Finding the ideal small-town retreat is getting tougher these days, at least for urban escapees whose checklist for perfection includes some potentially contradictory traits.
It has to offer seclusion, but within a two-hour drive of a major city. Natural beauty, but no weather extremes. Relaxation, but plenty to do when the mood strikes. Interesting neighbors, but not so many that traffic backs up or real estate prices get out of hand.
On all but that last count, this small town in Calif., may be one of the few small towns in America actually to meet those demands. It is a low-key hideaway known for attracting an eclectic mix of artists, spiritual gurus, health devotees and entrepreneurs — and, more recently, Hollywood actors and executives.
Real estate agents generally avoid discussing celebrity clients, but local newspapers said that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, were house hunting in here this summer, and the former “Dallas” star Larry Hagman owns a solar-powered spread there.
But by all accounts, high-profile residents tend to keep a low profile around town.
“This town is going to cater to a very nonpretentious type of buyer,” said Larry Wilde, co-owner of the Coldwell Banker Property Shoppe. “For those who want massive wining and dining and shopping, they’re going to go to Santa Barbara or Malibu.”
In fact, the valley’s slow pace is precisely why Eric Goode, part owner of New York City hot spots like the Waverly Inn and the Maritime Hotel, bought a home there nearly 20 years ago.
“I wanted a place that was the opposite of New York,” he said. “It’s just a funny, sleepy town.” Mr. Goode spent a couple of years in Ojai as a child and recently set up a sanctuary for 300 endangered turtles and tortoises from the Bronx Zoo — a project that has increased his visits to about once a month.
“I’m torn between the urban world and the natural world, so I go out there for my dose of the natural world,” he said, though that doesn’t exclude merging this small town and his work life down the road. “I would love to buy a hotel there.”
