Goleta, California
Goleta is a city of 32,685 people in Santa Barbara County, California, founded in 2002.
Why visit Goleta
Townapedia lists 44 museums and landmarks, 75 parks and trails, 181 places to eat, 8 places to stay and 16 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Camino Real Cinemas, Fairview Theater, South Coast Railroad Museum and Stow House.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 74°F; December lows average 40°F.
Weather in Goleta
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Goleta
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.
From the Wikipedia article Goleta, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do16
Camino Real Cinemas
Cinema and theater · 0.9 mi
7040 Marketplace Drive, Goleta
"Opening/Closing is dependent on movies shown"
University of California, Santa Barbara
School · 1.5 mi
Public university near Goleta, California, United States and part of the University of California system
4 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks44
South Coast Railroad Museum
Museum · 0.6 mi
Railroad museum in Goleta, California
300 North Los Carneros Road, Goleta
Mo-Th off; Fr-Sa 11:00-17:00; Su 11:00-16:00
Stow House
Museum · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Place in California listed on National Register of Historic Places
304 North Los Carneros Road, Goleta
Goleta Depot
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Place in California listed on National Register of Historic Places
300 North Los Carneros Road, Goleta
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Joseph and Lucy Foster Sexton House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.5 mi
Historic house in California, United States
5490 Hollister Avenue, Goleta
Art, Design and Architecture Museum at UCSB
Museum · 1.7 mi
Museum in Santa Barbara, California
Grade & High School
Monument and historic site · 1.9 mi
7961 Seaway Drive, Santa Barbara
32 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds75
Climbing Castle Park
Park · 1.7 mi
Small park. Children's play equipment. Two benches with seating. City-managed trash can. Dog waste bag dispenser.
sunrise-sunset
63 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes181
On The Alley
Restaurant · Burger, Tacos, Sandwich, Salad, Breakfast, Dessert · 0.9 mi
Taco Tuesdays
7038 Marketplace Drive, Goleta
08:00-20:00; PH off
Ca'Dario Cucina Italiana
Restaurant · Italian · 0.7 mi
250 Storke Road, Goleta
Mo-Sa 11:00-15:00, 17:00-21:00; Su 16:00-21:00
Chili's
Restaurant · Tex-Mex · 0.8 mi
6950 Marketplace Drive, Goleta
Mo-Th,Su 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00
Cold Stone Creamery
Ice cream · Ice Cream · 2.0 mi
5718 Calle Real, Goleta
Mo,We-Th 11:30-22:00; Tu 12:30-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:30-23:00; Su...
Cristino's Bakery
Cafe · Mexican, Breakfast, Sandwich · 0.7 mi
170 Aero Camino, Goleta
Mo-Fr 06:00-20:00; Sa 06:30-14:00; Su 07:00-14:00
Crushcakes & Cafe
Cafe · Dessert, Breakfast, Coffee Shop · 2.7 mi
5392 Hollister Avenue, Goleta
07:30-15:30
169 more on the map.
Where to stay8
The Leta Santa Barbara Goleta, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
Motel and hotel · 2.2 mi
5650 Calle Real, Goleta
The Steward Santa Barbara, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
Motel and hotel · 2.4 mi
5490 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara
Churches and places of worship17
Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Place of worship · 2.0 mi
820 North Fairview Avenue, Goleta
El Camino Presbyterian Chruch
Church · Presbyterian · 1.8 mi
7526 Calle Real, Goleta
Saint Raphael Catholic Church
Church · Catholic · 2.5 mi
5444 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church · Mormon · 1.5 mi
6524 Cordoba Road, Goleta
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church · Mormon · 2.4 mi
478 Cambridge Drive, Goleta
Shopping22
Gas and EV charging13
Schools, colleges and libraries41
Healthcare12
Map of Goleta
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64°F | 41°F | 3.8 in |
| Feb | 64°F | 44°F | 3.9 in |
| Mar | 66°F | 46°F | 3.1 in |
| Apr | 68°F | 48°F | 0.9 in |
| May | 69°F | 51°F | 0.4 in |
| Jun | 70°F | 54°F | 0.1 in |
| Jul | 73°F | 58°F | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 74°F | 58°F | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 74°F | 56°F | 0.1 in |
| Oct | 73°F | 51°F | 0.7 in |
| Nov | 69°F | 44°F | 1.3 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 40°F | 2.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Santa Barbara Muni Ap 72392 (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Santa Barbara County has had 29 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2024-04-13: Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-14: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2021-10-13: Alisal Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 1 miles away.
