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94-732: The San Emigdio Mountains are a part of the Transverse Ranges in Southern California , extending from Interstate 5 at Lebec and Gorman on the east to Highway 33–166 on the west. They link the Tehachapis and Temblor Range and form the southern wall of the San Joaquin Valley . The range is named after Emygdius , an early Christian martyr. The range is within Kern County . The highest point

188-449: A bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 38.9% of the population. 16.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 105.7 males. The 2016–2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that

282-470: A major employer. In 1975, the city passed an ordinance restricting growth to a maximum of 85,000 residents, through zoning. Growth in the adjacent Goleta Valley could be shut down by denying water meters to developers seeking permits. As a result of these changes, growth slowed down, but prices rose sharply. When voters approved connection to State water supplies in 1991, parts of the city, especially outlying areas, resumed growth, but more slowly than during

376-640: A marked change to red beds of river systems of Oligocene age in the western and central segments. Limestones and dolomites of the marine Miocene Monterey Formation are found in the Santa Ynez Mountains and in the Coast Ranges to the north. The distinctive feature of the Transverse Ranges besides their anomalous orientation is that they are bounded by east-west trending faults. Most are left slip, strike slip faults . In

470-646: A mile up Refugio Canyon. The Mission was rebuilt by 1820 after the earthquake. Following the earthquake, the Mission fathers chose to rebuild in a grander manner, and it is this construction that survives to the present day, the best-preserved of the California Missions, and still functioning as an active church by the Franciscans. After the Mexican government secularized the missions in the 1830s,

564-522: A modest 4,190 ft (1,277 m) above mean sea level ; this means that snow is less of a factor here than in the moderate to high mountain passes to the north like Donner Pass . Still sometimes, heavy snowfall can snarl traffic on Tejon and Cajon Pass, the higher two of the three freeway passes. I-5 and I-15 commonly experience heavy traffic over their mountainous route across these mountains. Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( Spanish : Santa Bárbara , meaning ' Saint Barbara ' )

658-569: A result, there is high topographic relief throughout the range, and other than in marginal areas (e.g. the San Fernando Valley ) and a few river valleys (such as Lockwood Valley and Big Bear Valley), there are no large, flat basins within the ranges. The mountains are notable for being steep and difficult to traverse. There are few passes that are sufficiently low or wide enough to accommodate significant volumes of traffic. This has resulted in situations where major cities are linked to

752-492: A road called "Alameda Padre Serra" (shortened APS, which translates to "Father Serra's pathway"). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 42.0 square miles (108.8 km ), of which 19.5 square miles (51 km ) of it is land and 22.5 square miles (58 km ) of it (53.61%) is water. The high official figures for water is due to the extension of the city limit into

846-645: Is San Emigdio Mountain at 7,492 feet (2,284 m). As with most of the Transverse Ranges, the mountains generally lie in an east-west direction. Towns or settlements near the San Emigdio Mountains include Frazier Park , Lake of the Woods , and Pine Mountain Club . Adjacent Transverse Ranges, with their wildlife corridors , include: Transverse Ranges The ranges extend from west of Point Conception eastward approximately 500 kilometers into

940-701: 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 excepting Alaska, 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 dubbed "The American Riviera". According to

1034-832: Is a list of neighborhoods with descriptions and comments on each. The 2020 United States census counted 88,665 people, 35,383 households, and 19,257 families in Santa Barbara. The population density was 4,545.3 people per square mile (1,755.0 people/km ). There were 38,208 housing units at an average density of 1,958.7 units per square mile (756.3 units/km ). The racial makeup was 58.47% (51,842) white or European American (51.75% non-Hispanic white ), 1.4% (1,238) black or African-American , 1.49% (1,320) Native American or Alaska Native , 3.59% (3,184) Asian , 0.09% (80) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian , 17.62% (15,623) from other races , and 17.34% (15,378) from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race

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1128-643: Is extremely rare in the city itself. The most recent accumulating snow to fall near sea level was in January 1949, when approximately 2 inches (5.1 cm) fell in the city. The city of Santa Barbara is situated on a coastal plain between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the sea. This coastal plain consists of a complex array of Holocene and Pleistocene alluvial and colluvial deposits, marine terraces , debris flows, and estuarine deposits. Soils are mostly well drained brown fine sandy loam of

