Santa Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the southern portion of California, just west of Ventura County. As of 2006 the estimated population of the county was 421,625. The county seat is the city of Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.

Mission Santa Barbara was founded on December 4, 1786 in what is now Santa Barbara. The county derives its name from the mission. Santa Barbara County was one of the 26 original counties of California, formed in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Ventura County in 1872.

Viticulture in Santa Barbara County is traceable to missionary plantings in the Milpas Valley late in the 18th century. Since commercial viticulture rebounded in the 1960s, Santa Barbara County has been on the fast track to viticultural stardom.

Located on California's South Central Coast, Santa Barbara County is an oasis of rolling hills, ancient oak trees and cattle ranches. The County now claims more than 60 wineries and 21,000 acres (85 km²) of vine, with the vast majority of the vineyards in the county’s three American Viticultural Areas.

County Website: http://www.countyofsb.org
School District: http://www.sbceo.k12.ca.us