"Santa Barbara" a Santa Barbara Travel Page by trvlrtom

Santa Barbara is a wonderfully situated city. It has an oceanside setting, serenely beautiful mountains inland and a near perfect climate. It's just far enough from the LA metropolis to keep it free from commuters and traffic congestion and yet easily within reach of the highway to maintain a cosmopolitan atmosphere. There has been no disrupting industrial development to mar the views or atmosphere. A well established and regarded University of California campus provides an employment base and a market for restaurants and cultural events. And the vibrant winery industry brings in low impact visitors and further supports the economy. Many who visit here say they would like to stay. If only it were not so expensive...

Native Americans called the Chumash established themselves in this area around 13,000 years ago. They lived a sustainable lifestyle by taking advantage of the foods available in the sea and lands in the area. They didn't have to worry about harsh climate and were able to live fairly simply.

Spanish missionaries and settlers arrived from the south (Mexico) and established The Mission and the Presidio. They began an era of colonization, bringing in the the native Chumash and converting them to their Christian religion. After 1822, California became a Mexican territory, and in 1846 US Colonel John Fremont and his soldiers captured Santa Barbara for the United States. During the Mexican and early US administrations, farming and ranching were developed. The agrarian lifestyle now is of only minor importance, but the legacy lives on in the architecture and ranching lore.

In 1925 Santa Barbara was devastated by anearthquake. Most of the wood buildings were destroyed, but many of the colonial style buildings held up better. The subsequent rebuilding was then done in the colonial mission style, which turned out to be a good idea. Santa Barbara is distinguished from other cities for its stylistic conformity and lack of random development, making it appealing to many visitors.

While the waters may still be too cold for many people, the beach at Santa Barbara is very attractive. It is wide and fairly clean, a good place for walking, watching or playing volleyball, or testing the surf.