Santa Barbara, Santa Maria or San Luis Obispo? (Goleta, Orcutt: environment, smog)

[Katee]

Originally Posted by littleword

you beat me to it. i was going to post that the homeless in downtown santa barbara is just out of control. i use to love going downtown but not anymore, the homeless have ruined it!!! i have nothing against homeless ppl but, i have talked to friends who live and work in santa barbara, and they agree, santa barbara has a homeless problem. many of the homeless are just downright rude, inconsiderate, loud, and worst of all "touchy". i have scene them inappropriate touch young girls (12-13 yo) and use adult language right infront of young children (5-6 yo). and....if u dont give them money they will downright yell at you at the top of their lungs and im not kidding i can hear them yelling a block away!!! (im not joking, this is for real).

something has to be done. i know ppl on this site have friends or family in santa barbara who are in law enforcement. please ask them, that law abiding ppl like myself and many others, are "beginning" to stay away from santa barbara because of the rude homeless ppl. i use to like going out to eat, and getting a seat outdoors along the sidewalk ("downtown" along state st), but not anymore, i "now" would rather sit somewhere way way inside the restaurant. cause...believe it or not, the homeless are "actually" walking into the businesses and asking ppl (while there eating) for food or money!!!.

funny part is, while living in santa maria (orcutt actually), i have been asked for money by the homeless more times in santa barbara in one day (just visiting), than i have "living" in santa maria in more than two long decades!!! im not a santa barbara basher, i love santa barbara, but....this whole "homeless" thing is just getting old. someone please, "solve" the homeless problem in santa barbara.

Hi, I agree with you, and have observed the same. Business owners downtown have told me they lose a lot of business because customers are afraid or don't want the hassle of being hassled by the militant homeless. SB is very very welcoming to them and make a lot of concessions to them. Until that changes, the situation won't change. I hear that in Solvang the police escort them out of town. And please, no one get me wrong, when I'm talking about "the homeless" here, I don't really mean just people who have no home. I mean people who live on the streets and are aggressive and threatening to other people and infringe on the rights of others.

[Katee]

Originally Posted by Nexis

Thank you. I'm thinking of relocating to SB myself and this could effect my decision. Do you happen to have the link to the website you mentioned? I checked The 'Air Quality Index' score (based on data gathered from the EPA, USGS, and local authorities.) and it came out at a relatively good rating of 2.8.
STI: ERsys - Santa Barbara, CA (Air Quality)

Longbeach got a moderate score of 5.2
STI: ERsys - Long Beach, CA (Air Quality)

Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate and sulfur dioxide were all measured in the score taken in 2001.

Hi to Nexis, I don't know how to transfer a link for this, but I just found on the web this article from the Seattle Times re: tanker pollution in Santa Barbara---here's an excerpt I copied and pasted:
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Standing amid the chaparral and avocado farms overlooking the Pacific, one of the top experts in protecting the air in this pastoral city gazes down on his region's most untouchable polluters.

Through a filament of haze they emerge: containerships long enough to ferry the Space Needle, some belching as much exhaust as 12,000 cars, cutting through the bay toward the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach.
"I count five," said Tom Murphy, environmental-assessment manager with the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. "And we've only been here 20 minutes." During a decade in which scientists learned diesel pollution was even worse for our health than once thought, Murphy's agency made an astounding discovery: Ocean-going ships that cruised past Santa Barbara's coast each year emitted more smog-forming pollution than all vehicles on the county's roads combined

[jDiem]

Originally Posted by bobizzy3

Santa Barbaraa is very very expensive,,, medium price home over a one million,,,Santa Barbara also has more of a gang problem than Santa Maria.

The city of Santa Maria is Agri-business economy which means many immigrants, legal and other wise,,, very blue collar, poor city planning, no night life,,, very good place if you are middle income and NEED an affordable place to live,,, it has more negatives than positives,, but it does have it's upside, depends on what you seek.

I suggest you look at all the cities in San Luis Obispo County, they run the gamit of diversity,, beach towns,, cowboys, college town, houses in all price ranges,,, wine country,, night life in downtown SLO city, lakes, mountains,
lots of outdoor activities,,,, contact a SLO realtor for good help finding what you need....

SANTA BARBRA HAS A GANG PROBLEM!!!????HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHWOW NEVER THOUGHT ID HEAR THAT!

Ive lived EVERYWHERE; Queens NY, LA, Sen Bernadino, SLO, Long Beach, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Claremont, anywere you name it...But I love San Luis! Its such a great town, i mean it is a small town but its just really got a positive attractive vibe to it. STRONGLY RECOMENDED!! Santa Barbra is a snobby ass rich artsy town...but i do like Ventura 30 miles South, they got the best theatre between LA and SF

[jDiem]

Hahah wow im reading some of these posts on here, SNOBBY ASS PEOPLE!!!!

I grew up in QUEENSBRIDGE NY the biggest housing projects in the world, 96 Buildings, 7000 apartments in poverty!!! We saw phenes shootin up in elevators, crack epidemics, and shootouts on the nightly..you people are worrying about unsafe air, homeless ruining your rich streets, and use of adault language?? WAKE THE F*CK UP YOU IGNORANT BASTAR*S

[azadehbd]

Originally Posted by jDiem

Hahah wow im reading some of these posts on here, SNOBBY ASS PEOPLE!!!!

I grew up in QUEENSBRIDGE NY the biggest housing projects in the world, 96 Buildings, 7000 apartments in poverty!!! We saw phenes shootin up in elevators, crack epidemics, and shootouts on the nightly..you people are worrying about unsafe air, homeless ruining your rich streets, and use of adault language?? WAKE THE F*CK UP YOU IGNORANT BASTAR*S

There is nothing wrong with not wanting Santa Barbara to turn into an absolute dump. I grew up there, and used to complain about everyone being snobby, housing is too expensive, blah blah blah. I've moved out, and realized that people back in Santa Barbara simply have standards. Shocking, I know. I'll take a snobby art town any day of the week.

[jDiem]

Originally Posted by azadehbd

There is nothing wrong with not wanting Santa Barbara to turn into an absolute dump. I grew up there, and used to complain about everyone being snobby, housing is too expensive, blah blah blah. I've moved out, and realized that people back in Santa Barbara simply have standards. Shocking, I know. I'll take a snobby art town any day of the week.

Oh i understand and completley agree with you on that, but when your complaining about such minute problems it just seems stupid. I mean come on everyone knows that beach towns have homeless problems; Ventura, Santa Barbra, San Luis, San Fran, Venice, Malibu, they all have that same issue. Also when your reality standards start at 1MILLION your towns not gonna turn into a dump anytime soon.

[the city]

S. Cal. isn't the best area to live in, the gangs r worse in USA. New York is way over populated, but does good for it's size. Illinios has Chicago, but great suburbs. Texas I hear is great except for a couple big cities.

Not every big city is great.

And the coast has a bad homeless problem for having a large wealthy population. But I think the homeless problem is just too big in Santa Barbara.

[shanezmum]

Anyone know the most coservative areas near Goleta or solvang?? I am a life long republican moving from Southern Cal up more north and would like to live in a more conservative area...sorry to all you dem's out there

[cre8]

Originally Posted by shanezmum

Anyone know the most coservative areas near Goleta or solvang?? I am a life long republican moving from Southern Cal up more north and would like to live in a more conservative area...sorry to all you dem's out there

I thought all of north Santa Barbara County was Republican territory!

[the city]

Near solvang I would have to say San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande.