Founded by the Spanish in the late 18th century, Santa Barbara for years was a pleasant but architecturally dull place known largely as a watering hole for movie stars and the well-off. In 1925, however, when an earthquake leveled much of downtown, the city rebuilt in its now-classic style, evoking an idealized Old California style.

Santa Barbara Street Names
Santa Barbara is rich in history and the street names are no exception. The origins of Santa Barbara's 52 original street names reflect the history of the community, telling us of the Chumash, the first families, early governors, important events, and images of the town as they saw it, hoping to preserve these people and scenes for all time. The following are some of Santa Barbara's streets and their origins, (courtesy of Neal Graffy research and publication):

Canon Perdido
The "lost cannon" was not so much lost as it was stolen.  On the night of April 5, 1848, five young Barbarenos decided to steal and hide a cannon that was lying on the beach awaiting shipment.  Their hopes were to have it available in the event of a forthcoming insurrection to drive out the Americans.  Using a team of oxen, they dragged it from the foot of the future Chapala Street to present-day Anacapa Street before got stuck and the oxen became too tired to take it any further.  Thereupon, they buried it.  When Captain Francis J. Lippitt, the commanding officer of Santa Barbara, heard of the missing cannon, he overreacted, bypassing his superior in Los Angeles and sending a messenger at great expense to the military governor, Col. Richard B. Mason, warning of an uprising.

The cannon resurfaced in 1858 when it was uncovered by a winter storm, and it was moved to State and de la Guerra Streets.  Sometime before 1876, it was sold and taken to a foundry in San Francisco, where it was melted for scrap.

Mason
Col. Richard B. Mason was the American military governor of California when the cannon disappeared from the beach in Santa Barbara.  He waited until May 31, 1848 for "el canon perdido" to be returned.  

When it had not surfaced, he issued an order that the town be "laid under a contribution of $500."

Quinientos
In Spanish, it means $500, representing the "fine" imposed by Gov. Mason on the populace of Santa Barbara for failing to return "el canon perdido."

The first seal of the City of Santa Barbara even celebrated the incident, displaying a cannon presumably on the beach and the words "Vale Quinientos Pesos" (value 500 pesos).

Garden
Listed on the first two official maps of the city in 1853 as both Garden and its Spanish equivalent, Jardines, the street took its name because it passed through the center of the de la Guerra family's garden (roughly between Ortega and Cota Streets).

San Andres
San Andres, literally "Saint Andrew," is really named for Andres Pico.  Pico, a brother of Governor Pio Pico, was in command of the victorious California troops at the Battle of  San Pascual and one of the signers of the Treaty of Cahuenga, thus ending the war in California.  His elevation to sainthood shows how admired he was by the Californians.

Highly regarded by the Americans as well, Pico was elected to the State Assembly in 1851 and the Senate in 1860.  He was brigadier-general of the state militia and commissioned major of the First Battalion of Native Cavalry during the Civil War (though he declined due to illness).

Haley
Haley Street takes its name from Salisbury Haley, who performed the infamous survey for Santa Barbara's first streets.

Haley, a 49er, was a man of many hats.  He was best known as the skipper of the coastal steamers Sea Bird and the Goliah in the 1850s, but also appears to have been a doctor, a pharmacist, a lawyer, and of course a surveyor (at least once).

Anacapa
One of the two streets from the Chumash language, Anacapa is translated as "mirage" or "ever-changing."  This accurately describes Anacapa Island, which, depending on the day, time and mist conditions, can be viewed as no island, one island, or several islands.  The actual Chumash pronunciation is something like 'oh-ya-pah', but the name has certainly been muddled over the years. 
 

Santa Barbara now boasts a major university, high-tech businesses, and the cultural offerings of a large city—and movie people like Kirk Douglas and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as well as those behind the camera, seem more prevalent than ever.  This is in part by the wonderful climate, amenities like great restaurants, and the casual, outdoors lifestyle of a place where time moves a little slower.

FAST FACTS

Santa Barbara is unique in that it's beaches face south, not west. The rugged Santa Ynez Mountains rise dramatically behind the city, providing vast spaces to hike, ride horses, or study pre-Columbian pictographs by the Chumash, the region's first residents.

DON'T MISS

The soul of the city is Mission Santa Barbara—the "Queen of the Missions"—a twin-towered beauty still used by the Franciscan order that founded it in 1786. More earthly matters are dealt with on State Street, the downtown hub of shopping, outdoor cafés, and nightlife.  You can see French Impressionists at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art or catch a film or symphony concert at the Arlington Theater, a 1931 Moorish-fantasy movie palace.  Close by are historic adobes and the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, a storybook-Spanish concoction of turrets, tiles, and spiral staircases.  At one end of East Beach, a favorite walking spot of author Sue Grafton, Stearns Wharf juts a half mile into the Pacific; its restaurants, views, and kid-friendly Ty Warner Sea Center draws a lively mix of families, fishermen, and strolling lovers.

TOP SHOPPING

El Paseo, a charming, store-lined pedestrian passage from the 1920s, may well have been California's first shopping mall. Located off lower State Street, its gurgling fountains and wrought iron gates are meant to evoke Old Spain, but the award-winning local vintages at the Wine Cask (also a restaurant) offer a taste of the New World as well. Northwest of downtown, Jedlicka's Saddlery has catered to ranchers and trail riders—including former President Reagan—for almost 70 years. "There has always been lots of horseback riding around here," says Josiah "Si" Jenkins, who has owned the nationally known Western store since 1964, "but lately there's more than ever." At Channel Islands Surfboards, close to Stearns Wharf, you don't have to know what "cowabunga" means to appreciate the craftsmanship of owner Al Merrick's custom boards. Not in the market for a candy-apple-red ten-footer? You can still shop for swimwear and T-shirts or find out where to watch the locals hang ten.

WHERE THE LOCALS EAT

"This region is an Eden of food," says chef John Downey, who relies on top-notch local ingredients to create swordfish with mango- cucumber salsa and other "Santa Barbara cooking" at his intimate Downey's. Citronelle, an ocean view spot owned by big-name chef Michel Richard, offers elegant fare like shiitake feuilletée pastry with garlic cream, while the Enterprise Fish Co. features pristine seafood—from local snapper to Hawaiian ahi—cooked over a mesquite fire and served in a 1912 brick building filled with marine artifacts. There's always a line for hot-off-the-grill tacos and other Mexican specialties at La Super Rica, a simple taqueria with picnic-table seating. And the patio of the Shoreline Beach Café is a favored spot for a surfside margarita after a long, hot day on the sand.

LODGINGS OF NOTE

Stretching along two miles of bluffs and golden sand beach north of town, the newly opened Bacara Resort & Spa is a grand, self-contained world of Mediterranean-style villas. Guests sleep on Italian linens after a day spent golfing, horseback riding through fragrant lemon groves, or indulging in treatments at the 42,000-square-foot spa. Need to view the dailies from your latest film? No problem—there's a 211-seat, state-of-the-art screening room. More low-key is Montecito's San Ysidro Ranch, whose secluded, hillside cottages and lush gardens have drawn celebrities since 1935, when Ronald Colman bought the place. In town, The Four Seasons Biltmore occupies historic red-tile buildings close to the State Street scene and a five-minute walk from the beach, while the five-star Simpson House Inn offers antique-filled rooms in a Victorian mansion surrounded by an acre of lawn and trees.