In addition to being one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Santa Barbara, Hope Ranch is one of the wealthiest areas in California; the median home price was $2.61 million in 2006. Houses with ocean views generally list for at least $5 million, with oceanfront properties going for $25 million and more.
The local homeowner’s association manages the properties of private roads, bridle trails, and the private beach. Since Hope Ranch is in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, law enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of the Santa Barbara Sheriff County’s Office. The private regions additionally have a local “Hope Ranch Patrol,” who have only limited law enforcing powers. This group is controlled by the board of Hope Ranch and is in no way connected to either the City of Santa Barbara Police Department or the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
From 1888 until the 1920s, the Pacific Improvement Company shaped the destiny of Hope Ranch, molding it into its present image as a wealthy suburb of Santa Barbara. Many of the amenities offered to members of the Hope Ranch Association since the 1930s include cabanas for a private beach club fronting the ranch, a polo field, an archery range, a skeet shooting facility, tennis courts, and 30 miles of bridle paths. Space prohibits a full account of Hope Ranch’s outdoor living background, shared by middle-class families as well as the affluent. As a result of this independent spirit, Hope Ranch continues to maintain the lofty standards of suburban living which have been in effect since the late Harold S. Chase advertised his ” sun-kissed, ocean washed, mountain girded, island guarded Hope Ranch” more than half a century ago.
The main stretch of road through Hope Ranch is Las Palmas/Marina Drive, a palm tree-lined stretch of roadway along which runs the coastal bike route. Hope Ranch is home to La Cumbre Country Club and Laguna Blanca School, an independent day school, which was founded in 1933.
