Goleta, CA is a large unincorporated area close to Santa Barbara, California and UCSB. Goleta was completely unincorporated until February 1, 2002, when local voters passed a measure for Goleta to ... finally ... become a city in its own right. Goleta is one of the last cities to become self-governing in the United States, relieving Santa Barbara County of the burden.
It's a mostly unremarkable place, known in the past primarily for its citrus tree groves. Lots of lemons, oranges, and avocados were grown here before tract housing began to replace them. However, if you're lucky you can still smell the orange blossoms in the springtime.
Goleta also has the dubious distinction of being the only mainland city in the United States to be attacked by the Japanese in World War II. On, February 23, 1942
a Japanese submarine fired 13 shells at the Bankline Refinery in Goleta shortly after 7 p.m. One oil well was damaged, and the wood debris left over from the attack was used to build a local restaurant, called The Timbers.
Goleta is nicknamed "The Good Land".