Thinking about moving to Santa Barbara

[AustinTraveler]

Look into San Luis Obispo County. Lots of great small cities/towns within commuting distance of CalPoly and Cuesta College.

[Virginia36]

Thanks so much Ruth4Truth! Will do. We are also looking at Huntington Beach, CA. Anyone have advice or knowledge about raising small children there?

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by Virginia36

Thanks so much Ruth4Truth! Will do. We are also looking at Huntington Beach, CA. Anyone have advice or knowledge about raising small children there?

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but HB is another desirable coastal area that has an even higher cost of living level than SB. Again, I'd start with the numbers -

1) what is going to be your likely income? Can you get a job there?

2) what is your overall housing budget?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

Look into San Luis Obispo County. Lots of great small cities/towns within commuting distance of CalPoly and Cuesta College.

OP, this is something to consider, too, if it would work for your husband, too.

[harob11]

I highly recommend you spend some time down in Huntington, Newport, Laguna, Dana Point, before committing to moving to Santa Barbara. I've lived in both.

Coastal OC has infinitely better beaches and parks, better schools, far nicer homes, far less homeless, far less insane people, less crime, way more to do, better shopping, better restaurants, you're way more connected, it's more vibrant, less dramatic, you're not living in the past like SB prides itself on, etc, etc. It's night and day, honestly.

SB is nice for a weekend getaway, but to live, unless your 90 years old, some country rancher type or some hippy that refuses to acknowledge that the 60s are long gone, coastal Orange County is the far, far superior place to live.

SB is an old, isolated, mostly rundown mountain town full of drama and NIMBYS. If you're looking for the true Southern California experience so many people love, you won't find it here.

Please take my word for it.

[Novatoman]

Hello Virginia36!

..."I've heard Goleta is also a lovely place to raise a family. Our primary reason for moving is due to allergies and asthma"

- One of the big problems with Southern California is that it does not rain a lot for long periods of time which means all that dust and dirt is flying in the air for months...

I also would not recommend living in Santa Barbara because it is isolated (away from other towns), extremely expensive and have homelessness problems (like any beach town I guess). Small job market. Very beautiful though.

If you are looking for a nice, family friendly town try Camarillo, Thousand Oaks or Westlake in SoCal or Danville, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek in NorCal.

In addition, please consider Boise, ID (Meridian, Eagle) area for asthma (in addition to rainy OR and WA states). Clean air, sunny, clean, very high quality of life, very low crime, lots of water, very family friendly place.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Novatoman

Hello Virginia36!

..."I've heard Goleta is also a lovely place to raise a family. Our primary reason for moving is due to allergies and asthma"

- One of the big problems with Southern California is that it does not rain a lot for long periods of time which means all that dust and dirt is flying in the air for months...

I also would not recommend living in Santa Barbara because it is isolated (away from other towns), extremely expensive and have homelessness problems (like any beach town I guess). Small job market. Very beautiful though.

If you are looking for a nice, family friendly town try Camarillo, Thousand Oaks or Westlake in SoCal or Danville, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek in NorCal.

In addition, please consider Boise, ID (Meridian, Eagle) area for asthma (in addition to rainy OR and WA states). Clean air, sunny, clean, very high quality of life, very low crime, lots of water, very family friendly place.

The OP needs to be near a university. Danville and Pleasanton are too far away from either Berkeley or Davis. Walnut Creek might work for commuting into Berkeley.

Monterey has 3 institutions of higher learning, and someone suggested San Luis Obispo, which has two. Those could work. Monterey can be expensive, but the OP might be able to find a more affordable rent nearby.