1222-577: Is located about 90 miles (145 km) west-northwest of Los Angeles , along the Pacific coast. This stretch of coast along southern Santa Barbara County is sometimes referred to as "The American Riviera", presumably because its geography and climate are similar to that of areas along the northern Mediterranean Sea coast (especially in southern France) known as the Riviera . The Santa Ynez Mountains , an east–west trending range, rise dramatically behind

1316-560: The 2018 Southern California mudflows , may be cut off from timely road access to the rest of Southern California. Major peaks of the Transverse Ranges with at least 500 feet (150 m) of prominence, listed by height: This segment begins at Point Conception in Santa Barbara County, and include the Santa Ynez Mountains that run parallel to the coast behind Santa Barbara and the San Rafael Mountains on

1410-625: The Cenozoic Era . West of Tejon Pass , the primary rock types are varied, with a mix of sedimentary, volcanic, and metamorphic rocks, while regions east of the pass are dominated by plutonic granitic and metasedimentary rocks. The western and central segments of the Transverse Ranges are bounded to the north and east by the San Andreas Fault, which separates those segments from the Mojave Desert. The eastern segment bounds

1504-543: The Gold Rush years and following, the town became a haven for bandits and gamblers, and a dangerous and lawless place. Charismatic gambler and highwayman Jack Powers had virtual control of the town in the early 1850s, until driven out by a posse organized in San Luis Obispo. English gradually supplanted Spanish as the language of daily life, becoming the language of official record in 1870. The first newspaper,

1598-603: The Los Angeles Basin lies at the southern boundary of the western and central segments of the ranges. Major passes not along the San Andreas Fault include Gaviota Pass , San Marcos Pass , the Conejo Grade , Newhall Pass , and Cahuenga Pass . The Transverse Ranges manifest themselves as a series of roughly parallel ridges with an average height of 3,000–8,000 feet (910–2,440 m). The ranges are dissected by young, steep streams of relatively low flow rate; as

1692-610: The Mesozoic , mostly granites, can be found on Mount Pinos and generally in regions east of Tejon Pass . The youngest rocks are Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks that can be found throughout the ranges. The western segment is distinctive for the large thickness of Cretaceous and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks, estimated to be up to 10 kilometers. The thickest deposits of these are in the Santa Barbara Channel and Ventura basin. These are mostly marine in origin with

1786-729: The Mojave and Colorado Desert . The geology and topography of the ranges express three distinct segments that have contrasting elevations, rock types, and vegetation. The western segment extends to the San Gabriel Mountains and San Gabriel fault . The central segment includes mountains that range eastward to the San Andreas fault . The eastern segment extends from the Cajon Pass at the San Andreas fault eastward to

1880-509: The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); locally, outraged citizens formed GOO (Get Oil Out). Santa Barbara's business community strove to attract development until the surge in the anti-growth movement in the 1970s. Many "clean" industries, especially aerospace firms such as Raytheon and Delco Electronics, moved to town in the 1950s and 1960s, bringing employees from other parts of the U.S. UCSB itself became

1974-828: The Pinto , Eagle , and Orocopia Mountains are within the eastern segment. The Mojave Desert and California's low desert, including the Coachella Valley , are at the eastern end of the ranges. Ranges north of the western segment that are nearly transverse but are part of the California Coast Ranges include the San Rafael Mountains and the Sierra Madre Mountains . Likewise, the Tehachapi Mountains north of

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2068-650: The Presidio . They were sent to both secure the Spanish claim to the region and to convert the indigenous peoples to Catholicism . Many of the Spaniards brought their families with them, and those formed the nucleus of the small town – at first just a cluster of adobes – that surrounded the Presidio of Santa Barbara . The Santa Barbara Mission was established on the Feast of Saint Barbara , December 4, 1786. It

2162-823: The Santa Barbara Gazette , was founded in 1855. While the Civil War had little effect on Santa Barbara, the disastrous drought of 1863 ended the Rancho Period, as most of the cattle died and ranchos were broken up and sold. Mortimer Cook, a wealthy entrepreneur, arrived in 1871 and opened the city's first bank. Cook later served two terms as mayor. Cook founded the first National Gold Bank of Santa Barbara in 1873. The building of Stearns Wharf in 1872 enhanced Santa Barbara's commercial and tourist accessibility; previously goods and visitors had to transfer from steamboats to smaller craft to row ashore. During

