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Old 10-24-2018, 06:32 PM
 
1,304 posts, read 1,093,969 times
Reputation: 2717

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Hi,

I'm considering a mid-management job in Santa Barbara. I have a wife, two young kids, and an old small-ish/mid size dog. My salary would be in the low 100s. We have a house in Houston, and could probably walk away with $50,000+ after taxes and fees if we sold it (assuming it sells timely).

Looking at the following link, I think the cities list is accurate, but the grades this site is based on are 2 yrs old.

https://school-ratings.com/counties/...html?type=ELEM

Are there any other cities I should consider?

Thanks,

Augie
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Old 10-24-2018, 08:08 PM
 
Location: The High Seas
7,372 posts, read 16,015,581 times
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I still think Santa Barbara is the best city in the U.S., but that's if you can afford it.
Other "cities" I'd consider, if I could relocate anywhere in CA would be San Luis Obispo and Monterey.
These are really towns though; not metropolitan centers.
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Old 10-25-2018, 05:43 PM
 
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I think it would be extremely difficult to raise a family of 4 in SB with a household income in the low 100s and only having $50k in equity for a down payment. I have relatives down there and 3-4 bedroom houses in decent neighborhoods are going for about $1.7M. You can probably get cheaper in Goleta with a condo, but that may not be a great lifestyle. If you're willing to put up with a commute from Ventura/Oxnard, you can get much cheaper, but that may defeat the purpose.

I think SB is a great place to live if you're in college, retired with a lot of money or independently wealthy. I think it would be very difficult if you're in the middle class.
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Old 10-25-2018, 06:50 PM
 
1,304 posts, read 1,093,969 times
Reputation: 2717
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadwarrior101 View Post
I think it would be extremely difficult to raise a family of 4 in SB with a household income in the low 100s and only having $50k in equity for a down payment. I have relatives down there and 3-4 bedroom houses in decent neighborhoods are going for about $1.7M. You can probably get cheaper in Goleta with a condo, but that may not be a great lifestyle. If you're willing to put up with a commute from Ventura/Oxnard, you can get much cheaper, but that may defeat the purpose.

I think SB is a great place to live if you're in college, retired with a lot of money or independently wealthy. I think it would be very difficult if you're in the middle class.
Thanks for the feedback! I don't expect to buy a house by any means. When our daughter is old enough to start Kindergarten (next school year), my wife said she'll start to work full time. That should get us another 30-40k a year to save up for a house...


I'm looking at the following towns to rent in for the first few months/yrs:

Carpinteria
Gaviota
Goleta (if possible)
Los Olivios
Santa Barbara
Santa Maria
Santa Ynez
Solvang
Summerland

Ventura has a commute of 1.5-2hrs each way. I don't know if I want to spend 4hrs a day in my car
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Old 10-26-2018, 11:20 AM
 
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Ventura is 30 minutes away. You really don't want to go as far as Santa Maria, although I'm sure many people do. There is quite a gang problem there as well.
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Old 10-27-2018, 05:43 AM
 
1,304 posts, read 1,093,969 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AustinTraveler View Post
Ventura is 30 minutes away. You really don't want to go as far as Santa Maria, although I'm sure many people do. There is quite a gang problem there as well.
Okay, scratching Santa Maria off the list. Thanks!
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Old 10-27-2018, 05:58 AM
 
Location: So Ca
26,731 posts, read 26,812,827 times
Reputation: 24795
Quote:
Originally Posted by Augiec View Post
I'm looking at the following towns to rent in for the first few months/yrs:

Carpinteria
Gaviota
Goleta (if possible)
Los Olivios
Santa Barbara
Santa Maria
Santa Ynez
Solvang
Summerland(
Solvang is a tourist town. A lovely one, but probably not for a young family.
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Old 10-27-2018, 06:03 AM
 
Location: So Ca
26,731 posts, read 26,812,827 times
Reputation: 24795
Quote:
Originally Posted by AustinTraveler View Post
You really don't want to go as far as Santa Maria, although I'm sure many people do. There is quite a gang problem there as well.
Doesn't sound like a problem from this thread on Santa Maria: //www.city-data.com/forum/calif...nta-maria.html
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Old 10-27-2018, 02:33 PM
 
Location: Murrieta California
3,038 posts, read 4,776,406 times
Reputation: 2315
Quote:
Originally Posted by Augiec View Post
Thanks for the feedback! I don't expect to buy a house by any means. When our daughter is old enough to start Kindergarten (next school year), my wife said she'll start to work full time. That should get us another 30-40k a year to save up for a house...


I'm looking at the following towns to rent in for the first few months/yrs:

Carpinteria
Gaviota
Goleta (if possible)
Los Olivios
Santa Barbara
Santa Maria
Santa Ynez
Solvang
Summerland

Ventura has a commute of 1.5-2hrs each way. I don't know if I want to spend 4hrs a day in my car
Most of those are a pretty long commute to Santa Barbara.
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Old 10-28-2018, 10:26 AM
 
2,269 posts, read 7,333,657 times
Reputation: 1839
Quote:
Originally Posted by CA4Now View Post
Doesn't sound like a problem from this thread on Santa Maria: //www.city-data.com/forum/calif...nta-maria.html
Headlines like this are an every-day occurrence in Santa Maria:

https://ksby.com/news/2018/10/27/san...IlBUKVeRIU-7vA
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