A Relatively Modest Montecito Enclave

I hadn’t thought about it before heading over there, but the Montecito Oaks neighborhood at the northeast corner of Olive Mill Road and the 101 feels like a posher relative of East Mesa, site of the last walk I did. Both are composed of 1950s tract houses, but the lots in Montecito Oaks are at least a third of an acre, twice as large as in East Mesa.

Before we dig into the comparison further, a map and a clarification: Google Maps shows Santa Clara Way extending up the east side, but the houses on that stretch actually have Santa Elena Lane addresses.

And the street numbers of two houses on Santa Clara Way look as if they belong on N. Jameson Lane.

Like East Mesa used to be, Montecito Oaks long felt like an entry-level neighborhood, but for Montecito; the proximity to several elementary schools makes it appealing for families with young children. That’s surely changing as the barrier to entry gets higher. 150 Santa Elena Lane just sold for $5.85 million (after having traded for $3.569 million three years ago and just $1.95 million in 2005). Across the street, the fixer at 141 Santa Elena ($4.295 million) is in escrow after receiving multiple offers.

Despite some impressive hedging, the area has a markedly different vibe than the nearby Hedgerow.

Here’s a hedge in progress, and thank goodness.

The winner! The extra detail at the bottom is like a pretty hemline.

There are several reasons Montecito Oaks doesn’t have the charm of the Hedgerow. (Few places do!) For one thing, the streets are much wider, with no trees growing across—the effect is less romantic, but it does make for easier and safer walking, cycling, and driving.

Houses tend to be evenly spaced from each other, and the same distance from the street, on similarly sized lots, so it feels more suburban than the more “semi-rural” parts of Montecito. Ditto with the curbs.

And unlike the Hedgerow, there aren’t that many gates, which might be a blessing.

The biggest difference is the architecture: like East Mesa, Montecito Oaks was developed all at once, with houses that are more or less the same style at heart. I don’t recall seeing a true two-story structure anywhere in the neighborhood, but occasionally a roof has been popped for a clerestory window (or more).

A couple of properties look like they haven’t been touched much in recent decades.

This one has the car to prove it.

A possible factor for that is the brutal blow the neighborhood took from the 2018 debris flow. It has rebounded remarkably well—I believe there’s only one vacant lot, 196 Santa Elena Lane, which is on the market for $2.25 million. (The house under construction is behind it, on a private lane off Olive Mill.)

The defining characteristic of the neighborhood is board-and-batten siding—it’s everywhere (although often just on parts of the exterior). I assume some is original construction and some is more recent, a result of the material’s trendiness.

The siding is not always white, which is another reason I think some of it may predate the current trend. (These days, new board and batten is pretty much always white.)

It pairs well with a farmhouse-style fence.

A handful of homeowners have chosen to go in a different direction, such as contemporary or Italian.

Sometimes, the makeovers extend to the hardscaping. The stone walls in the photos below are an attractive touch.

Are people parking in your driveway really such a problem?

I’m less convinced by these front walks—they both begin (or end) in rather precarious fashion.

Contrary to the Montecito Oaks name, this isn’t the oakiest part of town. There are some swell ones, of course, but also plenty of other varieties of trees.

This sycamore sprawls out like an oak.

I’ve always wondered why some Montecito street signs have little symbols, and whether those symbols mean anything. “Over the years, we have worked with various artisans,” explained a board member of the Montecito Community Foundation, which builds and maintains the wooden signs. “Each has added their character to the work. The symbols were the work of one, and they were artistic flourishes without particular meaning for any specific sign or neighborhood, that I am aware of.”

The intersection of Santo Tomas Lane and San Benito Way brought up another question: why does one male name get Santo as an honorific and the other San? According to people on Quora and Reddit, Santo is used for male saints whose names begin with a “t” or “d”—probably to avoid San Tomás sounding like Santo Más or San Domingo being mistaken for Santo Mingo.

Plenty of children live in the neighborhood, based on the gear visible from the street. I miss tetherball! Such a great way to release the frustrations of being a kid.

Naturally, there are basketball hoops, too. In the East Mesa post, I joked how one bored kid can ruin your entire day—and received the response below. While I welcome constructive criticism, if you’re rude to me I reserve the right to mock you, possibly by name.

Montecito Oaks is not especially rich in quirk. The little things—a whale of a weather vane, an eight that looks like a diamond ring—have to suffice.

And I did come across two street libraries, including one with art and art supplies. I can’t say I loved Andrew Sean Greer’s Less as much as other people have. The story of a sad-sack, middle-aged, gay, underachieving writer may have cut a little close to the bone.

But, like a bird on the, um, wire, I have tried in my way to be free.

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Walk With Me…

Downtown Santa Barbara
• The Gritty Glamour of the Funk Zone
• The Upper Upper East Is Busting Out All Over
• The Presidio: In the Footsteps of Old Santa Barbara
• Brinkerhoff, Bradley, and Beyond
• Mixing Business and Pleasure in East Beach
• It’s Only Milpas Street (But I Like It)
• The Haley Corridor Is Keeping It Real
• The Small Pleasures of Bungalow Haven
• Is There a Better Neighborhood for a Stroll Than West Beach?
• E. Canon Perdido, One of Downtown’s Best Strolling Streets

Eastside
• Where the Eastside Meets the Lower Riviera

Oak Park / Samarkand
• The Side Streets and Alleyways of Upper Oak Park
• The Small-Town Charms of Samarkand

The Riviera
↓↓↓ The Ferrelo-Garcia Loop
• Scaling the Heights of Las Alturas
• High on the Lower Riviera

Eucalyptus Hill
• On the Golden Slope of Eucalyptus Hill
• Climbing the Back of Eucalyptus Hill

San Roque
• Amid the Saints of South San Roque
• Voyage to the Heart of the San Roque Spider Web

TV Hill / The Mesa
• The Metamorphosis of East Mesa
• The Highs and Lows of Harbor Hills
• Walking in Circles in Alta Mesa
• West Mesa Is Still Funky After All These Years
• A Close-Up Look at TV Hill

Hidden Valley / Yankee Farm / Campanil
• Campanil is a Neighborhood in Flux
• An Aimless Wander Through Hidden Valley
• The Unvarnished Appeal of Yankee Farm

Hope Ranch / Hope Ranch Annex / Etc.
• A Country Stroll on El Sueno Road

Montecito
• Out and Back on Ortega Ridge
• The Heart of Montecito Is in Coast Village
• Quintessential Montecito at Butterfly Beach
• Once Upon a Time in the Hedgerow
• Where Montecito Gets Down to Business
• In the Heart of the Golden Quadrangle
• Up, Down, and All Around Montecito’s Pepper Hill
• Montecito’s Prestigious Picacho Lane
• School House Road and Camphor Place

Summerland / Carpinteria
• A Stroll in the Summerland Countryside
• Admiring the Backsides of Beachfront Houses on Padaro Lane
• Whitney Avenue in Summerland

Goleta / Isla Vista
• A Tough Nut to Crack in Goleta
• Where the Streets Have Full Names
• The Past Is Still Present in Old Town Goleta
• Social Distancing Made Easy at UCSB

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