2256-612: The Sisquoc Formation , and the Santa Barbara Formation. The Santa Barbara Formation is one of the main units in the aquifer underlying the city. Its coarse-grained freshwater-bearing portion, much of which is below sea level, is protected from seawater intrusion by the More Ranch Fault, which has shielded it by uplifting less-permeable rocks between it and the sea. The majority of water wells in

2350-547: The University of California, Santa Barbara , Santa Barbara City College , Westmont College , and Antioch University Santa Barbara . The city is served by Santa Barbara Airport and train service is provided by Amtrak , which operates the Pacific Surfliner , which runs from San Diego to San Luis Obispo . The Santa Barbara area is connected via U.S. Highway 101 to Los Angeles 100 mi (160 km) to

2444-642: The WWF -designated California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion , but the eastern points of the range touch two desert regions, the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert . The Carrizo Plain adjoins the northern edge of the Transverse Range. Chaparral is a common feature of the Transverse Ranges. Common plant associates in chaparral , especially in

2538-475: The most important oil-producing areas in the United States. The plant place of the Transverse ranges include coastal sage scrub , oak woodland and savanna , and pinyon-juniper woodland at lower elevations, and yellow pine forest , Lodgepole Pine , and subalpine forest at higher elevations. The Angeles and Los Padres National Forests cover portions of the Transverse ranges. The ranges are part of

2632-541: The "Riviera", and the Mesa Fault defines the northern boundary of the band of hills called the "Mesa". These two faults converge near the Five Points Shopping Center at Los Positas and State Streets. Neither is well-exposed, with their locations being inferred from topography, springs, seeps, and well logs. The Mesa Fault continues southeast offshore into the Santa Barbara Channel; the portion of

2726-409: The "most beautiful public building in the United States." In 1907 in northern Santa Barbara county a horrific train accident claimed the lives of 37, the exact cause of which is still unknown. It is still the deadliest disaster in the Santa Barbara history. During World War II, Santa Barbara was home to Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara , and Naval Reserve Center Santa Barbara at the harbor. Up

2820-411: The 1870s, writer Charles Nordhoff promoted the town as a health resort and destination for well-to-do travelers from other parts of the U.S.; many of them came, and many stayed. The luxurious Arlington Hotel dated from this period. In 1887 the railroad finally went through to Los Angeles, and in 1901 to San Francisco: Santa Barbara was now easily accessible by land and by sea, and subsequent development

2914-406: The 1925 earthquake destroyed much of the downtown commercial district. Residential architectural styles in Santa Barbara reflect the era of their construction. Many late-1800s Victorian homes remain downtown and in the "Upper East" neighborhood. California bungalows are common, built in the early decades of the 20th century. Spanish Colonial Revival-style homes built after 1925 are common all over

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3008-402: The 2020 U.S. Census , the city's population was 88,665. In addition to being a popular tourist and resort destination, the city has a diverse economy that includes a large service sector, education, technology, health care, finance, agriculture, manufacturing, and local government. In 2004, the service sector accounted for 35% of local employment. Area institutions of higher learning include

3102-465: The Colorado Desert. The central and eastern segments (near the San Andreas fault) have the highest elevations. Most of the ranges lie in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. Lower elevations are dominated by chaparral and scrubland, while higher elevations support large conifer forests. Most of the ranges in the system are fault blocks , and were uplifted by tectonic movements late in

3196-728: The Franciscan Order to various families in order to reward service or build alliances. These land grants to local notable families mark the beginning of the "Rancho Period" in California and Santa Barbara history. Fernando Tico was one of the first settlers who received land grants for the local area. Fernando led the Native Americans against the Argentinian pirates in the 1800s. The population remained sparse, with enormous cattle operations run by wealthy families. It

3290-550: The Milpitas series. Rapid geologic uplift is characteristic of the entire region, as evidenced by the coastal bluffs and narrow beaches that are present along most of the coastline. Downtown Santa Barbara occupies a floodplain between two major geologic faults, the Mission Ridge Fault Zone to the north and the Mesa Fault to the south. The Mission Ridge Fault Zone runs along the range of hills known locally as

3384-571: The Mojave Desert, although nearly transverse, are the southern end of the Sierra Nevada . Mountain ranges with peaks exceeding 4,500 feet (1,400 m), listed west to east, include: Examples of smaller mountain and hill ranges include: The climate in most of the range is Csb ( Warm-summer Mediterranean ) under the Köppen climate classification ; the upper reaches of San Gorgonio Mountain have an alpine tundra climate ( ET ), while

