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Old 06-14-2015, 05:00 PM
 
50 posts, read 62,640 times
Reputation: 104

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I've lived in Santa Barbara for Five years now and I'd thought I'd share my thoughts if anyone is interested in reading a perfect stranger's opinion on the place. Please keep in mind I'm mostly sane, I've lived all over the United States, Canada, travelled all throughout Europe, Australia, etc, so I do have some perspective.


So Santa Barbara... on one hand you have a fairly charming little town, isolated from the rest of California (as one typically thinks of California), full of mostly friendly and seemingly happy people. The red tile roofs and Spanish architecture are nice and unique, the setting, with the mountainous backdrop is beautiful and the vibe here is warm. Santa Barbara has an abundance of good restaurants and shops and of course wineries! Factor in the ideal weather and yes, it's definitely tough to complain. Compared to so many other places one could live, it's certainly a gem, no doubt it. However, with that being said, I do believe SB is one of the most overrated places in California (hear me out) when you consider it's mostly glowing reputation. I'm not saying it sucks here, it certainly does not suck... anyone who says it sucks is certifiable. I'm saying for the reputation it has and compared to various other coastal destinations throughout California with similar pedigree, I believe Santa Barbara is overrated... or perhaps underachieving is a better word, at least compared to what it could be; if that works better for you.


I believe the reason for this is due to two things. Celebrities live here to escape the chaos of LA which leads people to believe if celebrities live here is has to be unmatched and secondly, opinions and feedback are gathered and shared primarily by visitors... people who come to get away for a weekend. And no doubt about, for those reasons, Santa Barbara is ideal!

As a place to live though, I think Santa Barbara could be so so much better.

It all starts with the divided mindset of it's residents and people in power. Like I wrote in another post, there is such a divide in how people view SB and what they want SB to be, that is causes the place to literally stagnate. You have three main types here (excluding the college kids). You have a bunch of tree hugging hippies, old "particular" drama queens living 50 years in the past and then you have the younger, more business minded people who move here from LA and San Fran wanting to develop everything. So what happens?? Nothing. There is no synergy here and that's exactly why it's no coincidence that it takes 10 years for anything to happen here. How healthy is that for a city? In limbo a city cannot exist, at least not anywhere near it's potential and Santa Barbara has definitely spent too long living in Limbo.


The mere mention of the word growth puts people in a tizzy around here. Growth doesn't have to mean LA or Orange County. I don't understand why that is so hard for people here to understand. Growth can be a good thing. It can mean not having a green fence surrounding what is basically a garbage dump along Cabrillo Blvd for 15 years because "the plans just aren't Santa Barbara enough". What the hell does that even mean? Wake up people! Santa Barbara isn't even Santa Barbara enough anymore because of this anti-growth stance! 70% of the buildings in this city are absolutely worn out eye sores that look like something out of Tijuana! Talk about taking the charm out of a city. You don't see this in La Jolla, or Laguna or Newport or Carmel. I've lived in and been to all of them several times. People aren't fighting over the width of a window there while half the town is falling apart! People in power here are living 50 years in the past, trying to preserve a dream that is long long over. Guess what, the 50's aren't coming back so either live in denial and watch this town continue to fall further and further behind or perhaps interpret the word "growth" in a different, more positive fashion and watch the place blossom all over again. There is such thing as controlled growth you know!


Another ironic identity issue: No one here can even agree on what this place is, a city or a town. How can a place be properly run when no one is even in agreement whether or not SB is a city or a town!? It certainly doesn't feel like a city... it feels like an outdated mountain village of 15,000. However there are nearly 100,000 people living in SB which would absolutely classify it as a small city. Again, herein lies the problem: The people running this place are in denial, they think it's 1930 or whatever and view SB as a single street with a beachfront. And that's exactly how it feels. There is no reason to venture off of State Street other than perhaps to visit the Courthouse and the Funk Zone (which is hideous but at least something is happening there). What, are you going to take the family for a nice stroll down Milpas? Give me a break. Again, denial. Denial which causes stagnation. This is Santa Barbara people. It's supposed to be the best, classiest... for the lucky few. It certainly doesn't look or feel it. The never ending homeless situation certainly isn't helping, either.
Would it be so bad if there was more going on off of State street? Would a nice new hotel along Cabrillo not be better than staring at an old ugly green fence with homeless in front of it?


Lets talk about landscaping. This is a nitpick but considering how anal the city is about building ordinances you'd think they'd tidy up the area when it comes to landscaping (this is where SB could take a page out of the OC's book, as it does a truly commendable job with it's landscaping). Every time I get on the freeway I feel like I'm entering of a claustrophobic tunnel of bush. You have beautiful mountains on one side and beautiful ocean to the other yet it's almost as if SB wants to block the views with overgrown bushes and dead brown scrubby trees and patchy messy weeds. Everything has grown so out of control you can't see anything. The landscaping around here is pretty poor in some ways. I realize SB is full of hippies and everything should be natural yada yada but it's one thing to be natural (30+ miles of undeveloped coastline is pretty impressive in this day and age) but weeds, dead overgrown bush and trees all over the place is another. SB just (not State or Anacapa) just looks kind of messy...


