Santa Barbara, CA
Upper East
Upper East's housing follows the line the City's General Plan draws at Sola and Valerio streets. North of that line, low-density zoning of three to five units per acre supports large single-family lots with houses set well back from the street. South of it, toward Garden and Laguna, density rises to a mostly multi-family mix, apartment buildings, motels, and professional offices among them, with a narrow commercial strip running along State Street toward Mission Street. There is no gate, dues-collecting HOA, or CC&R enforcement here; a voluntary neighborhood association handles design conversations instead. Elementary zoning splits by street number too: lower-numbered addresses on Garden, Laguna, and Olive streets feed Washington Elementary, higher-numbered addresses feed Roosevelt Elementary, and both continue on to Santa Barbara Junior High. A portion of the neighborhood sits inside El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District, where the city's Historic Landmarks Commission reviews exterior changes on both officially contributing buildings and ordinary structures under 50 years old, worth confirming for any specific parcel before assuming unconstrained remodel rights. The Old Mission anchors a concentration of citywide cultural and religious institutions inside the neighborhood's mapped footprint, among them the Museum of Natural History, Alameda Park with its Kids World play area, and Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden, whose 4.63 acres include a pond, a gazebo-and-wisteria arbor, and free admission. The former St. Anthony's Seminary campus, later home to San Roque School's Upper School and then Garden Street Academy until its 2021 closure, sold at a June 2024 auction for $16.7 million under a nondisclosure agreement, with no publicly confirmed word on the buyer or the site's future use since.
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Based on information from the Santa Barbara MLS as of September 10, 2026. Display of MLS data is usually deemed reliable but is NOT guaranteed accurate by the MLS. Buyers are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all information and should investigate the data themselves or retain appropriate professionals. Information from sources other than the Listing Agent may have been included in the MLS data. Unless otherwise specified in writing, Broker/Agent has not and will not verify any information obtained from other sources. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have been the Listing and/or Selling Agent. Listing data last updated September 10, 2026.
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What defines it
- Zoning splits at Sola and Valerio streets, low-density single-family lots to the north, denser multi-family and mixed-use development to the south
- Alameda Park, Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden, plus the Museum of Natural History all appear by name in the City's General Plan as neighborhood landmarks
- Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden spans 4.63 acres with about 75 plant species, a pond, gazebo, wisteria arbor, and free admission
- A section of Upper East sits inside El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District, putting exterior work on qualifying structures through Historic Landmarks Commission review
- The former St. Anthony's Seminary campus changed hands at a 2024 auction that brought $16.7 million, sold under an NDA with no confirmed future use
- San Roque School's Upper School, later Garden Street Academy, occupied the former seminary campus from 2005 until closing in 2021
- Elementary attendance splits by street number between Washington and Roosevelt Elementary, both feeding into Santa Barbara Junior High
- Notre Dame School, a K-8 Catholic school, sits at 33 E. Micheltorena Street within the neighborhood's mapped footprint
The Housing Stock
Upper East's housing character follows the zoning line the City's General Plan draws at Sola and Valerio streets: larger single-family lots to the north, a denser multi-family mix to the south.
Frequently asked
What zoning governs housing in Upper East?
The City's General Plan splits the neighborhood at Sola and Valerio streets. North of that line, low-density zoning of three to five units per acre supports single-family homes on larger lots set back from the street. South of the line, density rises to a general urban medium-high designation, with a mostly multi-family mix that includes apartment buildings, offices, and institutional uses in its southwestern portion.
What cultural landmarks are located in Upper East?
The General Plan places the Old Mission, the Museum of Natural History, Alameda Park with its Kids World play area, and Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden inside the neighborhood, along with several historic churches, Our Lady of Sorrows and Trinity Episcopal among them.
What can visitors expect at Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden?
The City's own park page puts the garden at 4.63 acres and about 75 tree and plant species, featuring a pond framed by a gazebo and wisteria, a bed of low-water-use plantings, and a native-plant demonstration area created alongside Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Admission is free.
Does historic-district review affect renovations in Upper East?
Part of the neighborhood falls within El Pueblo Viejo, the city's flagship landmark district. Exterior changes on parcels in that zone go through the Historic Landmarks Commission, whose design review covers officially contributing historic buildings as well as ordinary structures under 50 years old, and measures proposals for compatibility with Spanish Colonial Revival, Adobe, and Monterey Revival architecture.
What happened to the former St. Anthony's Seminary campus?
The campus later became home to San Roque School's Upper School, which set up there in fall 2005 and graduated its first senior class in June 2008; the site then operated as Garden Street Academy before shutting down in 2021. In June 2024 the 11.3-acre property went to the highest bidder at auction, closing at $16.7 million under a nondisclosure agreement. Reporting located as of the last check had not surfaced any word on the buyer's plans.
How is elementary school zoning assigned within Upper East?
It depends on the street number. Santa Barbara Unified's own attendance-area document assigns lower-numbered addresses on Garden, Laguna, and Olive streets to Washington Elementary, while higher-numbered addresses on those streets plus Olive Avenue and E. Micheltorena Street feed to Roosevelt Elementary at 1990 Laguna Street. Both schools feed into Santa Barbara Junior High.
Are there private schools in Upper East?
Notre Dame School, a K-8 Catholic school at 33 E. Micheltorena Street, sits within the neighborhood's mapped footprint. The former seminary campus at 2300 Garden Street also operated as a school, San Roque School and later Garden Street Academy, until its 2021 closure, but it is not a currently operating school.
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121 School Index
Individual-school indicators summarize published academic, readiness, and attendance data. They do not grade the area or guarantee enrollment.
No reviewed school-to-area mapping is available for this area. No area-level school grade is inferred.
School indicators are school-level facts for reviewed nearby schools, not an attendance assignment. Confirm current boundaries and enrollment rules directly with the school district.
Sources: United States Census Bureau TIGER/Line; normalized by 121 Enterprise · California Department of Education · California Department of Education · California Department of Education · California Department of Education · California Department of Education · United States Census Bureau TIGER/Line · United States Census Bureau TIGER/Line · United States Census Bureau TIGER/Line · National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE School Geocodes · Source vintage: 2024-25 · 2025-26 · 2024-25-v2a · 2024-25 · 2025 · Read the exact methodology
