Teresa McWilliams

Teresa McWilliams, born in Warsaw, Poland in 1937, relocated to Santa Barbara in September 1949 and has been a resident of Montecito for longer than many of us have been alive. Reflecting on the community’s transformation, McWilliams reminisces about a Montecito from a past era.

“I’ve lived here for a long time, over 70 years, and I’ve seen a lot of changes and although I like it the way it was in the old days, there were less than 1,000 people in Montecito when I arrived. It’s around 10,000 [now], which isn’t that much compared to most cities, but it’s nice. I have a little house in the Hedgerow district, and I like it there, and I’ll probably stay there till the end of my life, which is, I’m already 85, so you know.

“When I arrived, it was like a village. It’s become a little more… what’s the word for it – I mean there’s a lot of people moving in. I kind of like the way it was, but then of course change always comes anyway and you can’t fight that. But it seems like all of Hollywood is trying to get up here, the celebrities and everything, but you still can have some privacy even though you’re surrounded by well-known people. You still have enough area so that you can do what you want.”