Arroyo grande, ca. Help (Grover Beach, Pismo Beach: rentals, house, neighborhood)

[hairofcurls]

Does anyone know anything about Branch Elementary? I found a rental that looks perfect, and it is in that school district

[hairofcurls]

Originally Posted by thebunny

LOL..I am from Santa Maria, and I also call it the Shire. Too funny. I always say if I ever move back to the Central Coast it is going to be somewhere from AG to SLO...no farther south or north!

While I moved to Los Angeles after college at UCSB, I can honestly say that the Central Coast (even the shire, well, Shire adjacent as we were technically in Orcutt for part of the time I lived there) is a great place to raise kids. It was a great place to grow up. Yes, the demographic is sometimes a little older, but it is a friendly, warm, inviting place to live.

And, SM style BBQ is the best there is. Once you try it you will look the BBQ that's covered in red sauce and find yourself thinking...that did NOT come off an Oak Pit. What is it?

Gonna have to check out Santa Maria BBQ for sure, we are HUGE fan's of BBQ, Santa Maria style sounds yummy!

[daddypants]

Originally Posted by hairofcurls

Does anyone know anything about Branch Elementary? I found a rental that looks perfect, and it is in that school district

That's the area we were looking in. Branch was our choice for elementary schools after interviewing the Principals.

If the rental looks good- take it.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by hairofcurls

Gonna have to check out Santa Maria BBQ for sure, we are HUGE fan's of BBQ, Santa Maria style sounds yummy!

I have a concern, to many Americans Barbecue is something baked with sauce on it.. Santa Maria style is not that.

It is descended from vaquero barbecues, whole cows in a pit.

Today Santa Maria Style barbecue is Top Block Sirloin seasoned and barbecued on a grill over Red Oak. Green Salad, Pinquito beans (only grown locally), french bread. That is it.

Sometimes expanded to include Chicken and Ribs, and the new upstart, Tritip.

No sauce, ever. aside from salsa, sometimes.

The center of Santa Maria style barbecue, and the best restaurant in the world is Jocko's in Nipomo. Although, the Casmalia Hitching Post, not the Buellton Hitching Post, is a close second.

[daddypants]

Originally Posted by thebunny

LOL..I am from Santa Maria, and I also call it the Shire. Too funny. I always say if I ever move back to the Central Coast it is going to be somewhere from AG to SLO...no farther south or north!

While I moved to Los Angeles after college at UCSB, I can honestly say that the Central Coast (even the shire, well, Shire adjacent as we were technically in Orcutt for part of the time I lived there) is a great place to raise kids. It was a great place to grow up. Yes, the demographic is sometimes a little older, but it is a friendly, warm, inviting place to live.

And, SM style BBQ is the best there is. Once you try it you will look the BBQ that's covered in red sauce and find yourself thinking...that did NOT come off an Oak Pit. What is it?

My younger brother grew up in Santa Maria and became a master welder of Santa Maria BBQ's. The one he made for our dad takes at least 2 strong men to move and makes the best tri-tip ever....period.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by daddypants

My younger brother grew up in Santa Maria and became a master welder of Santa Maria BBQ's. The one he made for our dad takes at least 2 strong men to move and makes the best tri-tip ever....period.

He gets to go to heaven, he has a free pass.

[Beth56]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

the best restaurant in the world is Jocko's in Nipomo.

We love Jocko's! Any time we are passing through town, that's where we go.

[Just One of the Guys]

[quote=.highnlite;24373015]My kids call south San Luis Obispo County the Shire, from the Hobbit. Nothing bad ever happens here, the weather is always good. Bad stuff happens north of the Cuesta Grade and south of the Santa Maria River.

Well I don't know about "Nothing bad ever happens here" in AG area, I do recall last year the building that the Boys Scouts used was torched by some kids, and one was arrested right out of class at Arroyo Grande High School. And a vintage flatbed truck was destroyed because of this kids. Bad things happen everywhere even in AG.

[.highnlite]

[quote=Just One of the Guys;24429373]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

My kids call south San Luis Obispo County the Shire, from the Hobbit. Nothing bad ever happens here, the weather is always good. Bad stuff happens north of the Cuesta Grade and south of the Santa Maria River.

Well I don't know about "Nothing bad ever happens here" in AG area, I do recall last year the building that the Boys Scouts used was torched by some kids, and one was arrested right out of class at Arroyo Grande High School. And a vintage flatbed truck was destroyed because of this kids. Bad things happen everywhere even in AG.

Of course, bad things can happen, but the overall feeling for the areas is as I described. It wasn't really the scout building, it was the old Japanese community center, built in the 1930's when the Japanese were excluded from white organizations.

The South County Historical Society was working with the Japanese community to make a Japanese historical museum out of the building. The Japanese were, and are an integral party of the local community.

Interestingly, today I talked with a family, dad, 94, farmed locally, In 1942 he was interned into the concentration camps, volunteered for the Japanese Division, the Nisei Division, which fought in Europe and was the most decorated unit in the US Army. He came home and farmed again. Today his sons and grandsons are still farming.

I remember him from Boy Scouts, one of his son's was in my troop, and he and a few other Nisei Dads came on our outings. I had not seen him for 40 some years, and he did not look much different.

[Just One of the Guys]

I was fully aware of who owned it, I just said the scouts used the building. My friend owned the 1949 vintage flatbed truck that was destroyed by the vandalism.