3478-681: The Santa Barbara Channel and Ventura Basin. Much oil has pooled in the Monterey Formation, which is produced onshore and offshore. In the eastern Santa Barbara Channel oil is held in younger sedimentary rocks. The Los Angeles Basin south of the western segment, formed during rotation of that segment away from the Peninsular Ranges. It is also a site of prolific oil production. The California Geologic Survey states: Great thicknesses of Cenozoic petroleum-rich sedimentary rocks have been folded and faulted, making California one of

3572-569: The Santa Barbara Channel, on January 28, 1969. Approximately 100,000 barrels (16,000 m ) of oil surged out of a huge undersea break, fouling hundreds of square miles of ocean and all the coastline from Ventura to Goleta, as well north facing beaches on the Channel Islands. Two legislative consequences of the spill in the next year were the passages of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and

3666-632: The Santa Barbara-Goleta area pull from this geologic unit. The Santa Ynez Mountains to the north of the city consist of multiple layers of sandstone and conglomerate units dating from the Jurassic Age to the present, uplifted rapidly since the Pliocene , upended, and in some areas completely overturned. Rapid uplift has given these mountains their craggy, scenic character, and numerous landslides and debris flows, which form some of

3760-669: The Santa Ynez mountains, producing greater rainfall than in other coastal areas. Diurnal temperature variation reaches a maximum in winter due to lower humidity and the absence of summer fog. On average, only 1.7 nights have freezing lows. In general, summers are warm with very few hot days exceeding 90 degrees, and winters are comfortable and sometimes warm with occasional cooler days topping out around 54–58 degrees. Most days from December to February have highs of 63–69 degrees, and most days from June to August have highs of 72–84 degrees. Summers in Santa Barbara are mostly rainless due to

3854-563: The Transverse Ranges and the Peninsular Ranges to the south. There are a number of important freeways that cross the Transverse Ranges, such as (from west to east) US-101, I-5 at Tejon Pass , SR 14 at Soledad Pass , and I-15 at Cajon Pass . These highways link Southern California with places to the north and northeast like San Francisco and Las Vegas , respectively. With the exception of several high passes on less-traveled SR 33 , SR 2 , SR 330 . SR 18 and SR 38 , none of these passes are at high elevations, with Cajon Pass being at

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3948-977: The Transverse Ranges; San Miguel , Santa Rosa , Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands are a westward extension of the Santa Monica Mountains. The Ranges include the steep San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles , the Sierra Pelona Mountains just south of the San Andreas fault, the Tehachapi Mountains southeast of Bakersfield, the Verdugo Mountains , the Liebre-Sawmill Mountains, the San Rafael Hills , Puente Hills , San Jose Hills , and Chino Hills . The San Bernardino Mountains , Little San Bernardino Mountains , and

4042-602: The age of 18 and 8.5% of those ages 65 or over. According to the 2010 United States Census the racial makeup of Santa Barbara was 66,411 (75.1%) White; 1,420 (1.6%) African American; 892 (1.0%) Native American; 3,062 (3.5%) Asian (1.0% Chinese, 0.6% Filipino, 0.5% Japanese, 0.4% Korean, 0.4% Indian, 0.2% Vietnamese, 0.4% other); 116 (0.1%) Pacific Islander; 13,032 (14.7%) from other races; 3,477 (3.9%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 33,591 persons (38.0%). Non-Hispanic Whites were 45,852 persons (52.2%) The Census reported that 86,783 people (98.2% of

4136-453: The area begins at least 13,000 years ago. Evidence for a Paleoindian presence includes a fluted Clovis -like point found in the 1980s along the western Santa Barbara County coast, as well as the remains of Arlington Springs Man , found on Santa Rosa Island in the 1960s. At least 25,000 Chumash natives lived in the region prior to Spanish contact. Five Chumash villages flourished in the area. The present-day area of Santa Barbara City College

4230-617: The area. In 1602, Spanish maritime explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno gave the name "Santa Barbara" to the channel and also to one of the Channel Islands . A land expedition led by Gaspar de Portolà visited around 1769, and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespi , who accompanied the expedition, named a large native town "Laguna de la Concepcion". Cabrillo's earlier name, however, is the one that has survived. The first permanent European residents were Spanish missionaries and soldiers under Felipe de Neve , who arrived in 1782 and constructed

