In 2006, according to the California State Department of Finance, the population of Santa Barbara (now 89,548) had been surpassed by that of Santa Maria, which had thus become the most populous city in Santa Barbara County. Santa Maria's growth can be attributed to its cost of living, Santa Barbara's limited growth policies, and more available land area for Santa Maria([http://www.keyt.com/news/local/2771606.html]).

Culture

Media

Santa Barbara has two daily newspapers: The Santa Barbara News-Press, with a circulation of about 39,000 and the Santa Barbara Daily Sound, a free daily. The News-Press was sold by the New York Times Company in 2000, and is now independently owned by Wendy P. McCaw, a local resident and outspoken environmentalist. Other local media include Santa Barbara Life [http://www.sblife.com], Builder/Architect Gold & Central Coast Edition; serving the tri-counties leading residential builders and architects a local trade publication, (BuilderArchitect.com). Pacific Coast Business Times [http://www.pacbiztimes.com/], a weekly business journal covering Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo Counties, Santa Barbara Independent, an arts and entertainment newsweekly, Santa Barbara's Blog [http://www.santabarbarasblog.com], an interactive forum for debate of local sports, news and politics, Edhat Online Magazine [http://www.edhat.com], a hyperlocal website, Coastal Woman, a quarterly glossy magazine for local women [http://www.coastalwoman.com], and Shape of Voice[http://www.shapeofvoice.com], a non-profit youth created publication which focuses on social justice and youth issues, as well as television stations KEYT 3, an ABC television affiliate and KPMR 38, a Univision affiliate, Santa Barbara Internet TV [http://www.sbitv.com], and Santa Barbara Channels; 17 Community Access and 21 Arts & Education [(formerly owned by cox cable)]. Although Santa Barbara has radio stations including radio station KJEE 92.9, The Vibe:Hip Hop y Mas 103.3, 99.9 KTYD and KLITE 101.7 owned by Rincon Broadcasing, some Los Angeles radio stations can be heard, many quite faintly due to the 85 mi distance. Santa Monica-based NPR station KCRW can be heard in Santa Barbara on 106.9.

Museums

Santa Barbara is home to a vibrant artistic community, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art is home to a significant permanent collection. Other art venues include the University Art Museum on the UC Santa Barbara Campus, various private galleries, and a wide variety of art and photography shows. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is located immediately behind the Santa Barbara Mission in a complex of charming, mission-style buildings set in a delightful park-like campus. The Museum offers outstanding indoor and outdoor exhibits and a state-of-the-art planetarium. The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is located at 113 Harbor Way (the former Naval Reserve Center Santa Barbara) on the waterfront. The Contemporary Arts Forum, located on the top floor of Paseo Nuevo shopping mall, contains exhibits of new works in all media.

Parks

]] Santa Barbara has many parks, ranging from small spaces within the urban environment to large, semi-wilderness areas which remain within the city limits. Some notable parks within the city limits are as follows:

• Alameda Park
• Elings Park
• Butterfly Beach
• Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens
• De La Guerra Plaza
• Skofield Park
• Parma Park
• Shoreline Park
• Douglas Family Preserve
• East Beach
• Leadbetter Beach
• West Beach
• Hendry's Beach (Arroyo Burro)
• Andree Clark Bird Refuge

Some notable parks and open spaces just outside of the city limits include:

• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, which contains a diverse collection of plants from around California; it is in Mission Canyon, directly north of the city.
• Gould Park
• Rattlesnake Canyon, a favorite local hiking area.
• Painted Cave National Historical Landmark

Performing arts

Santa Barbara boasts numerous performing art venues, including the 2000 seat Arlington Theatre, the largest indoor performance venue in Santa Barbara; the Lobero Theatre, a historic building and favorite venue for small concerts; the Granada Theater, originally built by a contractor named CM Urton in 1920, now the tallest building downtown (the theater was remodeled, and reopened in March 2008); and the Santa Barbara Bowl, a 4562 seat amphitheatre used as a concert space, nestled in a picturesque canyon northwest of Santa Barbara at the base of the Riviera.

