I often describe Carpinteria as one of the last sleepy little beach towns in California. It is vibrant enough to offer a happy blend of events like its farmers’ market every week, plus a beer festival, a car show, and even a world-renowned avocado festival every year. Yet Carp is still small enough that you can practically walk from one end of town to the other. If you do choose to drive, you're always going to find a parking spot, and you're never going to hit traffic.
It's not too big, not too small, and it's got something for everyone — including, of course, its renowned World’s Safest Beach. But there's one part of Carpinteria that not everyone gets to experience. Down a private road and through a gated and guarded entrance is Sandyland Cove — or to locals, just "The Cove."
Built in the 1940s as a private enclave of summer homes for families who had the means and desire to escape the heat of their primary residences in the Los Angeles area, The Cove became a tight-knit community as well as a place to get away. The 37 homes that compose The Cove are now owned by fewer than 30 families. On the rare occasion that a home at The Cove goes on the market, it’s likely that a current resident will try to snap it up to keep it in the family.