4324-563: The baptismal, marriage, and burial records of other missions were transferred to Santa Barbara, and now found in the Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library . The Spanish period ended in 1822 with the conclusion of the Mexican War of Independence , which terminated 300 years of Spanish colonial rule and transferred control to the newly independent Mexican government. Santa Barbara street names reflect

4418-589: The boom period of the 1950s and 1960s. While the slower growth preserved the quality of life for most residents and prevented the urban sprawl notorious in the Los Angeles basin , housing in the Santa Barbara area was in short supply, and prices soared: in 2006, only six percent of residents could afford a median-value house. As a result, many people who work in Santa Barbara commute from adjacent, more affordable areas, such as Santa Maria, Lompoc , and Ventura. The resultant traffic on incoming arteries, in particular

4512-612: The bounding faults are left slip Santa Ynez and Pine Mountain Faults. The San Gabriel Fault and San Andreas bound the central segment. The eastern segment is bounded by the Pinto Mountain Fault in the north and the Salton Creek Fault in the south. The large thickness of marine sediments in the western segment have made it a habitat for oil. Several dozen fields are found onshore and offshore, particularly in

4606-612: The central and eastern segments, including the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. The oldest basement (deepest) rocks are of Proterozoic age, and are found in the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains. The Jurassic - Cretaceous Franciscan Assemblage is found in the western section of the ranges and is the presumed basement in this segment. Exposed plutonic rocks from

4700-422: The chance of wildfires, along with their severity, due to downed power lines, etc., in the foothills north of the city. Annual rainfall totals are highly variable and in exceptional years like 1940–1941 and 1997–1998 over 40 inches (1.0 m) of rain have fallen in a year, but in dry seasons less than 6 inches (150 mm) is not unheard of. Snow sometimes covers higher elevations of the Santa Ynez Mountains but

4794-630: The city, especially in newer upscale residential areas like Montecito and Hope Ranch . Notable modernist and contemporary homes can be found as well. Notable architects who practiced in Santa Barbara include: Santa Barbara has a range of neighborhoods with distinctive histories, architecture, and culture. While considerable consensus exists as to the identification of neighborhood names and boundaries, variations exist between observers. For example, real estate agents may use different names than those used by public utilities or municipal service providers, such as police, fire, or water services. The following

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4888-421: The city, with several peaks exceeding 4,000 feet (1,200 m). Covered with chaparral , oaks and sandstone outcrops , they make a scenic backdrop to the town. Sometimes, perhaps once every three years, snow falls on the mountains, but it rarely stays for more than a few days. Nearer to town, directly east and adjacent to Mission Santa Barbara , is an east–west ridge known locally as "the Riviera", traversed by

4982-420: The coast, west of the city, was the Army's Camp Cooke (the present-day Vandenberg Space Force Base ). In the city, Hoff General Hospital treated servicemen wounded in the Pacific Theatre . On February 23, 1942, not long after the outbreak of war in the Pacific, the Japanese submarine I-17 surfaced offshore and lobbed 16 shells at the Ellwood Oil Field , about 10 miles (15 km) west of Santa Barbara, in

5076-475: The disastrous 1990 Painted Cave Fire , which incinerated over 500 homes in only several hours, during an intense Sundowner wind event; the November 2008 Tea Fire , which destroyed 210 homes in the foothills of Santa Barbara and Montecito ; and the 2009 Jesusita Fire that burned 8,733 acres (35.34 km ) and destroyed 160 homes above the San Roque region of Santa Barbara. The Thomas Fire burned from its origins in Santa Paula 60 miles (100 km) to

5170-447: The east of Santa Barbara and consumed 281,893 acres (1,140.78 km ) in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, most of which consisted of rural land and wilderness areas. The fire started December 4, 2017, and was 100% contained by January 12, 2018. 1,050 structures were lost in the Thomas Fire, mostly east of Santa Barbara in Ventura County. The Thomas Fire has been the largest Santa Barbara County fire ever recorded to date. Santa Barbara

5264-410: The end of the war and 1950. This burst of growth had dramatic consequences for the local economy and infrastructure. Highway 101 was built through town during this period, and newly built Lake Cachuma began supplying water via a tunnel dug through the mountains between 1950 and 1956. Local relations with the oil industry gradually soured through the period. Production at Summerland had ended, Elwood

