I hate Santa Barbara (Berkeley, Santa Cruz: low income, salary, zoning)

[Astral_Weeks]

I absolutely LOVE the "I hate Santa Barbara" thread...because it proves the old adage that, "No matter where you go, there you are."

The OP and others with a similar outlook on life are going to be miserable no matter where they go.

Those complaining about high housing costs in S.B. are no different from people who show up to the most popular restaurant in town on a Sat. night and complain about the long lines and prices.

[Dave Coe]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

That's never a solution. S Cal is unique in that everyone wants to live here. Some people just won't face the fact that even born here, they can't afford here.

I am not even referring to lower income types. Santa Barbara used to be more oriented towards Upper Middle Class families but once the millennial offspring of the boomers moved out it turned into a geriatric community.

[Dave Coe]

Originally Posted by Astral_Weeks

I absolutely LOVE the "I hate Santa Barbara" thread...because it proves the old adage that, "No matter where you go, there you are."

The OP and others with a similar outlook on life are going to be miserable no matter where they go.

Those complaining about high housing costs in S.B. are no different from people who show up to the most popular restaurant in town on a Sat. night and complain about the long lines and prices.

Prices are comparable to coastal Orange County but not as glitzy.

[Dave Coe]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

The thing I noticed the last time I was there (pre-Covid) was that State Street had really declined. Lots of store vacancies.

During the Pandemic, the city opened up State Street to pedestrians. There are more crowds than a year or two ago, but more catered to tourists and feels a bit makeshift.

[roadwarrior101]

I'll always look fondly at Santa Barbara. I have family there and have great memories of hanging out there while growing up. I think it's such a picturesque setting with the ocean, mountains and Spanish style architecture, which permeates the region. I once visited the French Riviera and thought it was very similar.

I think the climate is overall very good as well, as it's typically warmer and much less windy than coastal areas up here in NorCal. I know it's changing with global warming and lower precipitation, but it's still got an appeal.

I know that the homeless situation is getting a lot worse, but that's not unique to SB. That's common up and down California and other states as well. Not a good thing, but also not fair to pick on SB.

With all that said, it sort of feels a little Disneyesque to me. It's sort of a fantasy land for day to day living, given that it's super expensive, but doesn't have the economy to support it. Probably a very good place to retire, although the health care options are somewhat limited. But, probably not the place to live during your working years, unless you're independently wealthy.

[Dave Coe]

Don't get me wrong, Santa Barbara has great attributes. It just needs better leadership so it can live up to its full potential.

[sourdough]

I live in Carpinteria which is 12 miles south and I've been around S.B since 1978. I hate S.B. and that is all I'm going to say about that. Carpinteria is the place and BTW, there is a current residential listing of $160 million in Carpinteria. Haha, Montecito can't top that nor anywhere else in California.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by sourdough

I live in Carpinteria which is 12 miles south and I've been around S.B since 1978. I hate S.B. and that is all I'm going to say about that. Carpinteria is the place and BTW, there is a current residential listing of $160 million in Carpinteria. Haha, Montecito can't top that nor anywhere else in California.

This is simply a decision if you want to live in the foothills or on the coast down at santa clause ln/padaro ln/beach club. No one is excluding montecito or carp because of the town name itself.

[AmericanRenaissance]

Originally Posted by watcheronthewall

The beaches are ugly....Sure the beach is amazing...

Which one is it?

[AmericanRenaissance]

Originally Posted by watcheronthewall

filled with sick homeless people

That's a problem in most of SoCal.
The ONLY solution to the problem with vagrants: Offer the vagrants three choices:

1. Stop being homeless OR
2. Accept room and board in return for sobriety and WORK (via job shops) OR
3. Get arrested and be put to work.

The couple of percent who truly are too ill to work, we will take care of (after we've concluded they have no assets or income).
The job shops partition out work the illegals are doing now: picking crops, processing chicken, sorting recyclables, cleaning buses, repairing hiking trails, picking up trash, etc.
The employers pay back the government to offset the cost of the room and board or incarceration.
There are no other solutions. Get tough or accept vagrancy. This is bullet proof. Win Win Win Win Win.
If you have a better solution, provide it.