it when I hipped them to what is going on.

Lots of people trespassing in our little community (I pay to live in here, yet pretty much every lowlife in town has the gate code). A lot of completely out of control kids in this area. Obviously their parents don't give a hoot about what they are doing, they seem to range in age from about 8 on up.

And guess what? Santa Maria is now the hit and run capital of California, thanks to the unlicensed drivers that populate our streets.

So move here at your own risk. The schools are terrible. The cops are basically useless. The city council seems to want the illegals here. Home prices are in the toilet. Gangs operate openly. The drug problem is out of hand. Leave your garden hose out in the yard and someone will steal it. My water bill just went up about 25% even though I know I'm using less.

The good news? Well, it's never snowed so bad I couldn't get to work. And I still have a job that pays well. Strawberries are cheap. My property tax assessment has gone down quite a bit.

A little disillusioned? You bet I am. And I think it's only going to get worse. Not just because of the illegals, but there is some really bad parenting going on. And these kids are the ones that are going to be running this town someday. Maybe. Unless they kill each other for being in a different gang.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

From a general perspective if you've been living in Texas you'll probably like, San-TA ... Maria ... LOL with the accentation there ... definitely one of the remnant enclaves of proper California cowboy / oil drilling / ag old school culture. In my youth I would partake of it, since that's what I'm made of. As for where to live there, other posts have nailed it here and on other threads, go South young man or alternatively, pick hinterlands well to the east (essentially in the SB county wine country).

[Axxlrod]

Corndog nailed it. SM was bad before, but now is getting worse. A friend from san diego spent some time in SM recently. She said she felt like she was in Tijuana with mexican people just walking around everywhere. She went to Best Buy, and right as you walk in there is a huge advertisement... in spanish, of course. But what do you expect when this town has been 70% mexican for years.

[prkchp58]

am wondering if this is the x-Whitely? this is an old nieghbor in s.m., ca.

[prkchp58]

S.M. used to be a wonderful place to live. I have been here since 1968. Left for a little while, could not wait to get back. I have to say I was a little shocked. some areas that used to be nice now look like run down, trashed, slums. I'm sorry but, they are all on the west side with majority population being Mexican. I know I'm going to get hate mail for that!! Sorry, am only speaking of what I see. Like the person before stated, "I'm not against immigration when done legally.".And when they conform to our lifestyle. Which does not include, urinatin in public,throwing used t.p. o floor,dirty diapers on sidewalks, thinking that white women are hookers, refusing to learn english, and getting everything free so they can send thier $ to Mexico. I better stop here!!