5358-419: The expanding United States. Change came quickly in Santa Barbara following the American Conquest of California . The population doubled between 1850 and 1860. In 1851, land surveyor Salisbury Haley designed the street grid, famously botching the block measurements, misaligning the streets, thereby creating doglegs at certain intersections. Wood construction replaced adobe as American settlers moved in; during

5452-405: The fault moved east to open the Gulf of California . The crust within the Pacific Plate south of the ranges can not easily make the left turn westward as the entire plate moves northwestward, forcing pieces of the crust to compress and lift. Prior to this shift of the fault to create the left bend, northwest–southeast trending rock belts in all of the Transverse Ranges began to rotate clockwise in

5546-405: The fault offshore is believed to have been responsible for the destructive earthquake of 1925 . The Mission Ridge Fault trends east–west, being named the More Ranch Fault west of Santa Barbara, and forms the northern boundary of the uplands which include Isla Vista , More Mesa, and the Hope Ranch Hills. Three major sedimentary bedrock units underlie the coastal plain: the Monterey Formation ,

5640-418: The faults outside that province. Between the western segment and the Peninsular Ranges to the south is the complex Malibu Coast—Santa Monica— Hollywood fault , which exists as the border between these two mostly geologically unitary provinces. These faults are part of the same thrust fault system south of the northern Channel Islands of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Anacapa Islands. North of the western segment

5734-410: The first destructive earthquake in California since the 1906 San Francisco quake , destroyed much of downtown Santa Barbara and killed 13 people. The earthquake caused infrastructure to collapse including the Sheffield Dam. The low death toll is attributed to the early hour (6:44 a.m., before most people were out on the streets, vulnerable to falling masonry). While this quake, like the one in 1812,

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5828-428: The first of five presidents to visit Santa Barbara. Just before the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered at the Summerland Oil Field , and the region along the beach east of Santa Barbara sprouted numerous oil derricks and piers for drilling offshore . This was the first offshore oil development in the world; oil drilling offshore would become a contentious practice in the Santa Barbara area, which continues to

5922-436: The first shelling attack by an enemy power on the continental U.S. since the bombardment of Orleans in World War I . Although the shelling was inaccurate and only caused about $ 500 damage to a catwalk, panic was immediate. Many Santa Barbara residents fled, and land values plummeted to historic lows. After the war many of the servicemen who had seen Santa Barbara returned to stay. The population surged by 10,000 people between

6016-399: The following decades, many of the natives died of diseases such as smallpox , against which they had no natural immunity . The most dramatic event of the Spanish period was the powerful 1812 earthquake , and tsunami , with an estimated magnitude of 7.1, which destroyed the Mission as well as the rest of the town; water reached as high as present-day Anapamu street, and carried a ship half

6110-406: The influence of the Spanish period. The names de le Guerra and Carrillo come from the Guerra family of California and Carrillo family of California . They were instrumental in building up the town, so they were honored by having streets named after them. After the forced secularization of the Missions in 1833 , successive Mexican Governors distributed the large land tracts formerly held by

6204-403: The interaction of the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate along the dextral (right slip) San Andreas Fault system. Their orientation along an east–west axis as opposed to the general northwest–southeast trend of most California ranges results from a pronounced left step in the San Andreas Fault that occurred in the Pliocene ( c.  4 million years ago) when southern reaches of

6298-451: The lower northern slopes of the range have a desert ( BW ) or steppe ( BS ) climate; most of the nearby lowlands to the south and west have a Hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa ). Snow falls above 6,000 feet (1,800 m) most winters, and above 3,000 feet (910 m) every few years. It is rare for elevations above 8,000 feet (2,400 m) to go multiple winters without snow, even during severe droughts. Due to relatively low humidity,

6392-422: The median household income was $ 81,618 (with a margin of error of +/- $ 3,653) and the median family income was $ 105,513 (+/- $ 9,757). Males had a median income of $ 44,225 (+/- $ 2,697) versus $ 33,978 (+/- $ 2,747) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $ 40,200 (+/- $ 1,911). Approximately, 7.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.2% of those under

6486-452: The mountain ranges, including the Oxnard Plain of coastal Ventura County , the Santa Clarita Valley north of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley , which is mostly included in the City of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Basin, which includes the portion of Los Angeles County south of the Santa Monica Mountains and most of Orange County , and the Inland Empire basin, which includes the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside , lie between

