forest foundation

Santa Barbara: an outsider's take

As a newcomer to Santa Barbara, I have observed many of the characteristics that make it stand out as a very unique city. I would like to take this opportunity to make some comparison commentary, and some general observations. This will all be presented in a very scatterbrained fashion.
It seems to me that Santa Barbara fits into the framework of Southern California, in much the same way that Monterey has its niche in Northern California. Both seem to be on the fringes when one is categorizing their locale. Santa Barbarians…Santa Barbinites…or whatever we call ourselves, are more than happy to consider S.B. as not belonging to Southern California, but certainly can’t claim to live anywhere near the north. It’s as if Santa Barbara exists on it’s own wavelength. The super-rich are all around us, tucked away and in your face, but there are many homeless folks who seem just as happy. There is an extreme sense of small towniness in the air of S.B. but anything one desires can be found somewhere here. Imagine what S.B. would be like if there were no college students being pumped into the mainstream. On the subject of the college scene here, many more people are transplanted to this paradise than can actually claim birthright. Having no previous ties to S.B., it is a very exciting and somewhat awkward position to be in having just moved here. It seems that everyone I now know, has their group of friends either from college, or from being in this community for a long time. I haven’t met many people who move here to work, or for the novelty, it’s not like Santa Cruz in that way, though it is like Santa Cruz in many ways. I hear the trust fund market is pretty strong here, not unlike Santa Cruz. Most importantly the scenic views that can be captured here are seemingly one-of-a-kind. There, I said it. The Log Dogg’s Blog presented from the kid who had become used to smog.

posted by forest foundation @ 4:06 PM