Santa Barbara, California
Ever wanted to visit a relaxed city on the californian coast?
Then Santa Barbara is the place for you. Please watch our video from our Santa Barbara experience
Santa Barbara is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Santa Barbara’s climate is often described as Mediterranean, and the city has been promoted as the “American Riviera”. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city’s population was 88,665.
Behind the city, in and beyond the Santa Ynez Mountains, is the Los Padres National Forest, which contains several remote wilderness areas. Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary are located approximately 30 km offshore.
Santa Barbara is a year-round tourist destination renowned for its fair weather, downtown beaches, and Spanish architecture.
Tourism brings more than one billion dollars per year into the local economy, including $80 million in tax revenue.
Mission Santa Barbara, “The Queen of the Missions,” is located on a rise about 3 km inland from the harbor, and is an active Franciscan mission and place of worship, sightseeing stop, and national historic landmark.
Annually over the Memorial Day weekend, there is a chalk-art festival known as I Madonnari, with ephemeral works of art created on the asphalt in front of the mission, and food stalls set up and music.
The Santa Barbara County Courthouse, a red tiled Spanish-Moorish structure, provides a view of the downtown area from its open air tower.
The Presidio of Santa Barbara, a Spanish military installation and chapel built in 1782, was central to the town’s early development and colonial roots. In 1855, the Presidio Chapel, being in decay, grew into the Apostolic College of Our Lady of Sorrows, now Our Lady of Sorrows Church.
Here is a video from our visit to Santa Barbara:
Here is where you can find out more about Santa Barbara:
Have you ever visited Santa Barbara?
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