1. In 1871 Judge R.B. Ord of Santa Barbara introduced a new tree to California—the avocado tree. The rest is history.
2. In August of last year a group of six swimmers swam all the way from Santa Barbara to San Diego, breaking the world record for open relay swim.
3. Santa Barbara proved it loves cupcakes more than any other city in the world in 2010 when its cupcake camp raised an astounding $10,200. The money was used to grant six wishes for the Make-A-Wish foundation in the area.
4. Who says romance is dead? The world record for the most kisses in one minute was achieved by a couple in Santa Barbara in 2012, on—you guessed it—Valentine’s Day.
5. Santa Barbara native Tom Gosnell was recognized by Guinness in 1976 as the world’s fastest tree climber.
6. Where would pop music be without earworms like “Roar” and “California Gurls?” Singer Katy Perry was born in Santa Barbara in 1984.
7. Dovi Frances of Santa Barbara-based insurance firm SG LLC, broke the Guinness World Record for selling the most expensive single life insurance policy in history—a whopping $201 million policy, to a Silicon Valley billionaire. He deserves a raise. Not that he needs it?
8. A disastrous oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969 inspired the very first Earth Day the next year.
9. For some reason, Santa Barbara seems to be a popular filming location for movies and TV. “Seabiscuit,” “No Strings Attached,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Sideways,” “The Real Housewives,” and “The Bachelor” are just a few.
10. Ronald Reagan owned a ranch in Santa Barbara, both before, during and after his presidency. He was a big fan of the place, saying that even if it wasn’t “Heaven itself, probably has the same zip code.”
11. Robin Wright of “Princess Bride” and “House of Cards” fame, got her start on a daytime soap taking place in Santa Barbara, appropriately called “Santa Barbara.”
12. So many of the film industry’s early movies were shot in Santa Barbara that the area came to be called the first “Hollywood of the North.”
13. Students in Santa Barbara once picketed local Baskin-Robbins stores because the famous ice cream chain ran out of the new (and hugely popular) Pralines and Cream flavor.
14. Japan fired 16 shells into Ellwood Oil Field in Goleta during World War II. No one was hurt.
15. Until 1930 when the Rincon part of Highway 101 was built, you couldn’t drive along the California coast to Santa Barbara.
16. Santa Barbara’s mission is the only one that’s been continuously operated by the Franciscan missionaries since it was founded in 1786.
17. That was only possible because after Mexico won independence from Spain in 1830, Santa Barbara’s mission was the only one not auctioned off to another owner.
18. The mission was completely rebuilt and restored twice, once in 1812 and again in 1925.
19. Michael Douglas, Jack Johnson and Benjamin Bratt are all proud UCSB alumni.
20. The UC Santa Barbara dining commons serves a whopping 1,092,840 glasses of milk.
21. You might not be surprised that UCSB is the number three party school in the country—but you might not know it’s also the number two school in terms of universities with the most impact on the sciences.
22. The massive Moreton Bay Fig Tree is believed to be the largest tree of its kind in the country, and covers more than 21,000 square feet of shade.
23. The popular fake-psychic detective show “Psych,” while set in Santa Barbara, was actually filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. Not quite the same thing?
24. In June 1859 the temperature in Santa Barbara reached a staggering 133 degrees. The city held the record for the highest recorded temperature for another 75 years, until it was finally broken—by the Mojave Desert. To this day Santa Barbara still hold the record for the third-highest temperature ever recorded on earth.
25. The very first Motel 6 in the country opened in Santa Barbara in 1962. It’s still there today.
26. Surfers in Santa Barbara have a more unique challenge to finding the perfect wave: tar. The Santa Barbara Channel tar seep is reputedly the second largest in the world, and brings up some $15,000 worth of tar every day. Beware when walking on the beaches, too, especially Sands and Deveraux.
27. Move over, Napa. Santa Barbara County has more than 100 award-winning wineries.
28. The beautiful, stately Mission Santa Barbara, which gave the town its name, was originally named for a martyr named Barbara who was beheaded by her father for following the Christian faith.
29. The Santa Barbara Zoo is one of only four in the world to have a condor exhibit. Condors are considered a critically endangered species.
30. FedEx Office opened its first store in Santa Barbara in 1970.
31. The city’s Metropolitan Transit District has the largest fleet of battery operated electric buses in the entire country.
What’s your favorite fun Santa Barbara fact? Tell us in the comments below!
