Santa Barbara County area with ample biking and hiking spots
Eastern Goleta Valley is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County set between the sweeping foothills of the Santa Ynez mountains and the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The University of California, Santa Barbara is one of the area's major employers, and Ainsley Hughes, a Realtor for Keller Williams who knows the area well, says that’s a major reason people move here. “It’s a bit more slower paced,” she says. The area has a suburban feel, and folks maintain an active lifestyle by biking on one of the many paved paths like the scenic Obern Trail and hiking in Tucker’s Grover Park. “It’s quieter and not quite as dense as Santa Barbara,” Hughes says. Eastern Goleta Valley also has well-rated public schools and a range of housing.
East Goleta Valley has many great trails to take a walk.
Biking trails make East Goleta Valley a great place to live.
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Biking through the foothills and near the beach
The community has a handful of community parks, recreational spaces and multi-use trails close to San Marcos Foothills Preserve’s 300 acres and beaches on the Pacific coastline. Tucker’s Grove Park features a playground, athletic fields and connections to the 3-mile San Antonio Creek Trail, which travels through the prairie-flower-filled San Antonio Canyon Park. Birdwatchers and horseback riders frequent the massive More Mesa open space, which has stunning ocean vistas. Hughes says Goleta Beach Park is another spot where locals lounge and ride their bikes. “It’s a good little beach—a popular place for surf camp or lessons,” she says. Visitors can also walk their dogs or fish off the pier.
More Mesa Shores is the closest beach to East Goleta Valley.
You can explore the pier in East Goleta Valley.
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From midcentury condos to luxurious estates
The area has a combination of gridded suburbs with cul-de-sacs and more hidden communities with roads canopied by coastal live oaks. Narrow roads like San Marcos weave around hilly areas and cliffs in the north, and the narrow Via Huerto Road connects locals to the coast. The median price for a single-family home is about $2.3 million, roughly $300,000 less than neighboring Santa Barbara. Spanish-style condos and townhomes from the 1970s and ‘90s are spread throughout the community, typically ranging between $1 million and $2 million. Housing styles include midcentury ranch-style, Spanish-influenced modern traditional homes and small cottages spanning the 20th century. Neighborhoods like Hope Ranch have multi-million-dollar estates with luxury pools and one to two acres of land. Many are close to the ocean or La Cumbre Country Club.
There are many mansions located in Eastern Goleta Valley.
Large estates are scattered throughout Eastern Goleta Valley.
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Focus on tech and sports in Santa Barbara Unified School District
For elementary grades, the area is zoned for the Goleta Union School District, which earns an A-minus from Niche. The district offers a Summer Thrive program where students explore performing arts, journal outdoors and get help with math and reading. For higher grades, kids attend schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District, which scores an A. Those on the west side may attend Dos Pueblos Senior High; the school features the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy, a 4-year-long program where students study Mechatronics and other disciplines. Residents on the east go to San Marcos Senior High, known for its athletic programs, including its San Marcos Royals Football Team, which will make district playoffs in 2024. Students may opt to continue their post-grad journeys at UCSB, which has over 200 majors and is recognized as a leading research university by the Association of American Universities. Santa Barbara City College is another option 7 miles west.
Many kids ride their bikes to Foothill Elementary.
Foothill Elementary has a beautiful campus.
San Marcos Senior High is located at the foot of the mountains in Goleta.
Dos Pueblos Senior High School is a large school in the area.
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Bookstores, cafes and thrift shops near Eastern Goleta Valley
Hollister and Patterson Avenue house some local shopping spots in the area. Magnolia Shopping Center has a Ralph’s Grocery Store, the United Family Association Thrift and several other shops and restaurants. Calle Real Center is a few blocks outside the area with a Trader Joe’s and locally owned salons and small businesses. Locals can also head west to Goleta’s Old Town for some of the area’s oldest family-run businesses and eateries. Used bookstores, bakeries and Asian and Mexican markets sit side-by-side along the four-lane walkable avenue. Every Sunday, the Camino Real Marketplace hosts The Goleta Farmer’s Market 6 miles west of the community.
Old Town Coffee is a great place to converse with friends in East Goleta Valley.
Treat yourself to a cappuccino at
Dune Coffee in East Goleta Valley.
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Listening and learning through UCSB’s Arts and Lectures events
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is an entertainment hub for the community. Hughes, an alum of the university, says residents regularly attend UC Santa Barbara Gauchos soccer and basketball games at Harder Stadium and The Thunderdome indoor event center. Arts and Lectures is a school-based organization that annually presents dance performances, concerts and talks from renowned authors and professors. In September, residents can also drive 6 miles west to Girsh Park in Goleta for the annual Goleta Lemon Festival. Visitors can watch a pie-eating contest, peruse a car show and check out vendor booths.
Hopping on Santa Barbara MTD buses
U.S. Route 101—or “the 101” as locals call it—runs through the middle of the area, and California State Route 154 bisects the 101 in the north. The community has bike lanes on roads like Hollister Avenue, Cathedral Oaks Road and Calle Real. The paved Obern Trail Bike Path makes a 21-mile loop around the coastline past Goleta Beach and UCSB’s campus. Santa Barbara MTD buses also make regular stops in the community and at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital on the west side. Santa Barbara Airport sits on the southwestern border.
Wildfires and flood risks near Atascadero Creek
While crime data for 2023 and 2024 isn’t readily available for Eastern Goleta Valley, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported an increase in violent crime and a decrease in property crime in unincorporated areas. The same trend happened in the city of Goleta. The northern part of the community is more at risk of wildfires because of the proximity to wooded areas in the San Marcos Foothill Preserve. The Santa Barbara Fire Department urges homeowners to create a more defensible space around their properties by building non-combustible fence material and installing dual-paned windows. Santa Barbara County Fire Station 13 is also near Hollister Avenue. Parts of Eastern Goleta Valley also have significant flooding risk, especially farther south, closer to the Atascadero Creek and Goleta Slough State Marine Conservation Area. The county says those close to flood-prone areas should keep sandbags and plywood on hand and a portable radio in case of power outages.
Written By
Hannah Baggenstoss
Photography Contributed By
Joseph Palacios
Video By
Pasha Chichagov
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Michelle Heckman,
an experienced agent in this area.
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