Santa Barbara has one of THE most naturally beautiful settings for a city in the entire world yet this is the best we can do? One street with anything going on, a sort of half hazard Funk Zone rejuvenation, an ocean front with pipes, beaches covered in kelp, a green fence surrounding a garbage dump for 15 years on the most prime piece of real estate in the city, an industrial area a block and a half from the ocean front, awful roads, a massive homeless problem, literally 70% of the buildings and homes are eye sores, weeds and overgrown dead bush off the freeways and entrances to the city. This place could be so much better yet it's so outdated, so routine, so isolated feeling and backwards. You can have your small, you can have your vintage, you can have your charming and you can have it with that awful, insidious word growth! No one is suggesting Donald Trump comes in here and starts building glass towers but jesus what is wrong with a little up-keeping, a little progression, a little rejuvenation a little liveliness? It just feels like you're living in a 1950's bubble with a bunch of bored drama queens bickering over the shape of a street bench while 3/4 of the city looks like beat up. It's just very tiring. SB is a good place but it's not on some pedestal, far greater than La Jolla or Laguna, or Carmel, like people in power believe. It could be, but it's not. Not with them running it.

I mentioned in another post that anti-growth will eventually destroy a city and SB is definitely at a crossroads. Something has got to give.


Thoughts? Suggestions? I'm an idiot?

Thanks for reading.
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Old 06-14-2015, 06:42 PM
 
Location: The High Seas
7,372 posts, read 15,946,623 times
Reputation: 11865
It has grown and changed. You just haven't lived there long enough.
When a lot of it fell down in 1920, the city planners decided to make it what it is today, a Spanish colonial town on the Pacific.
Since then, there have been improvements. They built underpasses to get rid of the traffic lights on 101 and they improved the lower end of State St.
It also got rid of Rachel.
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Old 06-14-2015, 08:08 PM
 
615 posts, read 659,569 times
Reputation: 670
I was born in Santa Barbra. I like it. To give it a modern face lift would cost money. Where would this money come from. Once the look became outdated, it would need to be revitalized which would cost more money for another face lift. Rinse, repeat.

Then in the midst of all the face lifts we would be like why do we keep wasting money changing the look of a city? Just pick a theme and stick with it. Spend on holding oil companies accountable for our environment instead.
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Old 06-14-2015, 09:16 PM
 
Location: TOVCCA
8,452 posts, read 14,962,200 times
Reputation: 12528
Take a look out into the ocean. See those oil derricks? Notice the damage caused by the recent oil spill? Well, way back in 1969 there was a terrible oil spill that fouled the coastline terribly, dolphins washed up on the beaches dead with blowholes clogged with oil, the sidewalks along the ocean were sticky black, dead fish everywhere, it was an unprecedented disaster.
Yet the oil companies had a lock on Santa Barbara and wanted to build even more oil derricks, and for a few years after, they did! It was only after extended protests that went on for years, mainly by the "tree-hugging hippies" you repeatedly disparage in your post, but also locals who were awakened by those same hippies to the environmental jeopardy that inaction would facilitate, that further drilling was halted, and a complete overhaul in environmental law which included setting up the California Coastal Commission was enacted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_S...bara_oil_spill

There is a lot more background to SB's reluctance to "progress" than you perhaps realize. I know, I was one of those hippies.

Last edited by nightlysparrow; 06-14-2015 at 09:49 PM..
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Old 06-14-2015, 09:24 PM
 
Location: Nashville TN
4,918 posts, read 6,427,872 times
Reputation: 4778
Maybe if it was not so expensive it would see more growth the real estates prices for a nice house are insane over 2 million for a nice place. Santa Barbara is mostly a college town mixed in with wealthy people who use SB as a resort. It def is one of the nicest places to live in the world like you said due to its gorgeous scenery and natural setting but the job economy is not the best... what can you do for a career in Santa Barbara, it does not have the most diverse job economy. Still one of the best cities to live in the world if you can afford it thou imo.
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Old 06-14-2015, 09:50 PM
 
9,446 posts, read 6,525,270 times
Reputation: 18898
LaJolla, Laguna, and Carmel = All Very Rich People

Santa Barbara = College Students + Some Rich People + Some Middle Class People

Lots of people in Santa Barbara like that. They don't want higher taxes and COL which would "improve" them out of their home.
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Old 06-14-2015, 10:18 PM
 
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
1,153 posts, read 4,542,187 times
Reputation: 741
We don't want massive population and economic growth here. It's fine the way it is. Look up north to the bay area to see what runaway growth gets you... people are seriously paying millions of dollars to live in neighborhoods that are total crap compared to down here.
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Old 06-15-2015, 02:19 AM
 
Location: Oroville, California
3,477 posts, read 6,469,080 times
Reputation: 6789
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYMTman View Post
We don't want massive population and economic growth here. It's fine the way it is. Look up north to the bay area to see what runaway growth gets you... people are seriously paying millions of dollars to live in neighborhoods that are total crap compared to down here.
Median sales price in Santa Barbara is $900,000. In San Jose its $900,000. Yeah, Santa Barbara is a much better value. At least good paying jobs are more readily available in San Jose to go along with the inflated home prices.
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Old 06-15-2015, 02:57 AM
 
Location: Pacific 🌉 °N, 🌄°W
11,761 posts, read 7,210,209 times
Reputation: 7528
Quote:
Originally Posted by 505HPC6Z05 View Post
Just pick a theme and stick with it.
This is about as non-progressive as it gets.
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Old 06-15-2015, 11:57 PM
 
50 posts, read 62,640 times
Reputation: 104
There's nothing wrong with the theme (spanish colonial), in fact it's very unique and beautiful... at least the buildings that incorporate it. It's the 30s, 50s and 70s warn out old dumps all sprinkled amongst that need replacing. Like I said, SB is a place of extreme contrast. Stunning mixed with shocking.
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