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Old 12-05-2006, 11:10 PM
 
3 posts, read 25,588 times
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Hello,

My family and I are planning to move to Orcutt. Anybody know anything about this sleepy little town? Weather, crime, traffic etc?

Thanks in advance!!

Simon
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Old 12-06-2006, 07:37 AM
 
Location: CA Coast
1,904 posts, read 2,439,504 times
Reputation: 350
Orcutt is Santa Maria,, or a bedroom community of Santa Maria. When Vandenburg air base was created, thousands of homes were built in the area, slab floors, car ports, white sparkly gravel roofs... cheesy construction. Check you house carefully.. Oh, and the Tri tip was first cut there at the Orcutt Market, old man Scolari.. Nice Park there, Waller Park.. My grandfather designed it and it is named for him
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Old 12-06-2006, 09:10 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
944 posts, read 3,954,152 times
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WARNING: This post is being typed by a snob from Santa Barbara!

OK, you've been warned. For my first 21 years of life I lived an hour down the coast in the elitist city of SB and we all thought of Santa Maria as being a kind of cold, foggy version of hell. Orcutt, being closer to the ocean (right?) would be even colder and foggier. You're lucky to reach 75 on a mid-summer's day. Now, this might appeal to you. If so, more power to ya!

There's usually a chilly ocean breeze and you'll need a jacket 350 evenings out of the year. But inland the temps and weather change quickly once you get past the first set of hills, and there are a lot of beautiful areas to explore around there that are quite unspoiled. Great wine country, horse country, places for backpacking and hiking, all are fairly close to Orcutt. So.... if you can stand the flat, boring chilly foggy environs of your town, you could actually have a pretty decent life there. And it's WAY less expensive than SB or even SLO.

Good luck in your decision and watch out for those SB snobs, they're obnoxious!
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Old 12-07-2006, 07:31 AM
 
3 posts, read 25,588 times
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Thanks for the prompt reply. My best friend and I drove up to Orcutt yesterday. As far as we could tell it was very quaint. We like how slow it is, no traffic. We like the weather, coming from 100 - 118 degree summers.
Notice a bit of graffiti, which was kind of disheartening. We like the area by Cottonwood Canyon. Anybody have any advice for living there?
Couple more questions. We did not get a chance to drive into Santa Maria.
1. Is Guadalupe the closest coastal access? Are there beaches there and if so are they nice?
2. Does Santa Maria have a large hospital?
3. Are there several car dealerships?
4. Last one (for my dad) are there any good Chinese restaurants around?

Thanks again for all the replies, we plan to go do more of our own research but living 3 hours away makes it kind of tough.
Thanks in advance!!

Simon

Deeptrance: I am huge trance & ragga jungle, ragga core, house fan. I hear that either Airwave or Rank 1 are going to be in SF for New Years. Should be pretty sweet.

Last edited by grncobra; 12-07-2006 at 07:39 AM..
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Old 12-07-2006, 09:42 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
944 posts, read 3,954,152 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grncobra View Post
Notice a bit of graffiti, which was kind of disheartening.
Just get used to that and don't let it scare you. It's a cultural thing. There is a very high concentration of Hispanics in that area and a lot of the "tagging" they do is harmless, it's not an indication that someone's about to be murdered or anything. Best to just learn Spanish and learn to enjoy the different culture you'll experience. They're mostly VERY good people with very strong family-oriented values.
Quote:
Originally Posted by grncobra View Post
1. Is Guadalupe the closest coastal access? Are there beaches there and if so are they nice?
GBG will know more, but my take is that there are some nice places for WALKING with a PARKA on, but not "beaches" like you find south of the Santa Ynez mountains. The central CA coast is too cold most of the time for sunbathing. Pismo Beach isn't too far away and it has a slightly warmer microclimate thanks to being a bit more south-facing and having hills right up to the coast, which help prevent the on-shore breezes from being as strong as they are in the Santa Maria valley.
Quote:
Originally Posted by grncobra View Post
Deeptrance: I am huge trance & ragga jungle, ragga core, house fan. I hear that either Airwave or Rank 1 are going to be in SF for New Years. Should be pretty sweet.
Thanks for recognizing what my name means. I was invited to see BT last night in Austin but was too wiped out and was probably asleep before he even touched a turntable!
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Old 12-07-2006, 06:38 PM
 
Location: CA Coast
1,904 posts, read 2,439,504 times
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Weell,, if you want to lie on the sand, it is Avila Beach. If you want to lie on the sand and have a bit more wind it is Pismo Beach at Pismo Beach. If you want to feel the sand blow through your hair,,, Guadalupe is your place. Orcutt and Santa Maria are not hip.. They are Ag and retirement based. Tell us how you like to spend your time, and I can give you more info..

Santa Maria has a fine hospital, Marians,, Michael Jackson knows it well.

Santa Maria has all the usual car dealerships.

Chinese restaurants... I cannot give you the name of one, but there are normally a number of good ones, there have been Chinese in the area for quite some time..

Get used to TriTip barbecues, you will trip over them on the weekends.

Oh,, and the old Dead Head says,,, I have no idea what your music sounds like...
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Old 12-08-2006, 10:13 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
944 posts, read 3,954,152 times
Reputation: 440
GBG, you should have a docudrama made about your life, you're the most interesting person I've met online in ages! And I'll stop commenting there cuz we're gonna get this thread locked if we stay off-topic too long. They don't tolerate socializing on this forum.

Your knowledge of Orcutt and that entire region is so strong, I'm surprised you asked a question about A.G. --- did you just want an update on how other people currently feel about the area now that it has changed a lot? I'm sure Orcutt has changed dramatically as well since I was last there, except the climate is probably the same old fog and chilly winds off the cold Pacific.
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Old 12-08-2006, 10:28 AM
 
Location: CA Coast
1,904 posts, read 2,439,504 times
Reputation: 350
Yes, I would like to know others thoughts on the south county.. And thanks for the kind comments.. I have tried to live a life at high speed and on the knife's edge!
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Old 12-08-2006, 08:17 PM
 
Location: Massachusetts
4 posts, read 46,706 times
Reputation: 19
Default Wouldn't mind some of that winter sunshine

You CA folks are spoiled!!! Orcutt is rather unique - agree with all the posts about that - but my best memory of Orcutt, Santa Maria and Lompoc, which I know better from 20 years of visiting family, is the winter sunshine. They talk about the Mediterranean climate - and that's the Med winter - a bit of rain, a bit of fog, but then, those beautiful clear mornings a tad cool but just perfect... this from someone in massachusetts, where it's now about 15 degrees (F -- ha ha LOL) with a wind chill of 5. I know the cultural life is sort of "DIY" in SM area, but there is a Y with pool... agree with others about the beach thing... mention the butterflies roosting in winter just north of SM... several things I would trade to have these "bests" of the central coast... miss it!!
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Old 12-15-2006, 07:59 PM
 
3 posts, read 25,588 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks everybody for the kind words. I am stuck in China so I just found some decent Internet service, that's why it took so long for me to reply.
I think I found the perfect spot when I was in Orcutt. It's over by Cottonwood Winery. It has a great view and it looks like a nice area. We want to live off the land and be as green as possible. I am planning on moving there next year hopefully. I can't wait I am so tired of L.A. I am ready to leave 117 degree summers..ugh. Thanks again!!

grncobra

Deeptrance: Funny that you mention BT. My cousin and I were just listening to one of his old sets from the 90's even now it is still one of the best sets around. We want to go see Sasha for New Years in L.A. Rank 1 and Airwave did not work out .
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