The city is considered a haven for classical music lovers with a symphony orchestra and many non-profit classical music groups (such as CAMA). The Music Academy of the West, located in Montecito, hosts an annual music festival in the summer, drawing renowned students and professionals.

Current event listings can be found at Santa Barbara Performing Arts League [http://www.sbperformingartsleague.org]

Tourist attractions

Santa Barbara is a year-round tourist destination renowned for its fair weather, downtown beaches, and Spanish architecture. In addition to the city's cultural assets, several iconic destinations lie within the city's limits. Mission Santa Barbara, "The Queen of the Missions," is located in Santa Barbara. It was founded on December 4, 1786 on a rise about two miles (3 km) inland from the harbor, and is maintained as an active place of worship, sightseeing stop, and national historic landmark. The Santa Barbara County Courthouse, a red tiled Spanish-Moorish structure, provides a sweeping view of the downtown area from its open air tower. The Presidio of Santa Barbara, a Spanish military installation built in 1782, was central to the town's early development and remains an icon of the city's colonial roots.

Also famous is the annual Fiesta (originally called "Old Spanish Days"), which is celebrated every year in August. The Fiesta is hosted by the Native Daughters of the Golden West and the Native Sons of the Golden West in a joint committee called the Fiesta Board. Fiesta was originally started as a tourist attraction, like the Rose Bowl, to draw business into the town in the 1920s.

Flower Girls and Las Señoritas are another attraction of Fiesta, as they march and participate in both Fiesta Pequeña (the kickoff of Fiesta) and the various parades. Flower Girls is for girls under 13. They throw roses and other flowers into the crowds. Las Señoritas are their older escorts. Many Señoritas join the Native Daughters at the age of 16.

For over 40 years the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show has been held on Cabrillo Blvd., east of Stearns Wharf and along the beach, attracting thousands of people to see artwork made by artists and crafts people that live in Santa Barbara county. By the rules of the show, all the works displayed must have been made by the artists and craftspeople themselves, who must sell their own goods. The show started in the early 1960s, and now has over 200 booths varying in size and style on any Sunday of the year. The show is also held on some Saturdays that are national holidays, but not during inclement weather.

In recent years, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival [http://www.sbfilmfestival.org] (SBIFF), another local non-profit, has also become a major draw bringing over 50,000 attendees during what is usually Santa Barbara's slow season in late January. SBIFF hosts a wide variety of celebrities, premieres, panels and movies from around the world and runs for 10 days.

The annual Summer Solstice Parade draws up to 100,000 people ([http://www.solsticeparade.com/history.htm]). It is a colorful themed parade put on by local residents, and follows a route along State Street for approximately one mile, ending at Alameda Park. Floats and costumes vary from the whimsical to the outrageous; parties and street events take place throughout the weekend of the parade, which is invariably the first weekend after the solstice.

Other tourist-centered attractions include:

• Stearns Wharf – Adjacent to Santa Barbara Harbor, features shops, several restaurants, and the newly rebuilt Ty Warner Sea Center.
• Rafael Gonzalez House – Adobe residence of the alcaldé of Santa Barbara in the 1820s, and a National Historic Landmark.
• Moreton Bay Fig – a giant Moreton Bay Fig, 80 ft tall, which has one of the largest total shaded areas of any tree in North America
• Burton Mound – on Mason Street at Burton Circle, this mound is thought to be the Chumash village of Syujton, recorded by Juan Cabrillo in 1542, and again by Fr. Crespí and Portolá in 1769. (California Historical Landmark No. 306)
• De la Guerra Plaza (Casa de la Guerra) – Site of the first City Hall, and still the center of the city's administration. (California Historical Landmark No. 307)
• Covarrubias Adobe – Built in 1817; adjacent to the Santa Barbara Historical Society Museum on Santa Barbara Street. (California Historical Landmark No. 308)
• Hastings Adobe – Built in 1854, partially from material recovered from the wreck of the S.S. Winfield Scott. (California Historical Landmark No. 559)
• Carrillo Adobe – Built in 1825 by Daniel Hill for his wife Rafaela L. Ortega y Olivera; currently at 11 E. Carrillo St.
• Cold Spring Tavern
• El Paseo Shopping Mall – The first shopping mall in California.
• Santa Barbara Zoo

Santa Barbara's many tourist attractions have made the hospitality industry into a major player in the regional economy. For example, Motel 6 was started in Santa Barbara in 1962.

