more articles like this

Samarkand or San Roque?
updated: Sep 14, 2012, 9:09 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

Question & Answer: Samarkand or San Roque? I hope you don't mind if I jump on board seeking advice/feedback on Santa Barbara schools as it seems to be the theme as of late. I am looking into buying a home either in the Samarkand or San Roque neighborhoods. Location wise - I LOVE the Samarkand area - pretty streets, great mountain views and seems less "dense" than SR does. San Roque is nice too - obviously a great neighborhood feel, just seems like the homes are closer together and the view not quite as nice (I like being up on the hill). Of course, this is just my opinion, both neighborhoods are nice and both have similarly priced homes. The kicker is the schools. As you can tell, my first choice for location is Samarkand, however I've heard so many mixed reviews about Adams while I've heard great reviews about the Hope Schools or Peabody. So any Edhatters have advice/suggestions/experience? I've really enjoyed reading the responses to the Hollister School and Harding School posts, so please - comment away if you have any thoughts on this. Are the Hope Schools/Peabody a much better choice than Adams? I will sacrifice my love of the Samarkand if it means a better education. TIA!

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 319772	2012-09-14 09:11 AM
San Roque!!!! We love it there.
MTNDRIVER	2012-09-14 09:16 AM
San Roque definitely has the advantage with the schools. Adams is better than it used to be, though.
ROGER DODGER	2012-09-14 09:16 AM
Neither.
COMMENT 319786	2012-09-14 09:23 AM
San Roque by far!
COMMENT 319790	2012-09-14 09:24 AM
better views in samarkand for the most part but both are great
COMMENT 319791	2012-09-14 09:25 AM
Adams is a great school. My daughter goes there and I would easily say it's one of the better SBUSD schools. I say San Roque if you have children or plan to.
COMMENT 319800	2012-09-14 09:39 AM
Chupparosa Drive in San Roque the best! And kids can walk to places...
COMMENT 319804	2012-09-14 09:43 AM
Too many home invasions in San Roque. None in Samarkand. But too many dogs in Samarkand and very few owners who scoop the pouch's poop. Tie score.
COMMENT 319809	2012-09-14 09:50 AM
all this talk about schools and stuff has helped me make my decision. When my husband and I are ready to have kids, we will be moving to Los Angeles where there is a plethora of great public schools within the vast network of LAUSD. ugh...over this small town's lack of programs like "Highly Gifted Magnets" and more diversity of people and backgrounds.
COMMENT 319814	2012-09-14 09:55 AM
There are many streets in San Roque that are up on "hills", on the mountain side of Foothill. I would never choose Samarkand over San Roque based solely on Adams school. Even if you don't get into Peabody (and that's not 100% due to their lottery system), you are still closer to OAS which is miles ahead of Adams. If you want the final verdict, stroll through the myriad of Oak Park adjacent apartments and know that's where your kid's classmates are coming from.
COMMENT 319815	2012-09-14 09:55 AM
San Roque for sure. Our kids go to Monte Vista and its been nothing short of amazing. Great school and San Roque is one of the few good neighborhoods in SB. Kids can play around here, ride their bikes, etc.
COMMENT 319847	2012-09-14 10:31 AM
Summerland
COMMENT 319848	2012-09-14 10:31 AM
san roque ends at foothill 814 and is entirely on the flat. Your snobby attitude about apartment dwellers is pretty gross by the way and if that really worries you be aware there are lots of apartment buildings in san roque!
COMMENT 319853	2012-09-14 10:42 AM
Neither. Too hot. Move to the Mesa.
COMMENT 319854	2012-09-14 10:43 AM
Depends on if you want to be closer to the hustle and bustle. Parts of Samarkand get extra use due to Earl Warren Showgrounds events/activities. Drivers like to "cut through" Samarkand to get to De La Vina or, in the reverse, to Las Positas. The highway is right there, too, so that means more particulate matter in your breathing space. Much (not all) of San Roque seems more quiet, more conducive to bike riding (fairly flat) and walking, and has a lot more charm (older, better designed homes). There is higher fire danger associated with San Roque, however.
