Santa Maria, Ca versus Naples, Florida (Santa Ana, Santa Barbara: middle-class, apartment, rent)

[calves2997]

I have the opportunity to begin my career at either of these two cities. I am married with 2 children, and value the amenities which allow for good upbringing of children, ie good schools and low crime rates.
In additon, we are outdorsy people who enjoy camping, hiking and bicycling, and of course water sports.
Any opinions on comparing the two cities?

[LDH]

I've lived in Santa Maria since 1980. If you do move here, I would highly recommend that you live closer to Orcutt which on the south side of SM as it is the best area of SM which has some very nice housing and the schools are better. I live on the northern end of SM and over the years the schools have become bad do to a very large spanish speaking population that has taken over the schools which is causing the schools to lag because they are having to teach the kids english on top of academics. We have an elementary school around the corner from us and ended up having to put our kids through private school so they would get a good education.

There are a lot of great places for camping, hiking, bicycling and water sports here on the Central Coast. We have a large public pool in town right next to the youth center and the YMCA in Orcutt has a pool as well. For camping, hiking, etc we have plenty of places to go... Morro Bay, Lake Lopez, Lake Cachuma, well here's a link with places (http://www.santabarbara.com/activities/camping/). Pismo Beach which is also very popular for their sand dunes and camping. Santa Ynez Valley is also big for bicycling and is a beautiful community.

Housing is very expensive here so if you can handle that it's not a bad place if you get in a good neighborhood.

[Jose Montara]

The weather can't be beat, while Santa Maria is often cool and foggy the hills to the east are very nice. Humidity really doesn't exist in CA compared to Florida. You can cam year round in comfortable temperatures. South end of Santa Maria, to Orcutt is right on the money. Both road and mountain biking are very common and popular, the mixture of terrain allows for interesting rides. One great bike ride is to start in Santa Maria, ride across Suey crossing, up Bull Canyon, east along 166 and down Tepusquet Canyon, a fun swooping down hill run, then back on Main Street into town.

[SoCalif]

As for Santa Maria, no one's mentioned Nacimiento Lake or San Antonio lake for boating and camping. Those are the two local lakes (about 90 minutes from SM) I go to because of their size and you can swim in them unlike Cachuma Lake. Also, at Pismo Beach you have the sand dunes where you can go rent an ATV or dune buggy. There are all kinds of out door things to do in the Santa Maria area.

[wealthtrader]

SM and Naples FL can't be compared. It's like comparing Newport Beach to Santa Ana. Naples is the wealthiest city for it's pop. in FL and one of the wealtiest in the country. It has an aging demographic and is 90% white non hispanic. SM is mostly Mexicans and HHI is apx. 40% less. Not to mention crime is non existant in Naples compared to SM's gangs, vandalism, and poor public education.

Quality of life? Naples wins by a mile.

Price? About even, Santa Maria may win.

Weather? Santa Maria.

Education? Naples easily.

[ML09]

Calves, I live in Naples so hopefully I'll be able to give you some good advice.

I will start off by saying that Naples was not built for families. It was built around snowbirds wanting to escape the winter cold of the north. Most of those snowbirds live in an area called Pelican Bay, which is the closest location to the beach. That's an extremely wealthy area with barely any children, so you wouldn't be looking to go there.

The area I'd suggest you look at is North Naples which the more middle-class with kids area. I don't know what age your kids are, but you'd be surrounded by numerous schools with good teachers and academic programs. Also, the state has an excellent scholarship program called Bright Futures. If your child does well throughout High School and does well on his SATs, he/she will be rewarded handsomely with an excellent college tuition package if he chooses a Public Florida college like Florida, Florida State, South Florida, etc.

If you would live in North Naples, I'd suggest you look at communities like Heritage Greens, Saturnia Lakes, Indigo Lakes, Ibis Cove, and Pebblebrooke. Those communities vary in price range and amenities, but I'd say the nicest are Saturnia and Heritage Greens.

Crime in Naples is barely noticeable. You'll get some petty crimes and maybe a store robbery every few months, but nothing gang-related or drug-related. If you venture more into Immokalee or Golden Gate you'll have more crime because of lower-income families, as well as more minorities (I hate to say it, but it's true)

In terms of amenities, Naples is fantastic. Lots of restaurants, a nice mall, the beach, a great supermarket called Publix, etc. You'll find all the chain stores you'd find anywhere.

In terms of outdoor activities, California would seem more fitting for your situation. Naples and the surrounding area are completely flat so hiking becomes more like just walking. There are some state parks around Sarasota, the Everglades, etc., but the weather in the summer and fall aren't fit for camping.