6580-541: The ocean and parallel to the predominant westerly winds, sideshore and light onshore breezes moderate temperatures resulting in warmer winters and cooler summers compared with places farther inland. In the winter, storms reach California, some of which bring heavy rainfall but the rain shadow effect of the coastal mountains can at times moderate or enhance the rainfall depending on local storm wind flows. Local rainfall totals can be enhanced by orographic lift when storms are accompanied by southerly flow pushing moist air over

6674-405: The ocean, including a strip of city reaching out into the sea and inland again to keep the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) within the city boundary. Santa Barbara experiences a warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csb) characteristic of coastal California. Santa Barbara's weather was ranked number 1 in the United States in 2023–2024 by U.S. News & World Report. Because the city lies along

6768-948: The other side of the Santa Ynez Valley . The western Transverse Ranges also include the Topatopa Mountains and the Santa Susana Mountains of Ventura County and Los Angeles County, the Simi Hills , the Santa Monica Mountains that run along the Pacific coast behind Malibu , and whose eastern portion are known as the Hollywood Hills , and the Chalk Hills . The northern Channel Islands of California are also part of

6862-479: The other smaller local studios produced approximately 1,200 films during their tenure in Santa Barbara, of which approximately 100 survive. During this period, the Loughead Aircraft Company was established on lower State Street, and regularly tested seaplanes off of East Beach. This was the genesis of what would later become Lockheed . The magnitude 6.3 earthquake of June 29, 1925 ,

6956-497: The outboard Pacific plate. Because the Monterey plate was then beneath southern California, the capture resulted in pulling of the overlying crust out and northward from the rest of California. Rocks of the Transverse Ranges exhibit extreme differences in geologic age and composition, varying from sedimentary rocks in the western Santa Ynez and volcanic rocks in the Santa Monica Mountains to primarily granitic and metamorphic rock in

7050-643: The population) lived in households, 1,172 (1.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 455 (0.5%) were institutionalized. Of the 35,449 households, 8,768 (24.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13,240 (37.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,454 (9.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 1,539 (4.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,420 (6.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 339 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships ; 11,937 households (33.7%) were made up of individuals, and 4,340 (12.2%) had someone living alone who

7144-499: The presence of a high-pressure area over the eastern Pacific, but summer showers can happen due to tropical hurricane/Monsoonal flows that rarely reach the region; thunderstorms can also occur during the North American Monsoon . In the fall, afternoon or evening downslope winds, locally called " Sundowners ", can raise temperatures into the high 90s °F (high 30s °C) and drop humidities into the single digits, increasing

7238-496: The present day. Santa Barbara housed the world's largest movie studio during the era of silent film. Flying A Studios, a division of the American Film Manufacturing Company , operated on two city blocks centered at State and Mission between 1910 and 1922, with the industry shutting down locally and moving to Hollywood once it outgrew the area, needing the resources of a larger city. Flying A and

7332-420: The regional snow line lies at about 14,000–16,000 feet (4,300–4,900 m), above the highest elevation of the range; as such, snow does not persist year-round except in the form of snow patches . The tree line lies at about 11,000 feet (3,400 m); San Gorgonio Mountain is the only peak with an alpine environment. The Transverse Ranges result from a complex of tectonic forces and faulting stemming from

7426-531: The rest of the state by relatively few roads; for example, the vast majority of traffic between the Central Valley and the Los Angeles area is routed through Tejon Pass. This results in significant traffic issues throughout Southern California when a pass has to be shut down due to heavy snow or construction. Occasionally, major cities, such as Santa Barbara during the 2005 La Conchita landslide and

7520-547: The right shear of Pacific Plate – North American Plate motion. This tectonic rotation began in Early Miocene Time and continues today. The total rotation is about 90° in the Western Transverse Ranges and less (about 40°) in the eastern ranges. Catalina Island shows the most rotation: almost 120°. A mechanism proposed for the rotation event is capture of the subducting Monterey plate by

7614-675: The southeast and San Francisco 325 mi (525 km) to the northwest. 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 20 miles (30 km) offshore. [REDACTED] Spanish Empire 1769–1821 [REDACTED] First Mexican Empire 1821–1823 [REDACTED] United Mexican States 1823–1848 [REDACTED]   United States 1848–present Evidence of human habitation of

