The Santa Barbara area is one of the top tourist destinations in the US. The UCSB
campus is located along the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean with the Santa Barbara
mountains rising to the east. Off the coast within eyesight are the Channel Islands.
The city itself is nestled between the mountains and a mesa overlooking the Pacific.
Santa Barbara is known for its downtown shopping area, exquisite restaurants with
international cuisine, rich cultural life, and year-round temperate climate. It
is a center for boating, whale watching, surfing, and other outdoor sports. Santa
Barbara is just an hour and a half from the metropolitan Los Angeles area. It is
only 40 minutes from wine country in the famous Santa Inez Valley. The
City of Santa Barbara can give you more information about living in the area. The
UCSB Visitor’s website page can provide you with more information about the campus itself.