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Santa Barbara — the trademarked "American Riviera" — occupies the only major south-facing stretch of Pacific coast, backed by the Santa Ynez Mountains. Its coherent red-tile-and-white-stucco look is no accident: after the 1925 earthquake it became the first U.S. city to mandate a unified architectural style, rebuilding downtown in Spanish Colonial Revival. The result is a walkable city of distinct districts, from the Funk Zone's wine-and-arts warehouses to the Riviera's view hillsides.
Properties in the El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District have exterior alterations reviewed by the city's Historic Landmarks Commission rather than the Architectural Board of Review. If you plan exterior changes downtown, that review process is worth understanding before you buy.
The city draws on a diversified supply including Cachuma and Gibraltar reservoirs, groundwater, recycled water, and the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant. That diversification is a documented part of the city's water system.
Santa Barbara is an incorporated city with its own planning department and permitting, while neighboring Montecito and Summerland are unincorporated and administered by the county. That changes which office handles permits and reviews for a given address.
California's Natural Hazard Disclosure applies as everywhere, and downtown's historic-district review adds a design layer for exterior work. Hillside and canyon-adjacent properties — Mission Canyon in particular — carry documented fire-zone designations that buyers review closely.