7708-503: The southern Mojave Desert. Notable passes along the San Andreas fault include Tejon Pass , Cajon Pass , and San Gorgonio Pass . Components of Transverse Ranges to the north and east of the fault include the San Bernardino Mountains , Little San Bernardino Mountains , Pinto and Eagle Mountains . The western and southern boundaries are acknowledged to be the Pacific Ocean and the northern Channel Islands . Onshore

7802-401: The stretch of Highway 101 between Ventura and Santa Barbara, is another problem being addressed by long-range planners. Since the middle of the twentieth century, several destructive fires have affected Santa Barbara: the 1964 Coyote Fire, which burned 67,000 acres (270 km ) of backcountry along with 106 homes; the smaller, but quickly moving, Sycamore Fire in 1977, which burned 200 homes;

7896-506: The transition between coastal chaparral and coastal sage scrub, include California sagebrush and Toyon , the latter shrub having its southern distribution limit defined by the Transverse Ranges. Pinyon-juniper woodland is common on the north slopes of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. This ecosystem is easily visible in the well-travelled Soledad Pass region, between Pearblossom and Santa Clarita . A number of densely populated coastal plains and interior valleys lie between

7990-512: The urban and suburban lowland area, are testament to their geologically active nature. The first Monterey-style adobe in California was built on State Street of Santa Barbara by the wealthy merchant Alpheus Thompson. The dominant architectural themes of Santa Barbara are the Mediterranean Revival , Spanish Colonial Revival and the related Mission Revival style , encouraged through design guidelines adopted by city leaders after

8084-450: The western and central segments many of the faults are thrust faults . Faults in the Coast Ranges and Peninsular Ranges trend northwest-southeast and butt into the east-west trending faults of the Transverse Ranges. Because all of these faults are considered active and seismic but they do to cut each other, the only geometry that satisfies that observation is if the east-west faults and Transverse Ranges are rotating clockwise with respect to

8178-431: Was 38.73% (34,344) of the population. Of the 35,383 households, 23.5% had children under the age of 18; 38.5% were married couples living together; 31.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 32.3% of households consisted of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0. The percent of those with

8272-440: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45. There were 18,233 families (51.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.13. The age distribution of the city was the following: 16,468 people (18.6%) under the age of 18, 10,823 people (12.2%) aged 18 to 24, 26,241 people (29.7%) aged 25 to 44, 22,305 people (25.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 12,573 people (14.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

8366-672: Was brisk. Santa Barbara had a system of street railways that operated from 1875 through 1929. Begun as a single mule-drawn line from the waterfront pier to the Arlington Hotel, over the decades it was incrementally expanded, later electrified, and operated until its closure in June 1929. Peter J. Barber , an architect, designed many Late Victorian style residences, and served twice as mayor, in 1880 and again in 1890. A year after Barber's term as mayor, President Benjamin Harrison became

8460-494: Was centered in the Santa Barbara Channel, it caused no tsunami. It came at an opportune time for rebuilding, since a movement for architectural reform and unification around a Spanish Colonial style was already underway. Under the leadership of Pearl Chase , many of the city's famous buildings rose as part of the rebuilding process, including the Santa Barbara County Courthouse , sometimes praised as

8554-568: Was during this period that Richard Henry Dana Jr. first visited Santa Barbara and wrote about the culture and people of Santa Barbara in his book Two Years Before the Mast . Santa Barbara fell bloodlessly to a battalion of American soldiers under John C. Frémont on December 27, 1846, during the Mexican–American War , and after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 it became part of

8648-637: Was the tenth of the California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans. It was dedicated by Padre Fermín Lasuén , who succeeded Padre Junipero Serra as the second president and founder of the California Franciscan Mission Chain. The Chumash laborers built a connection between the canyon creek and the Santa Barbara Mission water system through the use of a dam and an aqueduct. During

8742-624: Was the village of Mispu ; the site of the Los Baños pool (along west beach) was the village of Syukhtun , chief Yanonalit's large village located between Bath and Chapala streets; Amolomol was at the mouth of Mission Creek; and Swetete , above the bird refuge. Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo , sailing for the Kingdom of Spain , sailed through what is now called the Santa Barbara Channel in 1542, anchoring briefly in

8836-544: Was winding down, and to find new fields oil companies carried out seismic exploration of the Channel using explosives, a controversial practice that local fishermen claimed harmed their catch. The culminating disaster, and one of the formative events in the modern environmental movement, was the blowout at Union Oil's Platform A on the Dos Cuadras Field , about eight miles (13 km) southeast of Santa Barbara in

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