SANTA BARBARA COUNTY is the 16th largest California county with a recent population of 414,800. It is the 21st largest county for land mass with 2,745 square miles. Santa Barbara was created in 1850. The Santa Barbara Channel received its name from Sebastian Vizcaino who sailed over the channel waters in 1602. In 1782, Padre Junipero Serra dedicated a site near the channel for a presidio and on December 4, 1786, he founded the nearby Mission Santa Barbara. The county derives its name from the mission.

Santa Barbara County is home to three of the most beautifully maintained missions in California's chain of 21. Mission La Purisima Concepcion (La Purisima), Mission Santa Barbara and Solvang Mission are beautifully restored with each maintaining individual character. All are open to the public with a small admission fee charged for viewing.

Highway 101 or El Camino Real (The King's Road) is the main highway traveling north to south through Santa Barbara County. It is marked in some locations with the green mission bell. One of California's most beautiful coastal counties is located between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Attractions and features of Santa Barbara County include: missions, University of California Santa Barbara, shopping, artists street fair weekly, skate park, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum of History, wineries, the Danish village of Solvang, two stagecoach museum and signs marking an 1800's stagecoach route,  Oso Flaco sand dunes, Anderson's Split Pea Soup and Ostrich Farm in Buellton and Santa Maria, location of the courthouse holding the 2004 Michael Jackson trial.  Santa Barbara County website:  www.co.santa-barbara.ca.us