- University of California-Santa Barbara 1 mi southeast, about 2 min by car
- Isla Vista 2 mi south, about 3 min by car
- Eastern Goleta Valley 4 mi east, about 7 min by car
- Mission Canyon 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Santa Barbara 9 mi east, about 14 min by car
- Montecito 13 mi east, about 21 min by car
- Summerland 16 mi east, about 25 min by car
- Toro Canyon 17 mi east, about 27 min by car
- Santa Ynez 18 mi northwest, about 30 min by car
- Carpinteria 20 mi east, about 33 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Aerial-GoletaArea, John Wiley User:Jw4nvc - Santa Barbara, California, CC BY 3.0
- Tilt up construction in Goleta, Dreamyshade, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Southwest 737 Departs Goleta, the Good Land (54497104148), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Goleta Depot, Gcoombs at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
- Sexton House, Goleta, Bzeyen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Recession Space (4806110891), Damian Gadal, CC BY 2.0
- Along the way down (4806846784), Damian Gadal, CC BY 2.0
- Cave Fire, Night 1 (49142008743), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- When the jobs go away (4806993064), Damian Gadal, CC BY 2.0
- Southwest Between the Trees (55241727272), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 4.0
- Southwest 737 MAX 8 in Canyon Blue Retro Livery (52594930079), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- American Airlines on the Go (54196274190), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- N662QX @ SBA, 2024-05-20, Glenn Beltz, CC BY 2.0
- America West Retrojet Lands at Santa Barbara (1 of 2) (51287963366), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Tennessee One Arriving, Glenn Beltz, CC BY 2.0
- Go Dawgs! (54269288550), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Crossing Los Carneros (54240286176), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- AA A319 Departure from Santa Barbara (53162575049), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- BBJ2 Landing at Santa Barbara (53986956735), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- United 737 Departing SBA (51713378483), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Allegheny VistaJet (6 of 6) (51976471608), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- American A319 Landing Santa Barbara (54832606244), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 4.0
- Lone Star One (52149832182), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- United Airbus A319 Landing at Santa Barbara (51224799822), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Wrigley-Rusack DC-3 Departing Santa Barbara (54131310990), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Delta Airlines Airbus A220 Departing Santa Barbara (53877806245), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Southwest 737-800 Arriving Santa Barbara (53443735120), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- N776XF @ SBA, 2021-10-23, Glenn Beltz, CC BY 2.0
- First American Airlines 737 into Santa Barbara (54496740554), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Alaska 737-800 Approaching Santa Barbara (53727508181), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Southwest Boeing 737-700 N943WN "California One" Departs Santa Barbara, Glenn Beltz, CC BY 2.0
- Landing Santa Barbara (54725758670), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 4.0
- K5 Aviation Airbus A319 Lands at Santa Barbara (54240524324), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- American Eagle in Santa Barbara (1 of 3) (51269146493), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Choo the Pika lands at SBA in the rain (40011267603), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Honoring Those Who Serve (55242665291), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 4.0
- American A319 Landing (51213840935), Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Brand New Allegiant 737 MAX 8-200 Pursued by a Camera Ship, Glenn Beltz, CC BY 4.0
- Allegiant Air 737 MAX 8-200 N820NV, Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA, CC BY 4.0
- Allegiant Air 737 MAX 8-200 N820NV, Glenn Beltz, CC BY 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(51287963366).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(51976471608).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(51269146493).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.