Thomas Hope House · National Register of Historic Places
Eastern Goleta Valley’s story
Eastern Goleta Valley in pictures
The archive holds 6 maps from 1942 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Eastern Goleta ValleyCA
A town of 28,295. Public schools that outperform most of California.
2 bordering townsMap →
Thomas Hope House · Photo: DocFreeman24 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
28,295
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$1.36M
Census ACS
Household income
$146K
median
Median age
45.7
years
Jobs based here
8,471
Balanced
TownGrade
B+
#76 of 841 in CA
Is Eastern Goleta Valley a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Eastern Goleta Valley grades B+ overall, ranked 76th of 841 in California. Its public schools beat 91% of California towns on state tests and graduation and it is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $1.4 million, 13.9 years of the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income. Eastern Goleta Valley’s median rent is $2,964 a month, above both the California town median ($1,895 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Only 69 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on hazard risk. Eastern Goleta Valley is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns.
What makes Eastern Goleta Valley stand out
Where Eastern Goleta Valley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
How Eastern Goleta Valley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Eastern Goleta Valley is from typical.
Its grades run from A for schools (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 1%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingD−Open →SchoolsAOpen →HealthGoleta Valley Cottage Hospital 1.8 miles awayAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.5 of 20; 3.1% of households have no car; 5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →Jobs & income$146K median household incomeA−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 74° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 45.7; 54% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 30 attractions →Channel Islands National Park and 17 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Eastern Goleta Valley. Close and well known come first.
25 mi National ParkChannel Islands National Park227K visitors a year
15 mi National forestLos Padres National Forest
7 mi GardenLotusland
5 mi LandmarkPresidio of Santa Barbara
4 mi MuseumSanta Barbara Museum of Natural History
7 mi Zoo & aquariumSanta Barbara ZooSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Channel Islands National Park: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Los Padres National Forest: Taken by Antandrus, Public domain · Lotusland: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Presidio of Santa Barbara: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Jllm06, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Barbara Zoo: Dakart at en.wikipedia, Public domain
_at_Santa_Barbara_Zoo.jpg){kind=link}
Getting set up
Moving to Eastern Goleta Valley: who provides what
Eastern Goleta Valley is unincorporated, so Santa Barbara County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGoleta Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSanta Barbara CountySanta Barbara County provides services here
SchoolsSanta Barbara Unified School District (7-12)Goleta Union Elementary School District2 districts serve Eastern Goleta Valley; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSanta Barbara County Clerk-ElectionsSanta Barbara County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes93111, 93110, 93105, 9311793111 56% · 93110 40% · 93105 2% · 93117 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Eastern Goleta Valley.
Eastern Goleta Valley has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Eastern Goleta Valley faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Eastern Goleta Valley.
99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
10
paid flood claims since 1980
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsA
Eastern Goleta Valley’s grade for schools is an A
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.36M.
Two of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is San Marcos Senior High, with 1,926 students.
91%of CA districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foothill ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 413 | – |
| San Marcos Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,926 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests
HealthA
Eastern Goleta Valley’s grade for health is an A
Against the 3,024 U.S. towns with household incomes like Eastern Goleta Valley’s, it is healthier than 52%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
24% of adults have obesity in Eastern Goleta Valley. Eastern Goleta Valley beats the California average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Eastern Goleta Valley.
88%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Eastern Goleta Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
18 better11 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Eastern Goleta Valley | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.5% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 6.4% |
Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital
1.8 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: dental
81st
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsA−
Conserved land covers 3.8% of Eastern Goleta Valley
23 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. Eastern Goleta Valley’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is More Mesa, 301 acres with 10.2 miles of trail.
#275for trails in CA
| Eastern Goleta Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
3.8%
conserved · 406 of 10,751 acres
23 mi
of trails · 1.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. More Mesa | 10.2 mi | 301 |
| 2. San Marcos Foothills Preserve | 2.7 mi | 214 |
| 3. San Antonio Canyon Park | 1.3 mi | 90 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
In Eastern Goleta Valley, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
January nights average 45.6°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 72.9°.
Eastern Goleta Valley has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. The July high in Eastern Goleta Valley is 73°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
74°summer high
| Eastern Goleta Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 73°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 46°F | 40°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter46–64°
Spring50–67°
Summer58–72°
Fall54–72°
+2.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
74°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
The average trip to work in Eastern Goleta Valley is shorter than in most of California or the rest of the country
The average commute for its 10,984 working residents takes 15.3 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
25% of Eastern Goleta Valley workers work from home. Since 2013, Eastern Goleta Valley has added 942 jobs, to 8,471 in 2023. Most working residents leave Eastern Goleta Valley for work: only 9% work in town.
9%work in town
| Eastern Goleta Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $146,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 25% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Eastern Goleta Valley9%
Santa Barbara35%
Goleta17%
Los Angeles4%
University of California-Santa Barbara3%
6 mi
median commute distance
8,471
jobs based in Eastern Goleta Valley
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade D−
The median home in Eastern Goleta Valley sells for about $1.62M
At 13.9 years of the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 90% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,847, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
$1.62Mmedian sale price
Market temperature
31
days on market
99.3%
sale-to-list price
26
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Eastern Goleta Valley
17pages on Eastern Goleta Valley
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of Eastern Goleta Valley
Fielding Graduate UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Santa Barbara4 miUniversity of California-Santa BarbaraUniversity or college · Public · Santa Barbara4.2 mi$16,414 in-state tuitionSanta Barbara City CollegeCommunity college · Public · Santa Barbara5.7 mi$1,240 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Eastern Goleta Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Eastern Goleta Valley
Place in California, United States
Eastern Goleta Valley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, Eastern Goleta Valley had a population of 28,656. It is located between Goleta to the west, Santa Barbara to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the south, and the Santa Ynez Mountains to the north and includes the communities of Noleta and Hope Ranch. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau designated the area as a census-designated place (CDP) prior to the 2020 census. Prior to the incorporation of Goleta in 2002 within a narrower set of boundaries, the area was included in the Goleta CDP.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 105 ft
Eastern Goleta Valley’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Eastern Goleta Valley.
GoletaSanta BarbaraEastern Goleta Valley
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Goleta Valley | #76 | B+ | D− | — | A | A |
| Goleta | #137 | B | D− | C+ | A | A |
| Santa Barbara | #443 | C | D− | D | B+ | A− |
Eastern Goleta Valley reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Eastern Goleta Valley with a neighbor →
Questions about Eastern Goleta Valley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Eastern Goleta Valley, CA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Eastern Goleta Valley grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #76 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Eastern Goleta Valley, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,362,000, 79% above the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.