Santa Barbara Real Estate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Santa Barbara, California, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) March 21, 2011 -- Despite its name, "Little Mountain," you'd be challenged to find anything minuscule about Montecito, a community that flanks Santa Barbara to the south. During the 18th century the area amounted to a small Chumash village & a hundred years later it was mostly orchards & farms. But by the 1900s it began to become what it is today, a neighborhood for the wealthy, with lush landscapes hiding gated mansions & designer homes. This the place for high-end boutique shopping, tony restaurants, & top of the line hotels.

July 16th used to be celebrated as "Montecito Day" by the old-time Spanish residents, & was always marked by a gala fandango & fiesta at the Lorenzana adobe on Parra Grande Lane

.Montecito is located east of and directly adjacent to the city of Santa Barbara , occupying the eastern portion of the coastal plain south of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Portions of the town are built on the lower foothills of the range. Notable roads spanning the length of Montecito include Mountain Drive , Sycamore Canyon Road , and East Valley Road .

The approximate population of Montecito according to the 2000 census was 10,000. It is among the wealthiest communities in the United States and the home to many celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Steve Martin, Tab Hunter, John Cleese, Rob Lowe, Jimmy Connors, Christopher Lloyd, Troy Aikman, Steven Spielberg, Kirk Douglas and billionaire businessman Ty Warner.

One of the sights worth seeing in Montecito is Lotusland also known as the Ganna Walska Lotusland Estate, created by Madame Ganna Walska , an opera singer, who owned the property as a private residence from 1941 until her death in 1984. The 37 acres non-profit botanical garden located in Montecito contains a number of excellent gardens, and is well regarded for its cycad collection.

Montecito is also home of Westmont College , which has been there since 1945 after it had outgrown its facilities in downtown Los Angeles . Westmont purchased the former Dwight Murphy estate in Montecito with its 125 acres and moved to the Santa Barbara area in the Fall of 1945.

Full of mystique and grandeur, history and beauty, Montecito, approximately eight square miles of hidden neighborhoods and expansive estates, has been the destination of choice for celebrities and the affluent for over one hundred years.

Today, Montecito offers many and varied options for residential living, such as an easy-care condominium just steps from the beach, a hidden cottage down a tree-shaded lane, as well as large estates on many acres, both old and new.

The pace of life here is unhurried, and it is easy to see why Montecito has become a desirable second home location for big city dwellers. Whether you're a famous movie star or a curious traveler, you'll find Montecito to be truly a lush paradise.

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