| 04/20/2006 Fact Sheet |
SANTA BARBARA FACTS
LOCATION Set on the Pacific with 100 mi/160 km of sweeping coastline, Santa Barbara and its environs (including the Santa Ynez Mountains, wine country and seaside cities) lie just 92 mi/148 km north of Los Angeles and 332 mi/534 km south of San Francisco. Visitors may arrive via scenic Highway 1 (101), daily stops on Amtrak or via air service to Santa Barbara Airport or Los Angeles International Airport.
Santa Barbara County encompasses the cities of Carpinteria, Goleta, Montecito, Summerland, Ballard, Buellton, Lompoc, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and Solvang as well as Channel Islands National Park. The city of Santa Barbara is 18.9 sq mi/49 km sq with a population of 90,437. The County is 2738.5 sq mi/7092 km sq with a population of 399,347.
Moderate year-round Mediterranean climate with an average of 300 days of sunshine. Santa Barbara’s unique east-west coastline (the only one from Alaska to Cape Horn) provides soothing year-round southern exposure. Average day temperatures range from the mid-60s to mid-70s (°F, or 18°-24°C) and evening temperatures are refreshingly cool throughout the year. The area receives about 18 inches of rainfall annually. The inland and mountain portions of the county experience warmer high temperatures and cooler low temperatures. Layering clothing is recommended as temperatures shift throughout the day.
Countywide, Santa Barbara offers 168 properties (9,444 rooms), ranging from deluxe to budget to boutique, including 35 beachfront properties, one hostel, and 15 B&Bs. Guest ranches and resort camping are also available as are six public and two private campgrounds.
More than 150 conference and event facilities dot the area, some offering up to 45,000 sq ft of space. World-class beachfront venues and distinctive wineries, as well as museums, gardens, ranches and estates are available.
Santa Barbara Airport (flysba.com, 805.683.4011) is 8 mi/13 km north of downtown. American Eagle,
Architecture: The city’s Red Tile Walking Tour showcases Santa Barbara’s oldest and most fascinating architectural landmarks. Historic adobes and missions dot the area, including the “Queen of the Missions,” Mission Santa Barbara. Cuisine: Santa Barbarachefs create fine cuisine based on fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from local waters and farms and paired with world-class wines from the wine country. Culinary tourists may enjoy the farms, waters, vineyards, restaurants, farmers’ and fishermen’s markets, cooking classes and food and wine events that create, cultivate and celebrate the region’s flavors. Info and recipes: santabarbarafresh.com. Film: Santa Barbarawas the original “Hollywood;” hundreds of silent movies and westerns were filmed here in the early 1900s, including Cecile B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1923). The region continues to be used as a backdrop for photo shoots, commercials and films; recent feature film shoots include Hidalgo, Seabiscuit and Sideways. A Sideways movie tour map and a Lonely Planet Santa Barbara Movie Tour Guide are available via santabarbaraCA.com. The star-studded Santa Barbara International Film Festival rolls out the red carpet every February and several film events and festivals take place throughout the year. Gardens: Delve into acres of orchids and tropical plants at one of the areas gardens or public parks. Top picks: Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, Casa del Herrero, Lotusland, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara Zoo and Santa Barbara Orchid Estate. Museums: Santa Barbara Historical Museum is an excellent starting point. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art boasts outstanding collections of art from the Performing Arts: Santa Barbara is home to more than 200 annual classic and contemporary stage productions, including drama, comedy, dance and musical theater. Santa Barbara Bowl concerts, Santa Barbara Symphony, State Street Ballet, Opera Santa Barbara and PCPA Theaterfest are just a few of the options. Visual Arts: The Santa Barbara Visual Arts Alliance (sbva.org) provides information on galleries, museums, studio tours, art events, public art and art education. In addition to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the many galleries, the Contemporary Arts Forum and University Art Museum are leading visual arts institutions. Brooks Institute of Photography is also based in Santa Barbara. Wine Country: 80+ wineries and 24,000 planted acres of vineyards are located within the Santa Ynez, Lompoc and Santa Maria Valleys, just a 45-minute drive north of the city of Santa Barbara via Highway 101 or 154. Winery facilities offer tours and picnic sites. Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association: sbcountywines.com.
Eighteen beaches stretch nearly 100 mi/160 km from the coastal cities of Carpinteria to Guadalupe. The area offers whale watching, beachside bicycle and in-line skating paths, backcountry jeep tours, eagle tours, sailing excursions and rentals, fishing charters, direct service from Santa Barbara Harbor’s SEA Landing to the Channel Islands, a skateboard park and seven 18-hole championship golf courses. Santa Barbara County also offers four horseback riding ranches, hiking, sea kayaking, surfing, beach volleyball, rock climbing, kite boarding, skydiving, hang gliding, road and mountain bicycling, windsurfing, SCUBA diving, birding, tidepooling and seasonal spectator polo at Santa Barbara Polo Club.
Contact the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission at 800.676.1266, 805.966.9222 or tourism@santabarbaraCA.com for information and a free visitors magazine. Destination information and accommodation booking is available on santabarbaraCA.com.
Contact: Shannon Turner Brooks, Director of Communications Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission, 805.966.9222 or sbrooks@santabarbaraCA.com
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