The weather here is one thing I strongly detest. This year from about August to 2 days ago, we had 65 straight days above 90 degrees. Add in the humidity, it's quite unpleasant. The winter here is extremely mild and that may be your cup of tea, but when it gets down to 45 degrees here, you'll see people out in heavy coats. That's how the people are here, but what can you do?

I can't speak for California for I have no experience there, but my advice to you would be to come visit here. It's really a love it or hate it type of place. If you don't like the cold and like to have warm weather year round, this might be the place for you. But if you like big-city amenities, the mountains, and things like that, you'd be best somewhere else. It really depends what you're looking for.

If you have anymore question, I'd be happy to answer them.

Hope this helps,
Josh

[greatbasinguide]

Hoo boy, living in the East is terrible, flat ground, humid, green everywhere. If you are truly an outdoorsy family the west is where you want to be. Within a days drive you can be at the lowest spot in the lower 48 states, 283 feet below sea level, or the highest spot in the lower 48, Mt Whitney. The variety of geography in CA is tremendous, mtns, desert, farmlands, Redwoods, Palm trees,

The best thing one can say about Santa Maria is that there are great places to visit near by. It isn't a bad town, just a bland town.

Watch the movie 'Sideways' it was filmed in the next valley south.

[SoCalif]

Originally Posted by calves2997

I have the opportunity to begin my career at either of these two cities. I am married with 2 children, and value the amenities which allow for good upbringing of children, ie good schools and low crime rates.
In additon, we are outdorsy people who enjoy camping, hiking and bicycling, and of course water sports.
Any opinions on comparing the two cities?

If you're outdoorsey people, and after reading Josh's post, I would recommend the Central Coast. We have multiple lakes to go camping or even for the day the lakes are that close. Hiking is year round, and if you really really want to, at certain times of the year, you can snow ski, water ski & surf all in the same day.

Recently I went back east to visit relatives, I had to endure one week of intense humidity, as soon as I got off the plane in Santa Barbara to 78 degree weather, slight breeze, and not a cloud in the sky. I smiled and thought, this is why I live on the Central Coast.

[rgb123]

tough call! I find myself in a similiar situation, I used to live in Naples and in California and am trying to decide where I want to return and put down roots. I loved Naples!! It s a truly beautiful place, and the outdoor opportunities there far outweigh the ones they don't have (mountains...) the beaches just can't be beat if you love to swim (I love california beaches too....but the ones in Naples are just incredible for people who like to go IN the water.....and the wildlife there is just incredible). Since the area is so wealthy....it just has a positive vibe to it. I lived in a small apartment but being surrounded by people who ARE living in beautiful mansions just creates a nice atmosphere..honestly, some people bash it but it is just very nice....and you dont think so much about crime and the little shops are just great...love it there. (I'm from Chicago by the way...)

But...California is just ...California and also can't be beat for what it has to offer.

I dont have kids....so I don't have anything to say on that. I do think though, that Naples would feel like a nice safe place to raise kids, despite the conflict I always here about between old folks (no offense!) and families with kids. I never experienced that myself. I thought most people were very friendly....and happy. I hated working there though...just wanted to go to the beach.

I really can't decide....I guess you can't go wrong either way. You are lucky!

[caliving0071]

Santa Maria and Orcutt are family oriented. It is a commuter city in which many people from Santa Barbara or San luis Obispo moved here during the housing peak.Orcutt(small town annex of SM) has award winning California distinguished schools and low crime rate. Although there is not much to do in the city itself, it is centrally located within close driving distances to all the outdoor activities you are looking for. Santa Barbara is one hour south with Solvang (a tourist Danish town) around 35 mins south and the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley (home to Bo Derek, Michael Jackson, and several other stars, Ellen De Generes had a home there and Sandra Bullock got married here as well) San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach area is just north of SM. There are many lakes very close by that offer camping and water activities(most within less than an hour drive). There is much to be explored in this area. Weather is great, nothing extreme. People are very weather "spoiled" around here. If it gets hot (anything in the 80's) it is considered a heatwave, if it rains it becomes a "stormwatch". Its quite funny. Although there are very nice areas within Santa Maria itself, I would stick with Orcutt for the school system (you have children) and it is generally a little bit more desirable for families. SM was put on the map with the Michael Jackson trial. Probably not the best spotlight we could have recieved but nevertheless, people have taken notice.
PS. As someone mentioned in an earlier post, the movie Sideways was filmed in this area (the local Santa Maria IHOP) and surrounding areas. This area is used often for filming, most
recently a movie with Lindsey Lohan was filmed in SLO and the sand dunes/beach in another local area was used for The Pirates of the Carribean 2, as well as SeaBiscuit, GI Jane and more. Just a fun fact.