Santa Barbara is a beautiful town in Southern California. It is located about 100 km away from Malibu and about 130 km from Los Angeles. It has a population of about 100,000 inhabitants and is a part of the second largest urban agglomeration in the United States. The city is situated approximately 34°25′ north latitude.
It is located north west of LA and is nestled in the coastal plain between the Pacific Ocean and the slopes of the Santa Inez mountain range, which is part of the famous Rocky Mountains.
Santa Barbara is one of the greenest parts of the world famous U.S. metropolis. Here flourishes a wide variety of subtropical trees and shrubs, many of which are evergreen. The variety of palm trees is impressive.
Santa Barbara is located in a highly seismic area and the history of the city keeps memory of the numerous earthquakes, some of which more than 6 or even more than 7 degrees on the Richter scale.
The modern history of Santa Barbara began in the 16th century. In 1542 the first European arrived here – that was the Portuguese Joao Cabrilho.
The first permanent residents arrived in the area in 1782. These were the Spanish missionaries who established a permanent settlement here. By 1822, Santa Barbara fell within the borders of Spain, but after the Mexican War of Independence the city became a part of Mexico.
However, this did not last long. In 1846 during the Mexican – American War Santa Barbara fell into the borders of the United States, remaining forever within the confines of California.
Today Santa Barbara is a city which attracts wealthy Americans from all over the United States, and rich foreigners who want to stay and live in Southern California throughout the year due to the warm and sunny climate.
Santa Barbara itself looks like a typical city in California. The streets are wide and well maintained with perfect infrastructure.
The buildings in the city’s downtown are low, and the streets bring the hot spirit of southern Spain. In the periphery of Santa Barbara there are many attractive residential neighbourhoods where large houses with swimming pools are not uncommon.
The residential areas of the city are very well arranged with a lot of greenery and because of this reason the place is really pleasant to live.
Santa Barbara has very beautiful south facing beaches. Given the lower water temperatures the local beaches are rarely crowded. Into the water you can see usually mostly surfers, while swimmers are a much more rare sight.
The sand on the other hand, is very fine with golden hues. The promenade is a popular place for local people to walk. Here you will find hundreds of 15-20 meters high palm trees. They do not throw much shade, but at the expense are very good in creating of very exotic atmosphere.
Santa Barbara enjoys a Subtropical-Mediterranean climate. Summers are usually long and warm and winters are quite mild. January is the coldest month of the year.
The average daily temperatures reach around 18°C, but the nights are much cooler – around 6 – 7°C. From April to November daytime temperatures are above 20°C.
The hottest days of the year usually occur in August, when the average daily temperatures are about 25°C. The reason for the mild climate lies in the relatively constant temperature of the cool ocean currents that pass along the coast of Southern California.
The ocean water temperature near Santa Barbara is between 13 and 18°C throughout the year.In Santa Barbara there are some typical climate features.
Usually mornings start with a cool, dark or foggy weather, but at noon the sun begins to shine brightly and significantly increases the temperature even in winter. Very often, even in January you can see people walking around in short sleeves.
In Santa Barbara there are nice and sunny days even in this part of the year, although the weather gets warmer only in mid-day hours.
The climate of Santa Barbara is dry during most of the year with the exception of the winter months. From December are possible heavy precipitations. The rainiest month of the year is February, with an average rainfall of about 120 mm.