How does Montecito compare to Bel Air and Beverly hills?

Question

Which area is the most comfortable, best view, or wealthest?

Answer 1

I think Montecito is smaller and less crowded. It has about 10,000 residents. There are only two very small shopping areas: Upper Village and Coast Village Road. Santa Barbara is nearby, but there's not a lot of choices in shopping, restaurants, etc. It's less expensive: you can get a pretty nice home in Montecito for about $2-3 million, which is reasonable compared to the other two. Also, Montecito has a minimum acreage requirement of one acre, so the houses are much farther apart. You don't get the traffic in Montecito, either; the weather is better, and there's no smog. Since you're away from the LA crime, I think it's safer, too. However, because Santa Barbara is so expensive, it's harder to get help in Montecito: I keep waiting for one of the Montecito billionaires to drop dead because there wasn't an ambulance driver or paramedic available. If you're really thinking of Montecito - I'd look for something around Montecito Union school: you won't get the best views of the ocean, but you won't get the hotter weather that the foothills get. That's why Oprah chose that area, I think. Anything closer to the ocean gets the train noise, too. Hope all this helps.