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Montecito Active Homes

Montecito is an unincorporated suburb east (down the coast) of the City of Santa Barbara, and extends from the beach to the top of the foothills. It’s been one of Santa Barbara’s most exclusive residential communities for almost 100 years, when the railroad first brought wealthy families from the East and Midwest to winter here. These socially elite families built many fabulous estates, which were known by the names of their owners: the Armours, Bacons, McCormicks, Mortons, and more. More recently, Montecito has become the retreat of movie stars.

Although most of the old estates still survive and their homes restored, their vast landholdings have been subdivided over the years. Nevertheless, Montecito retains a lush rural environment with very secluded properties.

Montecito was one of the first communities to establish building codes and property restrictions. There is a one-acre minimum parcel size, as well as lot coverage restrictions. Like most of the South Coast, there are few building sites left in Montecito, so there has been a lot of remodeling or tear-downs of smaller homes to make way for big luxury homes.

Montecito has its own planning review organization, the Montecito Planning Commission. The County of Santa Barbara has respected this tradition, since the Montecito Planning Commission’s requirements have generally been consistent with, if not more rigorous than, the County’s.

Montecito 14,000 residents are served by neighborhood shopping areas, schools, and the community’s own water and sewer districts. Montecito’s two public elementary schools are Montecito Union and Cold Spring. Santa Barbara Junior High and Santa Barbara High School also serve Montecito residents. Public school information can be found in the Resources page of this Web site (link). Please check the school district to find which schools service any address in this area.

Montecito also has several excellent private schools, including Crane School, serving grades K through 8; Laguna Blanca’s primary school, serving grades K through 4; and Westmont College, a 1,200-student Christian college.

Montecito has two upscale shopping areas—Coast Village, with many shops, restaurants, and services, including a Von’s super market—and the Upper Village, with several small markets, banks, offices, restaurants, services, and exclusive shops.

Montecito also offers three country clubs with golf courses: the Valley Club, the Montecito Country Club (recently remodeled), and Birnam Wood Country Club. There is also a family-oriented tennis club, Knowlwood Tennis Club. A private beach club, the Coral Casino, is located on part of the Biltmore Hotel grounds.

Montecito also provides good access to the backcountry and trails. The Montecito Trails Association has established a network of hiking and equestrian trails in the area, including Cold Spring, San Ysidro, and Romero Canyon.

Montecito weather is much like the rest of Santa Barbara: cooler by the beach and warmer as you go toward the foothills. Overcast and foggy weather occurs in April-May to July-August, depending on the year. In the summer months, it can get much warmer (10° or more) up in the canyons and foothills than in lower Montecito. You can also experience the backcountry’s flies and gnats up in the canyons during the summer, especially above East Mountain Drive.