Goleta is about 8 miles (13 km) west of the city of Santa Barbara, along the coast (the coast runs east to west in this portion of southern California). Nearby is the Santa Barbara campus of the University of California and the student community of Isla Vista.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 26.4 square miles (68 km2), of which 26.3 square miles (68 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.38%) is water.
Goleta is a coastal plain in between the Santa Ynez Mountains (the principal mountain range) and the Pacific Ocean. Behind the coastal plain lie foothills, and then the mountains themselves.
The Santa Ynez Mountains form a scenic backdrop to the town, covered by chaparral and displaying prominent sandstone outcrops. The range exceeds 4,000 feet in height to the northwest of Goleta, at Broadcast and Santa Ynez Peaks. Sundowner winds occur in both Goleta and Santa Barbara.
Goleta contains hills, wetlands, bluffs, and pockets of wild land. Most of the wetland is within the Goleta Slough. The bluffs were created by wave erosion along the shoreline, and wild land is most common around bike trails. The land often winds through urban lands.
The bottom of Goleta is the urbanized section, along with suburban neighborhoods. This transitions into agricultural lands farther up from the coast, and eventually blends into wilderness in the foohtills of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Beyond the foothills lie the mountains themselves.
Air quality is good with low ozone concentrations in Goleta, partly because of the lack of heavy industry, and the well-ventilated nature of the air basin. Suburban neighborhoods and small shopping centers make up most of the landscape.
On the Ellwood Mesa, there are some eucalyptus groves where monarch butterflies spend the winter.
Environment
Goleta has a mainly clean, agricultural, suburban environment. A combination of native, feral, and landscaping plants make up most of the landscape. A feral population has spread in Goleta, combining with native and domesticated populations of animals and plants. Small animals are able to thrive within this environment, with a balanced combination of wild habitat and nature, and suburban human resources. Larger animals coming down from the adjacent wild, non-populated lands, such as coyotes, prey on these smaller animals.
Ecology
California is one of the richest and most diverse parts of the world, and includes some of the most endangered ecological communities. It is part of the Nearctic ecozone and spans a number of terrestrial ecoregions. Goleta is just a taste of that vast diversity.
California used to have only native plants and animals, with a few endemic plants and animals, until European contact, which introduced domesticated and feral animals, and non-native plants. Goleta got invaded by invasive European grasses and plants, along with domesticated and a few feral animals.
Climate
Goleta has a mild climate with high temperatures normally within ten degrees of 70° year-round; low temperatures rarely fall below 40°. This climate is called the warm-summer Mediterranean climate. However, Goleta experienced one of the highest temperatures ever recorded in the United States. The city's geography at the base of the Santa Ynez Mountains sometimes subjects Goleta to sudden hot winds locally called "sundowners", similar to the Santa Ana winds in the Los Angeles and San Diego regions. They are caused by high pressure drawing dry air from the inland side of the mountains, whereupon they can become superheated as they rush down on the city's side. On June 17, 1859, a related wind – a superheated simoon –passed through the Goleta and Santa Barbara area, raising the temperature to 133 degrees Fahrenheit (56 degrees Celsius) in minutes. People were forced to take shelter immediately; according to a report of the U.S. Coast Survey, animals died in the fields and fruit dropped from trees. It was the highest temperature recorded in the United States until 1913, when a 134 °F was reached at Death Valley.
Once in every few years, it snows on the mountains. But, the snow rarely stays for more than a few days.
In the winter, monarch butterflies live in several eucalyptus groves on the Ellwood Mesa.
Source: Wikipedia
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