COMMENT 319857P	2012-09-14 10:49 AM
IMO, San Roque and the Hope District schools have a huge advantage over Adams, although Adams has improved a lot. Both neighborhoods have good resale values. Not only does Samarkand have the beautiful mountain views, they have underground utilities making your views much better without the wires. @809, SB has one magnet school for gifted students, the GATE program at Washington Elementary School. At least for now. The District seems destined to eliminate it in the interest of diversity. (Which means many of these kids will end up going to private schools instead, making the split between the haves and have nots even greater.)
COMMENT 319858	2012-09-14 10:50 AM
I live in the Samarkand area and it's wonderful! Great neighbors, safe, walking distance to everything. However we'll likely be going the private school route. Adams seems okay - and from what I hear is improving, but I'd rather not choose "okay" or "improving" for my children. So if you really are basing your opinion on choosing a better school, go for San Roque - or go with Samarkand and go private!
COMMENT 319869P	2012-09-14 11:10 AM
I have lived here my whole life and never got a good vibe around the upper State St. areas... I don't know what it is - can't seem to put my finger on it... I would say if your main concern is schools, go for Hope school district.
COMMENT 319881	2012-09-14 11:24 AM
I heard the Superintendent at Hope is a complete tool bag and ruining the school district. Looks like Adams is on the upswing.
COMMENT 319898	2012-09-14 11:41 AM
847 - Shhh ;)
COMMENT 319905	2012-09-14 11:51 AM
Samarkand has underground utilities. No lines to block the views. Rated one of the top places to live in the US for weather.
COMMENT 319926	2012-09-14 12:16 PM
If you want to be close to all of that helicopter activity buzzing overhead constantly to Cottage Hospital, then yes, live in the Samarkand area.
COMMENT 319947	2012-09-14 12:42 PM
San Roque for the schools - but SBROCKS brings good points as does @926
COMMENT 319961	2012-09-14 12:59 PM
I am impartial having growing up in San Roque, but both are good neighborhoods for the most part. If you have kids, living in San Roque is better as Peabody is the district versus Adams, there are more parks with cool trails to explore, most people keep and eye out for one another and a family community is good. Samarkand is smaller and the homeowners tend to be younger, or retired, or in the retirement home. Lot's of good kids and people in both places, SR has more to do in my opinion and is closer to stores and places to take dogs and your kids to recreate. I am sure either choice is good, good luck.
COMMENT 320038	2012-09-14 03:02 PM
Samarkand wins because of all the half naked fine chicks and the free beer
COMMENT 320074	2012-09-14 03:59 PM
Upper State between them both have the best collection of shops and restaurants in the entire city - easier to walk to from San Roque streets, than across busy Las Positas from Samarkand. Some great hiking up Jesusita Trail directly outside of San Roque.
COMMENT 320089	2012-09-14 04:19 PM
We have lived happily in San Roque, just below Foothill, for over 50 years. A lovely area and a wonderful place to bring up a family, or retire to :-) I would not live anywhere else. San Roque is no more susceptible to fires than it was decades ago. We survived the Coyote fires and the dreadful Painted Cave fire and of course the recent ones two years ago where the whole town seemed to evacuate.. There are risks everywhere. Tornados, floods, and of course the threat of an earthquake is something people mention now and again. Good luck and be happy :-)
COMMENT 320161	2012-09-14 06:23 PM
I live in Samarkand. My sister lives in San Roque. San Roque is a little more insulated and clearly has nicer deluxe properties and less pedestrian and car traffic. But no sidewalks! San Roque has better school options, and we struggled mightily with that issue and opted to transfer our kids elsewhere (when it was possible). I disagree with the poster about dog poop though: No one monitors that situation more than I do, and I can tell you the offender is the rare exception in Samarkand. We have so many dogs in this neighborhood and if even a modest percentage of owners were delinquent the lawns would be filled with poop. They are not. There is the occasional uncollected poop, which means the occasional offender...
