WHAT'S SANTA BARBARA, and UCSB LIKE?

Climate:

Santa Barbara's climate is most often described as "Mediterranean". We have mild wet winters, cool sunny springs, warm foggy summers, and beautiful clear warm autumns. You can check out the weather on several web sites:

WeatherChannel for Santa Barbara

Los Angeles Weather from NOAA.gov

Geography:

Santa Barbara, Goleta, Isla Vista and UCSB are located next to the Pacific Ocean, cradled against the Santa Ynez Mountains. It is a highly scenic area, with a large tourist based economy. These web sites can give you a good overall view of what Santa Barbara is like:

Santa Barbara Area Map

Welcome to Santa Barbara USA

Government:

Santa Barbara is incorporated as a city, with a city council and mayor. Their web site is http://www.ci.santa-barbara.ca.us

Goleta is now a city, with a city council and mayor. Their web site is http://goleta.govoffice.com

Isla Vista is governed by the County of Santa Barbara Supervisors. Their web site is http://www.co.santa-barbara.ca.us

News in Santa Barbara Area:

For local color and issues, there are several media which cover this area:

There is a local newspaper, the Santa Barbara Newspress, which has an online version, including all the local news, classified listings, and international news. Their site is http://www.sbcoast.com/

The local television station has a web site:http://www.keyt.com

The campus staff & faculty Newspaper is "93106"

Los Angeles Times: Major regional newspaper

Recreation in Santa Barbara:

Santa Barbara has a very nice climate for all year round outdoor exercise.

 Jogging, walking and hiking can all be done on or near campus.

 Rockclimbing can be done in the nearby mountains, or in the Sierras, a 6 hour drive from Santa Barbara.

 Skiing, both downhill and crosscountry can be found within a 4-6 hour drive from Santa Barbara

 The RecCen on campus is an excellent place to exercise, with two outdoor pools, two weight rooms, two basketball courts, several squash and racquetball courts, and exercise equipment. UCSB employees can join quarterly, yearly, or pay a daily fee to use this facility. The Physical Activities Dept. has many recreation options as well.

 New Tennis Courts on campus

 Surfing, windsurfing, and ocean swimming right off the UCSB coast

 Sailing, and Outrigger canoeing available at the Santa Barbara harbor

Shopping:

Close to campus there is a K-Mart and Costco, both of which are inexpensive stores to buy household goods.

Further from campus are two large shopping centers selling clothing, books, sporting goods, music, etc. Both can be reached conveniently by bus from UCSB.

There are several large grocery stores within 5 miles of campus, and a small market within Isla Vista for basic foodstuffs. Isla Vista also has coffee shops, restaurants, small specialty stores, and several fast food places.

UCSB Bookstore is a good place for purchasing office supplies, books, computer supplies, art supplies, cards and small gift items.

UCSB Information:

For links to the UCSB Library, other departments, and a myriad of other links, the UCSB web page is the best place to start.

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authored by Pat Walker
Last Modified 9/7/2005