Carpinteria is a city located in Santa Barbara County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 14,194. The city is famed for being home of the Santa Claus lane, named after a giant Santa Claus bust that overlooks the coastal highway 101. At the crossroads between art and crass capitalism, the bust was removed in 2003 after being in place for more than fifty years. Although the bust is no longer, the name remains.

The Spanish named the area Carpinteria because the Chumash tribe, which lived in the area, had a large seagoing canoe-building enterprise, or "carpentry shop" there, because of naturally-occurring surface tar which was used to seal the boats.

Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May, as well as an occasional gray whale. Tidepools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopi and sea urchins. A popular state beach with a popular campground is located along the beach.

The city has a small paper called the Coastal View.

Geography

Carpinteria is located at 34°23'57" North, 119°30'59" West (34.399044, -119.516442)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.8 km² (7.3 mi²). 7.0 km² (2.7 mi²) of it is land and 11.8 km² (4.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 62.86% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 14,194 people, 4,989 households, and 3,332 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,029.8/km² (5,250.8/mi²). There are 5,464 housing units at an average density of 781.4/km² (2,021.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 73.40% White, 0.59% African American, 0.99% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 18.09% from other races, and 4.37% from two or more races. 43.50% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 4,989 households out of which 33.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% are non-families. 25.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.82 and the average family size is 3.38.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $47,729, and the median income for a family is $54,849. Males have a median income of $35,679 versus $30,736 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,563. 10.4% of the population and 7.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.5% of those under the age of 18 and 7.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=34.399044&longitude=-119.516442&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=34.399044&lon=-119.516442&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-119.516442&lat=34.399044&w=750&h=500)