Editing Santa Barbara, California (section)

=== The Westside ===

* '''The Westside''' begins west of State Street and is bounded on its western and southwestern flanks by the Mesa. The area includes residential and commercial stretches on both sides of Highway 101, and reaches down to Cliff Drive, incorporating [[Santa Barbara City College]]. At its northern extent, it includes the 'Oak Park' neighborhood and abuts Upper State Street.
* '''The Mesa''' stretches {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} from Santa Barbara City College in the east to Arroyo Burro County Beach (or "Hendry's/The Pit" to locals) on the west. The neighborhood has beach access to Mesa Lane Beach, as well as Thousand Steps Beach. Residential development began here in the 1920s but was interrupted by the discovery of the [[Mesa Oil Field]]. The field was quickly exhausted, and after the Second World War, building of houses resumed, although the last oil tanks and sumps did not disappear until the early 1970s.<ref name="Easton">{{cite book |last=Easton |first=Robert Olney |title=Black tide: the Santa Barbara oil spill and its consequences |publisher=Delacorte Press |year=1972 |location=New York, New York |pages=89–90}}</ref>
* '''Alta Mesa and Bel Air''' comprise most of the coastal highlands of Santa Barbara, north (landward) of the Mesa. The area is almost entirely residential and includes Honda Valley Park and [[Elings Park]]. The area's northern slope provides notable views of downtown Santa Barbara, the Riviera, the [[Santa Ynez Mountains]], and the coast towards Ventura. The southern slope provides views of the [[Santa Barbara Channel]] and [[Channel Islands National Park]]. Due to its position along Santa Barbara County's east–west-trending southern coastline, fall and winter sunrises occur over the ocean, a rarity on the Pacific coast of the United States.
* '''Samarkand''' is a residential area home to about 2,000 inhabitants. The name Samarkand is derived from old Persian, meaning "the land of heart's desire" and was first applied to a deluxe Persian-style hotel converted from a boys' school in the area in 1920.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samarkand History |url=https://terryryken.com/santa-barbara-area-information/samarkand-history/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=terryryken.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Samarkand later became the moniker for the general neighborhood located between Las Positas road, State Street, De La Vina street, Oak Park, and Highway 101.