Pull up Airbnb or Vrbo, and the map of the Santa Barbara neighborhood known as the Mesa resembles a pincushion of available rentals.
Hosts market the residential area, which is perched above Arroyo Burro Beach County Park and located about 2 miles northwest of bustling State Street, as an idyllic place where people can come and taste the good life for a week or blow off steam for a night. For the locals, it’s a place that’s been known and revered for its close-knit neighbors since its rise during the post-World War II housing boom.
Traces of the mid-century California dream remain here: Neighborhood kids zip around on scooters or ride double on bikes, while barefoot surfers emerge from their backyards with their wet suits on and scamper down the hill toward the ocean…