"CARPINTERIA, Calif. -- This middle-class beach town used to be but a blur for wealthy vacationers speeding toward tony Montecito and Santa Barbara, about 10 miles up the road. Today, the clutch of the megarich have made Carpinteria an unlikely stop for buyers who can afford any ocean view in the world.

Public records show that New York billionaire hedge-fund manager Bruce Kovner spent $83.3 million this year to amass 15 bluff-top acres, including a luxury villa. He also has agreed to buy part of Kevin Costner's field of dreams next door: Last year, the actor acquired 17 grassy acres dominated by a polo field for $28.5 million. Just down the road, a beachfront house on a mere quarter-acre is listed for sale at $24 million.

Carpinteria's arrival on the luxury-estate scene illustrates how California's gold coast is defying the downdraft in the national housing market. It also was the only region of California where the median sales price surpassed $1 million. Estates in the exclusive Hope Ranch and Montecito communities set the standard in an area long prized by tycoons and Hollywood players for its mild climate, natural beauty and low-key sophistication.

Indeed, at Oprah Winfrey's Montecito fund-raiser tomorrow for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, more than her political firepower will be on display. Ms. Winfrey's 40-acre hillside estate, bought six years ago for around $50 million, has swelled in value to $84.7 million, according to public county-assessor records."

Wall Street Journal 9/07

"Blessed with warm weather and coastal breezes, Carpinteria is home to commercial flower growers like Rose Story Farm, where the heady perfume of thousands of blooms grows ever stronger as the sun climbs in the sky.

Carpinteria's also a coastal community of pastel cottages and tall palms leading right to the water's edge ― a laid-back small-town alternative to posh Montecito, its neighbor to the north. Kick back downtown with a melon-size Hawaiian shave ice before joining the locals at the beach to watch the sun set over the Pacific."

Sunset Magazine 11/08

"The seaside hamlet just south of Santa Barbara is undergoing a restaurant renaissance on Linden Aveneue. As new joints open up next to old haunts, cuisines from the four corners of the globe have covened within a few blocks of each other."

Celebrating two years in business, Franco, Anna, and Giovanni Sherwyn's family-owned and run Giannfranco's Trattoria, 666 Linden Ave., cranks out delights such as Guanciale, sauteed sea salt and herb-cured pork served over fresh rolled pasta and topped with a spicy tomato-based Amatriciana sauce and parmesan cheese. The monthly winemaker dinners feature local vintages from the Cal-Italia wine list.

Santa Barbara Magazine 1/09