Santa Barbara, California
About Santa Barbara
Set in the southern part of California, Santa Barbara is a thriving city counting 87,291 people who proudly call it home. It stands among the 500 most populous places in the United States (#411 nationwide).
Santa Barbara holds the status of an incorporated city with its own municipal government. The community covers 19.49 square miles, giving it a compact, walkable footprint at roughly 4,479 residents per square mile.
📰 Santa Barbara News Today
- ‘Heartbreaking’: California zoo mourns 4th animal death in a month KTLA · Aug 18
- Tiffany & Co. Brought Its Summer Garden Series to Santa Barbara Haute Living · Aug 18
- Cleveland Elementary Students Get a Back-to-School Boost Through Community Partnership The Santa Barbara Independent · Aug 18
- State Lists Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital as One of 7 ‘High-Cost Outliers’ Noozhawk · Aug 18
- Downtown Santa Barbara Just Got a Serious New York Slice Eater Los Angeles · Aug 18
Live headlines via Google News — updates through the day.
What Makes Santa Barbara Unique
- The only place in America named Santa Barbara — a truly one-of-a-kind name among 32,000+ US communities.
- Positioned in southern California, convenient to the region's corridors and crossings.
- Part of the fabric of California — one of 1,618 recognized communities statewide.
Why People Love It Here
- Big enough for services and schools, small enough to feel like home.
- Local businesses and schools anchored by a stable resident base of 87,291.
- Well connected: 3+ neighboring communities within 5 miles.
📍 Neighborhoods in Santa Barbara
Click a neighborhood to see it on the map.
🍽️ Where to Eat in Santa Barbara
- 805 Boba — bubble tea (café)
- Ah Juice Organics — juice (café)
- Alcazar Tapas Bar — spanish
- Alessia Patisserie & Cafe — breakfast (café)
- Anchor Rose — seafood
- Andersen's Danish Bakery and Restaurant — european
- Apertivo Wine Bar
- Apna — indian
- Arigato Sushi — japanese
- Asie Dumpling House — asian
Local spots mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.
🎡 Fun Things to Do
- Art & Soul · Art gallery
- Bossé Toy Train Museum · Museum
- Carriage and Western Art Museum of Santa Barbara · Museum
- Casa Dolores · Museum
- Casa de la Guerra · Museum
- Condor Express Whale Watching · Attraction
- Fazzino 3D Studio Gallery · Art gallery
- Gallery 113 · Art gallery
- Lil' Toot Boat Tours
- MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation · Museum
Attractions mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.
🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Santa Barbara
- Arroyo Burro Beach County Park reviews ★
- Chase Palm Park reviews ★
- El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park reviews ★
- Elings Park reviews ★
- Alameda Park reviews ★
- Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens reviews ★
- Ambassador Park reviews ★
- Bath Street Pocket Park reviews ★
- Bohnett Park reviews ★
- Dart Coffee Co. Garden · Garden reviews ★
- De la Guerra Plaza reviews ★
- Douglas Family Preserve reviews ★
Parks mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · "reviews" opens each park's live Google reviews.
🏫 Schools in Santa Barbara
- Adams Elementary
- Cleveland Elementary
- Franklin Elementary
- Harding University Partnership
- La Colina Junior High
- La Cuesta Continuation High
- La Cumbre Junior High
- Monroe Elementary
- Roosevelt Elementary
- San Marcos Senior High
- Santa Barbara County ROP-South
- Santa Barbara Junior High
- Santa Barbara Senior High
- Washington Elementary
Public schools, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES) 2023–24 directory.
🏥 Hospitals & Healthcare
- Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital ★★★★★ (5/5 CMS rating) · 24/7 ER
- Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital ★★★★ (4/5 CMS rating) · 24/7 ER
- Santa Barbara County Psychiatric Health Facility · Psychiatric
Medicare-registered hospitals with official CMS star ratings.