Where to live - Goleta or Santa Barbara? (San Marcos, Patterson: renting, house)

[jennireid]

Our family (with a 2-year-old and a 2-month old) will be moving from the UK to California mid 2010.
My partner will be working in Goleta.
We have already had Mesa, San Roque, Upper East Side and Hope Ranch suggested as places to live but would appreciate more descriptions of these areas and perhaps other suggestions suitable to a young family.


My partner would like an easy commute to work, and I would like a nice, friendly neighbourhood with good pre-schools, child-based activities and walking paths near-by. We will be looking for a 3-4 bedroom house with a gardern.


Any further comments, leads, suggestions (anything!) would be greatly appreciated.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by jennireid

Our family (with a 2-year-old and a 2-month old) will be moving from the UK to California mid 2010.
My partner will be working in Goleta.
We have already had Mesa, San Roque, Upper East Side and Hope Ranch suggested as places to live but would appreciate more descriptions of these areas and perhaps other suggestions suitable to a young family.


My partner would like an easy commute to work, and I would like a nice, friendly neighbourhood with good pre-schools, child-based activities and walking paths near-by. We will be looking for a 3-4 bedroom house with a gardern.


Any further comments, leads, suggestions (anything!) would be greatly appreciated.

Renting or buying?
What is your housing budget?
Will you be working too, or staying home with kids?
Do you plan on staying in this location when the kids are in school? (Are schools in important now, or, Is moving again when the two year hits school age a possibility?)
Will you have one car or two cars?

[CAVA1990]

More Mesa in Goleta is a geat neighborhood with a great beach and has a bike path nearby. The schools around there are very good as my niece and nephew went on to UCLA and Cal from them. It's fairly close the UCSB too.

[jennireid]

Originally Posted by Charles

Renting or buying?
What is your housing budget?
Will you be working too, or staying home with kids?
Do you plan on staying in this location when the kids are in school? (Are schools in important now, or, Is moving again when the two year hits school age a possibility?)
Will you have one car or two cars?

We will be renting - budget around 3,500 per month.
I plan to work in the longer term but will stay at home with the kids initially. I would like my older child to attend a good preschool half-time come January 2011.
Would like to avoid moving once the children reach elementary school-age (haven't thought about secondary schooling yet) and will have atleast one car - two if necessary.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

If you can afford Hope Ranch there is very little in Goleta that will be that high end.

If you discover Hope Ranch to be far beyond your means, then the area near San Marcos High may be of interest.

[mrsltd]

Goleta is a really nice little town. Hope Ranch is cool but very expensive and especially subject to brush fires in the fall, since they are in the hills with brush.

I would look into Goleta. I remember staying there with friends a number of times and still have semi-connections there.

I believe that the high school there is Dos Pueblos; can't help you with elementary schools but with your budget it should be very EASY to find something great in Goleta.

[that1guy]

Cathedral Oaks is pretty cool out by N. Patterson (Goleta). Pretty much stay north of 101 in Goleta...otherwise you're in Gaucho territory pretty much (IV).