DeAragon Group | Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria, Summerland, Goleta

For many years Goleta was the largest unincorporated area in Santa Barbara County, until it became a city in 2002. Goleta takes its name from a schooner that wrecked at the mouth of the lagoon where Atascadero creek and San Pedro creek drain. Goleta can trace much of its current makeup to its airport and post WWII population. During the war the oil fields at Elwood were shelled by the Japanese (one of the few places attacked on the U.S. mainland) causing the construction of the Santa Barbara Airport by the Marine Corps. After the war, Goleta residents largely supported the creation of Lake Cachuma which provided water to the area, and in turn helped support a local housing boom. This growth supported the establishment of high-tech firms in aerospace and other fields in Goleta. Major employers in Goleta today include UCSB, Deckers Outdoor Corporation, Raytheon, Citrix, Flir, Cisco, AppFolio, and the Bacara Resort.