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Goleta, California

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Goleta, looking southwest from the Santa Ynez Mountains. Old Town Goleta is at the right, and the Santa Barbara airport is at the upper right.

Goleta is a city located in southern Santa Barbara County, California. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant portion of the Census territory of 2000 did not incorporate into the new city.

Incorporation

Goleta was incorporated as a city in 2002 after several unsuccessful attempts. A significant urbanized area remains unincorporated between the town of Goleta and the city of Santa Barbara, largely consisting of the area which polled against incorporation prior to the 2002 election (it was excluded from the proposed incorporated boundaries, in order to make passage of incorporation more likely). There has been some discussion of annexation of this area, sometimes dubbed informally "Noleta", by the City of Santa Barbara. The current boundaries of Goleta are shown in the city's map - located in the community section.

The 2000 census figures reflect the census-designated place of Goleta, which was somewhat larger than the incorporated city. The city's population was estimated in 2002 at around 30,904 according to the CA Governor's Office of Planning and Research.

Urban environment

Goleta contains a mix of land uses, lacking only heavy industrial zones. North of the U.S. Highway 101 freeway is a region of predominantly tract housing built between the late 1950s and the 1970s, intermingled with newer condominium developments, a few gated communities, and next to a lower-density residential zone in the lower foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains which contains larger homes. A commercial strip along Calle Real is one of the town's several business districts. South of the freeway is Old Town Goleta, centered on the stretch of Hollister Avenue between Fairview Avenue and the Highway 217 overpass; adjacent to this commercial area is a region of older, and occasionally substandard housing; some of the south county's least affluent people live in this zone. Between Old Town Goleta and the airport, and running along south Fairview Avenue, are some light industrial zones, some of relatively few in southern Santa Barbara County. Farther west, near the intersection of Storke Road and Hollister Avenue, is a large shopping mall, including "big box" stores, which draws business from outside the local area. Adjacent to the mall and extending more than a mile farther west is a residential area, most of the housing in which dates back to the 1960s; it includes some high-density apartment blocks which accept some of the overflow student population from nearby UCSB.

Goleta has several significant parks, including Stow Park, Lake Los Carneros, and the newly created Ellwood Open Space on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Goleta Beach County Park is just outside of the city limits.

Geography

Goleta is located at 34°26'26" North, 119°48'49" West (34.440493, -119.813608)Template:GR. Goleta is about 8 miles west of the city of Santa Barbara, along the coast (the coast is aligned east-west for this portion of southern California). Nearby is the Santa Barbara campus of the University of California and the student community of Isla Vista.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 68.3 km² (26.4 mi²). 68.0 km² (26.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.38% water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 55,204 people, 19,954 households, and 13,468 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 811.7/km² (2,102.1/mi²). There are 20,442 housing units at an average density of 300.6/km² (778.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 78.61% White, 1.27% African American, 0.82% Native American, 6.43% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 9.23% from other races, and 3.53% from two or more races. 22.33% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 19,954 households out of which 30.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% are married couples living together, 8.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% are non-families. 22.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.18.

In the CDP the population is spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $60,314, and the median income for a family is $67,956. Males have a median income of $44,770 versus $32,127 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $28,890. 6.7% of the population and 2.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.8% of those under the age of 18 and 4.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Government

City Council members change turns as mayor. The City Council also serves at the Planning Agency Board. This means that decisions of the Planning Agency Board that are appealed to the City Council, are considered by the same 5 members. The CC/PAB has not allowed their meetings to be televised, despite funding from the franchise cable operator to do so, though broadcasts are expected to begin in August 2005 under a contract Goleta has signed with the city of Santa Barbara to video record meetings. There have also be prolonged delays in getting the first General Plan adopted, despite state mandates to do so in a reasonable period of time after incorporation, and this has led to extreme delays in the consideration of planning and development applications.

Mayor and Council

See Also

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

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