Education

Colleges and universities

Santa Barbara and the immediately adjacent area is home to several colleges and universities:

• University of California, Santa Barbara
• Santa Barbara City College
• Westmont College
• Brooks Institute of Photography
• Music Academy of the West
• Santa Barbara Business College
• Antioch University
• Pacifica Graduate Institute
• Fielding Graduate University
• Santa Barbara Graduate Institute

Secondary and Primary School students go to the Santa Barbara and Hope district schools. There are also a variety of private schools in the area.

High schools

• San Marcos High School, 9-12
• Dos Pueblos High School, 9-12
• Dos Pueblos Continuation High School, 9-12
• Las Alturas Continuation High School, 9-12
• La Cuesta/Pathfinders Continuation High School, 9-12
• San Marcos Continuation High School, 9-12
• Santa Barbara High School, 9-12
• Laguna Blanca School K-12
• Bishop Garcia Diego High School, 9-12
• Cate School, 9-12

Junior high/middle schools

• Community Day School, 7-8
• Goleta Valley Junior High School, 7-8
• La Colina Junior High School, 7-8
• La Cumbre Junior High School, 7-8
• Santa Barbara Junior High School, 7-8

Elementary schools

• Adams Elementary School, K-6
• Cesar Estrada Chavez Dual Language Immersion Charter School, K-6
• Cleveland Elementary School, K-6
• Cold Spring Elementary School, K-6
• El Camino Elementary School, K-6
• Franklin Elementary School, K-6
• Harding Elementary School, K-6
• Hollister Elementary School, K-6
• Hope Elementary School, K-6
• Marymount School, K-8
• McKinley Elementary School, K-6
• Monroe Elementary School, K-6
• Monte Vista Elementary School, K-6
• Montecito Union Elementary School, K-6
• Mountain View Elementary School, K-6
• Open Alternative School, K-8
• Peabody Charter School, K-6
• Roosevelt Elementary School, K-6
• Santa Barbara Charter School, K-8
• Santa Barbara Christian School, K-8
• Santa Barbara Community Academy, K-6
• Vieja Valley Elementary School, K-6
• Washington Elementary School, K-6

Transportation

Santa Barbara is bisected by U.S. Route 101, a primary transportation corridor that links the city to the rest of the Central Coast region. The Santa Barbara Airport offers commercial air service. Amtrak offers rail service through the Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner trains at the train station on State Street. The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) provides local bus service across the city, and Greyhound bus stations are located downtown and in nearby Goleta. Electric shuttles operated by MTD ferry tourists and shoppers up and down lower State Street and to the wharf.

==Sister cities==

• Dingle, Ireland

Dingle, Ireland, was established as a Santa Barbara Sister City in Spring 2003.

• Palma de Mallorca, Spain

The Santa Barbara/Palma de Mallorca Sister City affiliation was started in 1986.

• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Puerta Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, became a Sister City in 1972.

• San Juan, Philippines

San Juan became a Sister City in 2000.

• Toba City, Japan

The Toba City/Santa Barbara affiliation was begun in 1966, and there have been several visits by citizens and officials of both cities.

• Weihai, China

Weihai, in Shandong Province, China, became a Sister City to Santa Barbara in 1993.

• Yalta, Ukraine

Yalta, Crimea, Ukraine, became Santa Barbara's sixth Sister City in November 1987.

• Cusco, Peru