Hope Ranch Histories

From Wikipedia (edited): Hope Ranch is named after Irishman Thomas Hope. Hope moved to Santa Barbara in 1849. Hope acquired the land that became Hope Ranch in approximately 1861 for sheep ranching. He built a two-story home on the property in 1875. Hope's house was used until 1962 as the headquarters of Hope Ranch Park. In 1877, Thomas Hope's widow sold 2,000 acres comprising the western portion of the ranch for $250,000 to the Pacific Improvement Company, a holding company formed by the four principals of the Southern Pacific Railroad: Charles Crocker, Collis Potter Huntington, Leland Stanford, and Mark Hopkins Jr. Initial plans to build an 800-room hotel on the property were not consummated, and the Pacific Improvement Company instead announced plans in 1900 to subdivide the land for the construction of villas.

In 1925, Harold S. Chase organized a syndicate known as La Cumbre Estates Corporation that purchased the 1,200 acres situated west of Las Palmas and Roble Drives and the agricultural land located south of Hollister Avenue. The La Cumbre Estates Corporation developed the land into the residential area that exists today. The first houses constructed were "Las Terrasas" built in 1925 as the home of Harold S. Chase and "Florestal" built in 1926 for Peter Cooper Bryce (son of Lloyd Bryce).

Hope Ranch occupies a hilly area immediately adjacent to the coast; the highest elevation is 691 feet. The northern boundary of the hilly area is Cieneguitas Creek, which flows down the topographic expression of the More Ranch Fault; this ravine also helps define the informal northern boundary of the suburb. Native vegetation is mostly California oak woodland and chaparral, and many of the homes have been constructed to blend in with the oaks; the area retains much of its tree canopy. Residential roads are narrow and winding, not always signed, and interweave with an elaborate network of horse paths. A road to a private beach is open to residents only (although the beach itself is accessible from public beaches on either side). The main stretch of road through Hope Ranch is Las Palmas/Marina Drive, a palm tree-lined stretch of roadway along which runs the coastal bike route. Hope Ranch is home to La Cumbre Country Club.

Children attend schools in Hope Elementary District, which consists of three schools: Hope, Monte Vista and Vieja Valley. In state comparisons, these schools rank among the top 20 percent in California. Teenagers generally attend Santa Barbara High School District, but there is also a private high school located in Hope Ranch: Laguna Blanca School, an independent day school, which was founded in 1933. . 

The local homeowner's association (Hope Ranch Park Homes Association) manages the properties of private roads, bridle trails, and the private beach. Since Hope Ranch is in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, law enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. The private regions additionally have a local "Hope Ranch Patrol," who have only limited law enforcing powers. This group is controlled by the board of Hope Ranch and is in no way connected to either the City of Santa Barbara Police Department or the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.