Enlarge Photo

Some areas have a disproportionately high number of residents who could afford to live anywhere: Aspen, Cap-Ferrat, Palm Beach and Santa Barbara are some of the places where people who have seen much of the world have decided that this spot is so heavenly they want to own a slice of it. I am a believer in the wisdom of these worldly locals because I have yet to arrive in any of these places and be disappointed. And of all these legendary places, Santa Barbara has so seduced me that it rates at the top of my real estate wish list.

Imagine the Mediterranean climate of the Côte d’Azur, with the drama of the Pacific Ocean on one side and the majesty of the Santa Ynez mountains on the other. The American Riviera, as Santa Barbara is often called, has attracted settlers from the south (both early Mexican and Spanish settlers and Hollywood’s Old Guard left their mark) as well as transplants from the Midwest and the East Coast, who brought with them a taste for refined living. In its Montecito neighborhood, you’ll find Tudor and Mediterranean estates fit for tycoons and movie stars, homes that command such high prices, the 93108 ZIP code ranks as the country’s seventh most expensive ZIP code. Not surprisingly, the restaurants and shops found here could easily hold their own on Worth or Madison avenues. But even if there’s an obvious preference for European architecture, antiques and cuisine here, this is also a hotbed of environmentalism (see Getting Around) and the home of casual clothing companies like Teva, Horny Toad, the Territory Ahead and Ugg.

The Bottom Line: Seriously sophisticated tastes combined with a refreshingly laid-back California attitude in a drop-dead gorgeous landscape.

Who Owns: Singers Jack Johnson and Jackson Browne, Oprah Winfrey, Beanie Babies founder Ty Warner, John Travolta, Kevin Costner, Kirk Douglas and sons Peter and Michael, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steve Martin, members of the Busch dynasty, Jimmy Connors, Carol Burnett, Dennis Miller, Ivan Reitman, Kenny Loggins, John Cleese and Rob Lowe.