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One of the richest, if not the richest, neighborhood in the county. Montecito is located in gentle hills on east side of City of Santa Barbara. From Highway 101 , take the Ysidro Road exit and go north. Most of town is located east and west of this road. By most recent estimates, Montecito has about 12,000 residents but this may be understated by a few thousand. In recent years, many homes, predictably upscale, have been built on the east side and from maps it is obvious that Montecito is blending into Summerland, the coastal hamlet to the east, near Highway 101. Many local residents would disagree with this assessment. Montecito has a strong sense of place. Summerland is an old town with some history. Both are unincorporated, meaning they lack clearly defined boundaries. New homes appears to be marching down Valley Road and into Summerland.
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Hope Ranch Education
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Younger children attend Cold Spring Elementary School, enrollment about 235, or Montecito Elementary, 530 students. The schools are in separate districts. Check with schools for attendance boundaries. Scores at Montecito Elementary are among the tops in the state. The other school is not far behind. From there, students generally move up to Santa Barbara High, which draws students from mixed demographics, or to private schools. Through fundraisers and donations from parents, the schools raise money to enrich their programs. Montecito Elementary intends to make all students proficient in English and Spanish. Montecito district in 1998 passed a $4.5 bond to add 17 classrooms and renovate buildings. Cold Spring also passed a bond, $2.9 million. The money was used to add five classrooms and an auditorium.
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Hope Ranch History
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In the late 1800s, the wealthy began to settle in the town, attracted by the hot springs and beauty of region. According to one story, a man doomed by his failing constitution to an early death came upon an Indian. Although he looked about 60, he had lived 110 years, the story goes. The secret? A magic hot springs that cured the sick and made the old young. The man bathed in the spring. His health was restored. He later opened the Montecito Hot prings, a spa. Still later, Charles Nordhoff, who co-authored "Mutiny on the Bounty," was hired to publicize the miraculous hot springs, which brought in more of the rich "to take the waters."
The town continued in this vein. It has many old and large homes but like almost every place else, Montecito boomed after World War II. Many of the homes follow standard designs but they have been spruced up with imaginative landscaping and with such touches as sun rooms and stone facing. Many trees and flowers. Residents seem to compete with one another to make their homes, however modest, pleasing to the eye. On the outskirts, citrus orchards are still being worked. Also on the outskirts, corrals and equestrian buildings. Ocean views from some hill homes but many homes don't have sweeping views.
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Hope Ranch Housing
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Mansions and large estate homes (on estate-size lots) Montecito has, but it also has many smaller homes, two, three and four bedrooms. Almost everything has been tastefully done and lavished with care and attention. Tall hedges or walls surround many homes. Narrow roads, bowered with trees, run through the neighborhood. Some homes sell for well over $3 million. Not a town for the faint of wallet but if you can afford it, Montecito has been delighting people a long time.
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Hope Ranch News
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Search for "Santa Barbara CA" - Workshop of Stephen Schwartz Opera, S ance on a Wet Afternoon, Presented in New York Nov. 21-22 - Playbill
| American Opera Projects presents workshop performances of Stephen Schwartz's first opera, Seance on a Wet Afternoon, Nov. |
- After the fire: How you can help - The Tidings
| Several relief efforts have begun to assist people who suffered loss in the Nov. |
- Warp 9 Announces Q1 Results - Internet Retailer
| Company sees slowing economy as an opportunity for growth November 18, 2008 -- Santa Barbara, CA -- Warp 9, Inc. |
- Leo Kottke tours well into 2009 - LiveDaily
| The performer has one more 2008 show on his calendar--Nov. 29 in Minneapolis--and he'll kick off the New Year Jan. |
- New Web Stream - Kpfk.org
| As part of our ongoing effort to provide improved accessibility online, we are currently testing a new live web stream with increased capacity and bandwidth. |
- ChatPrint - Hospitality Messaging Solutions - PR.com
| People are calling ChatPrint "the new wave of instant messaging for hotels." Santa Barbara, CA, November 19, 2008 -- -- ChatPrint Hospitality Messaging Solutions announces the launch of ChatPrint 1.0, the first ... |
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Hope Ranch Recreation
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Two golf courses. Many homes have their own tennis courts and pools. Horse trails. Close to the ocean and to downtown Santa Barbara. Library. Montecito has an active social life. People throw parties and charity bashes, they join clubs and they work for the beauty of Santa Barbara. As Americans we snicker at "society," but Montecito has one. Several movie and television stars live in town.
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