
24 years in pictures
4 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 3 places on the National Register.
- 2002Goleta is settled
- 2012Mural at California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at the Uni…
- 2019MALSR
- 2025Santa Barbara Airport
A town of 32,685, settled in 2002. A regional job hub with 21,346 jobs.
The 3 things Goleta does most differently from other towns.
Where Goleta’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
What neighbors are saying. Town Square →
Nothing on the calendar.
Ordered by what stands out in Goleta. Another town gets a different order.
About one in 4 of Goleta’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Santa Barbara (29%), Eastern Goleta Valley (6%) and University of California-Santa Barbara (6%). Half commute less than 8 miles.
27 miles of trails across 17 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ellwood Forest Park | 9.5 mi | 246 |
| 2. Ellwood Mesa Sperling Open Space | 3.5 mi | 85 |
| 3. Decker's Cabrillo Park | 0.6 mi | 18 |
The typical Goleta home is worth about $1,348,000, up 0.9% in a year, 76% above the California typical home.
Goleta beats the California average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| What stands out | Goleta | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 6.4% |
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 92% of U.S. communities.
Goleta has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of.
Santa Barbara Unified · 10 schools
| School | Grades | Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Elementary | K–6 | 429 | |
| Kellogg Elementary | K–6 | 369 | |
| La Patera Elementary | K–6 | 369 | |
| Ellwood Elementary | K–6 | 303 | |
| Santa Barbara Charter | K–8 | 269 | |
| Coastline Christian Academy Private | K–8 | 143 |
Goleta reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 56% report less. Within California, it does better than 71% of towns.
11.5% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.

4 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 3 places on the National Register.
3 places in Goleta on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Goleta.
City in California, United States
Goleta ( gə-LEE-tə; Spanish: [ɡoˈleta]; Spanish for "schooner") is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the census-designated place (CDP) had a total population of 55,204. A significant portion of the census territory of 2000 was not included in the city. The population of Goleta was 32,690 at the 2020 census. It is known for being close to the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Goleta.