Orcutt Instead
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1/13/2019
I live in Orcutt which is a town of around 35,000 on the south side of Santa Maria.
Santa Maria has, as everyone has noted, the best climate in the world. It never snows. It only rains in the late fall through early spring. It isn't even that hot in the summer, and sticky summer humidity simply doesn't happen.
It doesn't have much personality, but it has all the other conveniences you could want--shopping (for example: Walmart, Trader Joe's, Costco, Home Depot, Target, Kohls, Macys, Penneys), restaurants (all the major chains and many small independents), a large brand new library, two multi-movie theaters, mall, pool, etc. Recently, several new shopping centers with chain restaurants have sprung up. The large fair park has events year round. There is a wonderful California Community College (Allan Hancock) with a first year of free tuition. The college has an amazing performing arts center with incredible plays. There is a large Catholic hospital. And you are less than an hour from the beach.
However, housing is expensive. The main employer in the area is agriculture, including a growing wine culture. The violent crime rate is higher than the national average, and I wouldn't go to some areas at night. Daytime in the shopping areas is fine.
Personally, I prefer to live in Orcutt and visit Santa Maria to shop and go to plays/movies. It is actually a little more expensive in Orcutt, but the crime rate is much lower. A lot of people here are retired or work at nearby Vandenberg AFB. Old Town Orcutt has unique restaurants, antiques stores, antique car shows, chalk festival, wine tasting, and microbreweries. There are three high schools (public, charter, and Catholic), a lot of churches, and a lot of kids' sports teams. It really has a nice small town feel.
C | Orcutt, CA