Where Old Town Goleta sits
Old Town is part of Goleta, the city where our shop sits on Hollister Avenue. It grew from two farm-era towns. The City of Goleta's 2022 historic resources inventory says La Patera was established in 1869 at Fairview and Hollister avenues, and La Goleta in 1869 on the north side of Hollister at Patterson Avenue.
The same inventory describes an original residential neighborhood that grew next to the commercial corridor between the two towns. It lists surviving houses on Aguila Avenue, Chapel Street and Nectarine Avenue dated to about 1915 through 1920.
That tells you some Old Town houses are a century old. It does not tell you what is inside any one wall. Pipe material, repiping history and the year of a water heater come from county records, the seller's paperwork and a look on site, not from the neighborhood name.
The city does not publish exact boundaries for Old Town in the sources we checked, so tell the dispatcher your street and the nearest cross street.
What the street layout means for a plumbing visit
These are practical notes drawn from reporting on Old Town streets, not claims about any one address.
Narrow side streets
Residents quoted by the Santa Barbara Independent in 2018 described parking as already difficult and the streets as narrow. Tell the dispatcher where a van can stop and whether the driveway is shared.
Parking on Hollister Avenue
After the 2024 restriping, the Independent counted 53 diagonal back-in spaces on Hollister. Pulling out takes care, so a visit to a shop front may start at a side-street space.
Construction and traffic
The same report links slow traffic partly to Project Connect, which includes rebuilding the San Jose Creek bridge near State Route 217. Give a cross street so the plumber chooses a clear approach.
Homes beside businesses
Because homes and shops share the corridor, one call may be a kitchen drain at a house and the next a restaurant grease line. Commercial plumbing is handled through the same line.
Water running or backing up now?
Call the dispatch line and tell us your Old Town street.
Plumbing jobs we take in Old Town
Most calls fall into a handful of groups. Each service page explains the signs, what to do first and what the repair involves.
- A slow or backed-up drain. Start with drain cleaning. If several fixtures back up together, the blockage is usually past the branch lines.
- A recurring stoppage in the main line. Sewer line cleaning clears roots and buildup, and a camera pass shows what is in the pipe.
- No hot water or a leaking tank. Water heater repair handles scale, failed parts and pilot trouble. A tank that leaks from the seam is past repair.
- A wet spot or a high water bill. Leak detection locates a hidden leak before walls or floors are opened.
- Grease or drain trouble at a shop. Kitchens on the corridor need grease traps and floor drains kept clear. Ask the dispatcher about a visit outside opening hours.
Who to ask about water, sewer and permits at an Old Town address
Several agencies cover Goleta. Which one applies depends on the street, so use this as a starting list and confirm with the agency.
| Question | Who to ask | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Water service and the meter | Goleta Water District | The district's customer counter is at 4699 Hollister Avenue. Ask where the district's line ends and yours begins. |
| A sewer backup in the street main | The sanitary district for your address | Goleta Sanitary District and Goleta West Sanitary District both work in the Goleta Valley, so ask which one collects at your street. |
| Your own sewer lateral | You, the property owner | Goleta Sanitary District says the owner maintains the pipe from the building to the street main. |
| Permits for plumbing work | City of Goleta Building and Safety | Permit rules vary by job, so ask before a water heater swap, repipe or gas line change. |
If you are not sure whether a backup is in your lateral or the main, call the dispatcher before you call the district. We can tell you what to check first.
Hard water and what it does inside Goleta water heaters
Goleta Water District's 2025 water quality report gives a customer average hardness of 21 grains per gallon, and the district's own page calls the water very hard. That applies across the district, Old Town included. Neighbors in Ellwood see the same water.
Hard water leaves scale on heating elements and settles as sediment in a tank. A noisy heater or a drop in hot water volume is a common sign. A tank flush can help, and a softener or filter is an option if you want softer water.
Street flooding and plumbing are different problems
At a 2018 neighborhood meeting, a resident raised standing water on Magnolia Street. The Independent reported that drainage would be handled in a separate project from the sidewalk work.
Water standing in the street is a storm drain matter for the city. Water coming up inside your building through a floor drain, tub or cleanout is a sewer or drain problem, and that is a plumbing call. If it happens during heavy rain, shut off water use in the building and call.
Map of Old Town Goleta
The map shows Old Town along Hollister Avenue in Goleta.
Questions we hear most
Yes. The City of Goleta's historic resources inventory describes the former towns of La Goleta and La Patera along Hollister Avenue, where Old Town sits. The city has not published exact Old Town boundaries in the sources we checked, so give the dispatcher your address.
Yes. Tell the dispatcher where a van can stop, whether the driveway is shared and how to reach the shutoff. That lets the plumber plan the stop before arriving.
Both. Houses and small businesses share the corridor. Shops with kitchens often need grease and drain work, and the dispatcher can book a visit that suits your opening hours.
Call the sanitary district that collects at your street. Goleta Sanitary District lists a backup line at (805) 967-4519. If the blockage is in your own lateral, that is the owner's pipe, and we can clear it.
Not automatically. The year a house was built does not say what the plumbing is made of today. A camera pass or a look at exposed pipe shows the material, and past repairs may have replaced sections.
We are licensed and insured plumbers. You can check any contractor on the California Contractors State License Board website.