Lompoc, Ca (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Chico: spring break, sales, rent)

[havasulady]

WhAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT LIVING IN LOMPOC, CA?

WE ARE IN THE THINKING STAGES OF MOVING TO LOMPOC, CA. WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU LIKE ABOUT LIVING THERE? THE PROS AND CONS, SORT TO SPEAK.

[CESpeed]

Originally Posted by havasulady

WhAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT LIVING IN LOMPOC, CA?

WE ARE IN THE THINKING STAGES OF MOVING TO LOMPOC, CA. WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU LIKE ABOUT LIVING THERE? THE PROS AND CONS, SORT TO SPEAK.

Lompoc is the only place outside of L.A. I've ever lived for any length of time (4 years, about 4 years ago) so I'll give you my two cents : The Good - 1) It has big city conveniences, WalMart, Food 4Less, Mervyn's, KMart, etc. 2) It's surrounded by nature, 3) the people are really nice, 4) You can literally walk from one end of town to the other in less than an hour, 5) the Police are response and helpful, 6) Yard Sales and the weekly flea market are the social gathering grounds, 7) It's a half hour drive to Solvang and Wine Country. The Bad - 1) It has a poor job market, you'll more than likely have to drive half hour to Santa Maria or an hour to Santa Barbara to work; 2) the migrant workers have all of the appointments at the one county clinic in town, so you'll need health insurance to be seen by a doctor; 3) (not really bad imo) the beach gets closed down about August because people keep bothering the snowy plover, an endangered species that breeds over the summer; 4) my ex husband's two cents: there's nothing to do. For me, because I'm a homebody, I was good: there are many restaurants, a couple of movie theatres that show first run movies, and it's a beautiful drive wherever you go north or south.

As you can see the good outweighs the bad. We had a 2 bedroom apt that was only $450. The normal rent at that time was $650 for a two bedroom. I'd move back if I had the money.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by CESpeed

The Bad - 1) It has a poor job market, you'll more than likely have to drive half hour to Santa Maria or an hour to Santa Barbara to work...

Very true. Jobs in Lompoc are less than plentiful. Be prepared to commute to Goleta/Santa Barbara with around 10,000 other north-county residents.

For my tastes Lompoc has great weather: cool, sometimes foggy, rugged central-coast ocean breezes.

[CESpeed]

Oh, it's pronounced Lom - poke. If you want to p*ss off the natives, call it Lom - poc. Misspronouncation will label you an outsider.

[stilldirrty]

I've been to Lompoc before, and I actually liked it. We where driving North to S.F and wanted to take the Pacific Highway (forget the actual name)

I found the city/town very quaint. Very military also. There are tons of students that go there for spring break and summer. That is what I've noticed anyway.

Jobs are probably going to be in the civil/military field the most. That is just obeservation.

[XenasMom]

I was raised in Lompoc, moved away for many years, then moved back a couple years ago. If you are thinking about moving here, it depends what you are looking for. It's not the most sophisticated town, but it has the friendliest people of anywhere I've lived. The weather is more northern CA than southern. Housing prices are really low for CA and it's very safe. Lots of military retirees. It's definitely not Santa Barbara though, if that's what you are into.

[SillyBird]

I lived in Lompoc for 5 years 11 years ago (just recently moved back) I will definitely say even though the scenery is nice, the commute bites! I have a BA and took a pretty large pay cut moving back. Unless you plan to work as a nurse or higher (white collar) profession, I'd definitely re-think the move. But, this town is great place to raise a family.

[cynscooking]

Hello, I am thinking about moving to Lompoc as well, but after reading the above I am a little scared. Is it that hard to find a job. My husband is a physical therapist but practices acupuncture and I am a massage therapist. Could we find jobs there or if we opened our own place would it work? We do not like long drives to work.... Any advice would help! As I am lost in where to move. I have been looking in Lompoc area, Exeter, and even Northen Ca. Chico area. So, if anyone has any advice I am more then happy to read it!
Thank you

[CESpeed]

When I lived in Lompoc there weren't many of those kinds of businesses. So you might be able to open that type of business. I think it would be more successful in Solvang, where there are more affluent people and the drive is only 20-25 min and gorgeous. The best way to determine if your business has a chance of success is to find out how many such businesses are in Lompoc and surrounding area, how many have been,etc. Good Luck. It's a very good area.

[GregJ]

I made a couple posts in the other Lompoc thread. In summary though, I love Lompoc. I lived/worked there for 20 years and go back frequently. It's definitely not a cultural haven of the arts, or a sunbaked tourist mecca but it's a wonderful place that I haven't found repeated anywhere. It's the kind of town that you look forward to coming home to. Our former (and future) home was up by Cabrillo HS. There are great neighborhoods (Mesa Oaks, VV, those off Central Ave) and there are crappy ones (really crappy, as a matter of fact) around Lompoc High School. Most people don't even know about the golf course and the great homes built around it. Check out Google Earth and you'll see what I mean. If you like quiet and warmer weather than the valley, check Vandenberg Village. It even has it's own page on City-Data. I posted the picture of the "typical" neighborhood and it's where I used to live (and plan again to).

We're actually house shopping up in the Village and expect to move back soon.