The Mesa

Mesa, a Spanish word meaning “table,” is a common geographical place name in the Southwest. It has been applied to the flat bench fronting the ocean along Santa Barbara’s southwestern border since mission days. Our Mesa once extended from Arroyo Burro to the Santa Barbara Cemetery. The western portion of the Mesa, running to Arroyo Burro or Hendry’s Beach, as it was popularly known, formed a part of the original Pueblo Lands granted to Santa Barbara Presidio by the King of Spain in 1782.

The Wilcox Property, now known as the as the Douglas Family Preserve, at southwestern tip of the Mesa was a commercial nursery, currently preserved for public use. The neighborhood between Mesa Lane and Oliver Road, while originally plotted as early as 1920, did not develop until after World War II when many veterans built homes with the help of GI loans.City weather records show that the Mesa’s winter temperatures are 10 to 12 degrees warmer than downtown, and 10 to 12 degrees cooler in the summer.