Carpinteria $500,000- $3,000,000
Education: Aliso/Canalino; Carpinteria Jr. High; Carpinteria Sr. High
This charming community is just south of Santa Barbara, but it provides an escape from the tourism of downtown Santa Barbara. It is bursting with small-town charm, complete with a picturesque main street, Carpinteria has an early-California feel with its broad streets lined with shops, long, wide beaches, and avocado ranches in the surrounding foothills. Bordered by nurseries and the world-renowned Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, it is home to both California’s “safest beach” and one of the world’s most famed surf spots, Rincon Point. Padaro Lane, perhaps Carpinteria’s most exclusive address, is lined with beachside cottages and estates with their toes in the sand of the wide, private beaches.