A College Beach Town
Tucked into a corner of the California coastline, the 1.9 square-mile Isla Vista boasts a rich history of beach town culture and academic drive. Originally inhabited by the Chumash people, in the 18th century arriving Spanish settlers cultivated the land and added ranchos and rural homesteads. In the mid-20th century, Isla Vista grew alongside a young University of California, Santa Barbara; the two communities becoming inseparable partners for students and non-students alike to thrive.
Bound to the south by the Pacific Ocean, sandwiched between campus and university-owned housing, and ending at the northern boundary of El Colegio Road, Isla Vista is set apart both geographically and in its personality. Isla Vista’s unincorporated county status further contributes to its thriving social setting, vibrant music scene, and beach town feel. According to U.S. Census data, over 95% of Isla Vista’s population is students. While more than half of the 16,000 residents are UCSB students, the rich community is also due to the Santa Barbara City College students, recent grads, and permanent residents and their families who call Isla Vista home.
Narrow streets and sandy shores require bikes as the main form of transportation, and the occasional surfboard rack adorns bikes parked along the bluffs. Barefoot surfers roam the streets by day, returning in the evening in themed costumes and fashionable outfits to take on the night. Hums from garage bands can be heard from 66-68 block, while bass-boosted roars emanate from Del Playa Drive, affectionately nicknamed “DP.” Isla Vista culture elevates public creativity and self-expression, evident in the diversity of exterior decorations, public art displays, and impromptu concerts in the park.
Add to the small size of the neighborhood the beautiful weather year-round, and one can see how the laid back setting of IV narrows the distance between public and private lives. Front yard music, games and celebrations feel welcoming to neighbors. Heading to campus alongside fellow students whether walking or biking is an unspoken acknowledgement of shared academic aspirations.
Isla Vista pulses with the combined energies of youthful exuberance and intellectual curiosity, and this college beach town personifies “work hard, play harder” like no other place. Together, students and long-term residents continue to weave a rich canvas of intellect and leisure side by side.