SantaBarbara
6.4
High score (8-10)
Santa Barbara is one of the best counties in California for a foreign guy who has some polish and sophistication — the Spanish Colonial architecture, the wine country in the Santa Ynez Valley, and the UC Santa Barbara campus (23,000 students) create a multi-layer social environment where an interesting international guy consistently does well. State Street's bar scene and the Funk Zone's wine bars create accessible public social infrastructure. The film and arts festival circuit brings in a culturally curious crowd.
Mid score (6-8) · Your profile
Santa Barbara is famously expensive and the permanent resident population is more conservative and established than the UCSB-tourism surface suggests. Goleta next to the campus has a very different social reality from downtown Santa Barbara. The Santa Ynez Valley wine country is more conservative than the coast. As a foreign guy, you're working with a split social environment — the coastal college-educated scene is open, the established old-money Santa Barbara community is quite closed.
Lower score (below 6)
The established money in Montecito and upper Santa Barbara is extremely insider-networked and the 'old Santa Barbara families' social culture is genuinely hard to penetrate without the right introductions. Lompoc, which is in the northern part of the county, is a working-class town with a federal prison and very limited social infrastructure. As a foreign guy without the UCSB connection or the wine industry angle, and especially without the economic standing that the wealthy parts of the county expect, you'll feel the walls.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the median income in SantaBarbara, California?
$77k median
What's the typical marriage age for women in SantaBarbara, California?
Women marry at 29
How common is a college degree in SantaBarbara, California?
34% men have degree
What's the average male height in SantaBarbara, California?
176 cm local avg
What's the average BMI for women in SantaBarbara, California?
Local women avg 29.8