Neighborhoods similar to Wilshire-Montana in Santa Monica
My wife (31F) and I (30M) are moving to Santa Barbara from the Wilshire-Montana neighborhood of Santa Monica. We love our rent-controlled 2B/2B apartment, the breeze off the ocean, walking to Palisades park to see the sunset (we’re five blocks off Ocean Ave), walking to the YMCA to work out and swim, walking to fitness classes and shops downtown and on Montana Ave. We also love going for bike rides before work up Mandevillle Canyon road, surfing in Venice (requires driving), and taking public transit. We also are really lucky to have a group of friends who live within walking distance to our place.
We realize of course that nowhere will match all of these preferences, but we would like to find an area in SB that checks off as many of them as possible. We know that the cost of living in SB is a bit higher than SaMo and are prepared to pay more for a nice apartment in an area we like.
So I’m searching for recommendations on neighborhoods to scope out. I’ve already seen some but would like local input.
The Mesa: Definitely a good option: walkable to Shoreline park and some shops (Vons etc) in the area. Very nice climate, similar to Santa Monica. But perhaps it is a bit sleepy for us. We don’t care much about restaurants, but do expect to be going to State street often to meet up with friends.
West Beach: Good option, but not a lot of apartments in this area it seems? We like the proximity to the ocean here as well as State street. My wife is really into open water swimming and running so the ease of meeting up with groups at Leadbetter beach is definitely a draw.
Milpas: We like the vibe here, definitely more real than State street, but a bit far from the ocean. Good option.
I would really appreciate some takes on the neighborhoods I mentioned, and/or ideas for other neighborhoods to explore! Thank you.