Santa Barbara: not everyone is rich there so...

[EastCoastRefugee]

Originally Posted by CA central coast

There's no work in Havasu for an A/C tech? huh?

maybe there are no large buildings in sufficient numbers for steady work? otherwise...I'm with ya, huh?

[EastCoastRefugee]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

Santa Barbara is nice. Lived there for about a year and half some years ago. I liked it, but it is definitely old money there. I knew a guy who bought a condo there for about 165K (10 years ago). He could probably sell that for 500 550 even in todays market.

It's like that here. But I am looking to rent so I don't really care about home costs except that it can raise the rents. But, a good downturn or mortgage crisis will bring down the rents even in the 'good' parts of town.

[Chowhound]

Originally Posted by CA central coast

There's no work in Havasu for an A/C tech? huh?

The type of A/C your refering to is rooftop package units, which are in your typical stripmalls and small office buildings. The type of A/C work I do is DDC controls. Which is fancy talk for computerized air conditioning. These types of system are what they call Air Handling sysems, which can be as large as a semi truck. They typically serves large mulit-level bldgs, of which Havasu has none.

[EastCoastRefugee]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

The type of A/C your refering to is rooftop package units, which are in your typical stripmalls and small office buildings. The type of A/C work I do is DDC controls. Which is fancy talk for computerized air conditioning. These types of system are what they call Air Handling sysems, which can be as large as a semi truck. They typically serves large mulit-level bldgs, of which Havasu has none.

I thought as much when I read your post, but the joke made of it by the other poster was sort of funny---from where I was sitting. Do people in SB have a sense of humor and if so whet kind (please generalize)? It is one thing I am wary of...my sense of humor. It has not always went over well in my travels. We North Easterners can cross boundries with a familiarity which comes across as rude and worse.

I see there are fires spreading closer to you guys. I hope everything is okay and if not that every stays safe.

How often do fires spread to the SB area as opposed to other areas of the state?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by EastCoastRefugee

In Santa Barbara not everyone can be rich there so my question is: where are all the regular folks there? There has to be people who support the wealthy with labor and services. I've seen that students are there in pretty large numbers, so what about it? What do you know about average to poor folks in Santa Barbara?

This is a big problem and has been for many years. Middle class professionals like firefighters, teachers, police officers have a difficult time finding housing in high cost areas anywhere - not just Santa Barbara. I think a lot of people have been commuting north on the 101 from the Oxnard Plain where housing is cheaper.

[Unkllars]

They all live in Goleta. Students, city officials, almost everyone lives in Goleta and drives to SB. A lot of foreign money in SB real estate