Shoreline Park, Santa Barbara
| Shoreline Park | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Shoreline Park in the foreground
|
|
| Location | Shoreline Drive in Santa Barbara, California; Extending from La Marina to west of San Rafael Ave. |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 34°23′48″N 119°42′25″W / 34.3966°N 119.7070°W |
| Area | 14.6 acres (6 ha) |
| Created | 1963-1967 |
| Designer | Richard B. Taylor |
| Operated by | City of Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation Department |
| Website | Shoreline Park |
Shoreline Park, a long, narrow ocean-side strip of land on top of a mesa (i.e. coastal bluff), is located in Santa Barbara, California, United States. Facing the Pacific Ocean, Shoreline Park is one of Santa Barbara's most popular parks.
The park includes a playground, picnic area, a whale watching area with a telescope situated next to a statue of a large concrete whale tail, as well as a sister city Japanese garden. The park also provides a clear view of the Channel Islands on a good day, and Gray Whale may be observed during their migration months, along with a number of marine mammals including dolphins and seals.
A Torii gateway atop the bluff leads to a wooden staircase descending to the tidal beach about 53 ft (16.15 m) feet below, which is completely submerged during high tide and accessible only during low tide. During the low tide periods, the adjacent Leadbetter Beach and Arroyo Burro Beach (aka Hendry's Beach) are accessible to the east and west, respectively.
The area of "the Mesa" where Shoreline Park is located today was utilized as farmland by the Low and Babcock farms until the 1920s. This farmland extended from Cliff Drive (from the north) to the present day Shoreline Park bluffs. When Shoreline Drive and the Marine Terrace subdivisions were constructed during the early 1950s, the present day park land was left undeveloped.
By the early 1960s, a number of attempts had been made to rezone the land to develop residential apartments. In 1963, a group of citizens had urged the City to purchase the land for use as a park, thereby preserving the viewshed and public access. By November of that year, the City Council passed a resolution condemning the land for park and recreational purposes. Subsequently, an ad hoc "Save Our Shoreline Committee" had successfully petitioned voters to approve a bond issue for park acquisition and development. On August 4, 1964, a $1,020,000 ballot proposal was carried out.
...
Wikipedia