My latest book
Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1924
The best stories of the year
Santa Barbara celebrated the first Fiesta with parades and parties this year, and the Lobero Theater and the Granada Theater appeared. The new city hall opened, and the old one came down. Students began attending classes in the new Santa Barbara High School.
Families went to the movies or stayed home and listened to music and soap operas on the radio. Partygoers danced to the Charleston and drank illegal whiskey smuggled here from Canada. A Santa Barbara pilot flew around the world.
More and more families had cars, moved out of apartments, and built their own homes. Architects and builders couldn't keep up with the demand, so catalog companies stepped up, and catalog homes appeared on our streets. Santa Barbarans were clearly enjoying the Roaring Twenties.