Before Europeans arrived, Santa Barbara was home to the Chumash Indians. Explorer Juan Cabrillo claimed this area for Spain in 1542, and Sebastian Vizcaino gave it the name Santa Barbara some 60 years later, but it wasn't until much later that the Spanish began to settle here, establishing a royal presidio in 1782 and founding Mission Santa Barbara four years later.

Santa Barbara was largely unchanged when Mexico won its independence from Spain or when John Fremont claimed the land for the United States in 1846.

In 1910, the American Film Company opened a studio in Santa Barbara, making more than a thousand films before it closed in 1920. By then, Hollywood movie stars had succumbed to Santa Barbara's laid-back appeal, buying homes here and giving rise to the city's resort industry, a trend that continues today.

The University of California at Santa Barbara, founded in 1909 has given birth to many industries and well-known companies including Kinko's, founded by a new graduate with one copying machine in a 100-square-foot shop. Other businesses boasting Santa Barbara origins include Big Dog Sportswear, Territory Ahead, Motel 6 and Lockheed.