COMMENT 320250P	2012-09-14 09:49 PM
Samarkand by far for walking to TJs, lawn bowling, sidewalks, underground utilities, friendly neighbors, and for school. Anyone who thinks Peabody is better clearly hasn't experienced Adams--it's awesome and has so much more money for students than Peabody that it really shows in the programming options.
COMMENT 320294	2012-09-15 07:38 AM
SAN ROQUE SUCKS! Small, over priced, crowded school you might not get into. Don't be a lemming.
COMMENT 320304	2012-09-15 07:53 AM
I lived in San Roque for 4 years and LOVED it! Beautiful, quaint homes, quiet, and unique. Memories of pushing my baby through the streets of SR bring a smile to my face.
COMMENT 320334	2012-09-15 08:53 AM
San Roque for both the neighborhood feel and Peabody. We are veterans of the educational refugee situation in SB. If you can afford to get into the Hope School District, do it. SB School district is behind Goleta and Hope School Districts by 10 years for quality education; we bloodied our heads on their wall for years trying to develop programs. Don't go to Adams. Where those school boundary lines are, is more important than you think.
ARCHIE	2012-09-15 09:23 AM
Two side issues are the weather- San Roque msy be warmer when it's warm in SB, and San Roque has easy walking access to State Stree shopping.
COMMENT 320361P	2012-09-15 09:39 AM
My daughter has been at Peabody for 6 years. Their lottery has been around for just 2 years and is only because there are now too many students in the district to fit in the school, which has a maximum occupancy set by law. Most of the people who live here get in. The lottery will go away if the number of resident students drops. And the adjacent schools, Adams, Roosevelt, and OAS, are good schools, too. Samarkand is beautiful, with gorgeous views. But it is hemmed in by busy streets, Las Positas, the freeway, and State/De La Vina. Something to think about if you want to walk places or if you want your kids to be able to ride their bikes anywhere. Living in San Roque on the Alamar side, we walk/ride all the time to the Natural History Museum, the Mission, Rocky Nook and Stevens parks. Also the nearby busy streets and helipad make traffic noise more constant in many parts of Samarkand. However both are beautiful neighborhoods. Your're lucky to have such good choices.
COMMENT 320399	2012-09-15 10:54 AM
I'd buy in Goleta. Too many gangbangers floating around in SB - they aren't that far from you. SR has had home invasions and breakins. Schools in SB are horrible - especially elementary schools.
COMMENT 320404	2012-09-15 11:05 AM
Idaho and Montana are nice...
COMMENT 320406	2012-09-15 11:06 AM
See if you can find any in San Roque Gardens. Right behind the golf course. Quiet neighborhood with unsurpassed mountain and city views. Open feeling. Well worth any price that they are asking.
COMMENT 320414	2012-09-15 11:42 AM
San Roque San Roque San Roque. If you can afford it.
COMMENT 321060	2012-09-17 10:53 AM
We gave up a beautiful view of most of the city to move to SR. Our choice was to buy the biggest house we could afford on a good sized lot, but school was #1. Still working throught the cosmetic issues. Instead of Peabody we ended up at Monte Vista, and have been very happy with excellent, experienced teachers and many involved parents teaching at home. Back then, you paid more per square foot in the Peabody area, but due to the lottery that might have changed. Peabody is double the size of MV and several of our friends have had first year teachers there. Also from experience of our friends, both SR and Sammarkand are very dense in parts and there are older neighbors who can be very noise sensitive re dogs and kids. I would take that into consideration if I were you. As you probably got from the Harding conversation, its not wise to count on a transfer. Good luck! P.S. Hope District is aptly managed by the Sup. That commentator is way off.

18% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.

*** One comment was removed from this thread by the Edhat Board Nanny for violating Edhat Comments Board policy. Click Here to see it.