Reviews & Comments
Santa Barbara, CA
Paradise for the body, wasteland for the soul. -
11/26/2022I've lived here 2014-now (2022). I obviously like it, and so do many other people. It's a "destination wedding" location, draws tourists from around the world as well as locally, and many of the richest people who could live anywhere, choose here (at least for one of their homes). Of course, downside of this is everything is expensive, all the home prices are extremely high and going higher, blah blah blah.
Sorry, you are not going to find a lot of places where everything is amazing, but you're the only one who wants to be there. When it's good, it draws a crowd, and SB does that. There are actually a couple factors keeping it from being even worse, such as our smaller airport, limited access for cruise ships, and highway 101 corridor flanked by the Pacific Ocean on one side and the steep Santa Ynez mountain range looming on the other side. City planning gatekeeps high-rise buildings and high-density dwellings. It's beyond a sleepy beach town anymore, but doing its best to remain a quality community.
My main gripe with this town is because of the expense, hustle, temporary students, temporary tourists, overworked locals, & the rich & famous, it is very difficult to have any deeper friendships. People are either not going to be here a year from now, or they are so focused on their own life, that if you don't "add value", they'll clinically drop you from their schedule. Or they are very rich/famous and can be a lot of fun, but hard to keep up with if you're on a budget, and don't want to be a leech.
I do love the climate here, and there is a lot of opportunity to make money, but I was happier in Northern California where my relationships were not superficial and/or work based. The money does create mo' problems. People are definitely wonderful here, but don't make time to delve into community on the level I am used to.
Goleta, CA
Great climate, community could be more connected -
11/26/2022Lived in this area 2014-now (2022), Goleta for 4 years of that.
Pros:
*The climate is unbeatable, unless you enjoy being overly hot or cold, or snow sports which require cold temps. There's a reason homeless people enjoy it here year round: lower summer temps, and higher winter temps. Sleep outside year round.
*Money is everywhere. You can make money if you hustle. People are more motivated here, and do more with their days.
*Tons of outdoor activities to enjoy the amazing weather. Ocean meets the mountains so you can hike, bike, rock climb, on the same day you surf, paddle, sail, and swim. People are more active here.
Cons:
*It's expensive. You have to be rich, or killing yourself trying. People are so focused on the hustle, it's hard to connect. Lots of fun people who are gone the next day or week, without a lasting connection. They're so focused, they don't have time for you unless you add value to to their agenda. Lots of tourists and temporary students as well add to this vibe. Can be fun and/or draining.
All in all, there are some amazing people living in this community. It's just kind of tough to feel more than superficially connected to anyone.
Goleta, CA
re: Too Rich For My Life Style
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11/26/2022I have lived in this area 2014-2022 (date of comment). Goleta is full of rich university students (even the "poor" ones are rich, with financial support, parents, resources to pay rent and eat, &c. Anyone truly poor would be forced to drop out or could not attend in the first place). Where I lived in an apartment complex there were many Maserati, Porsche, and other $100K+ vehicles. Lots of foreign (also rich families) students as well.
To answer the question how does anyone live here who works for $18-$23/hr, you work constantly, taking overtime shifts, and you live cheaply. The hustle is kind of insane, and it makes it hard to build friendships/connections with anyone other than those you work with, since that is what you are constantly doing.
The upsides to this are that if you do work really hard, you can make more and save more than you would working really hard in a lower-return economy. You can also get opportunities here from the money flowing everywhere, if you hustle adamantly and are innovative.
Many people I work with are commuting from an hour away like Oxnard or Santa Maria.
Yreka, CA
re: Nice Town
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11/26/2022People will complain about anything, but come to find out those same complainers will find something wrong no matter where they go. Do you really think it's the place that's the problem? I've only been to Yreka once on a fire assignment and it was a fun recoup having a drink with the locals. It may be mountain folk-conservative, but like most places I've been, you find people are genuine if you give them some credit where it's due.