Hidden Treasure Discovered in Central Coast California Real Estate Property

The Central Coast of California is bordered by 300 miles of the state's most spectacular coastline, encompasses 7 of its most alluring counties, and includes more than 14,000 square miles of the most stunning and unspoiled real estate in the nation. The only thing that eclipses the luster of this treasure trove is its location in the shadows, directly between the limelight of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

For years, the Central Coast has been California's little hidden secret. Now things are starting to change. Like a modern day 49er gold rush, investors and home seekers from around the globe are using Google and the internet, instead of picks and shovels, to uncover this overlooked vein of California gold. Decades of relative seclusion and obscurity appear to have only strengthened the value and attraction of the prize.

When the real estate bubble was bursting in most U.S. markets, CNNMoney and Business 2.0 Magazine were naming this area as one of the Top 10 Real Estate Buys in the nation. They rated the region's centrally located city of San Luis Obispo number 6. In fact, the Central Coast had the only city from California on the list.

In 2008, Sunset Magazine named San Luis Obispo one of its Top 10 Dream Towns in the country. The magazine editors defined the entries on their list as the top places to go "for the perfect vacation, or for the perfect rest of your life." They called San Luis Obispo the "most Californian place in all of California."

"Cities Ranked and Rated", an annually updated book that rates over 400 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Canada, included 6 Central Coast cities in their first top 10 list. The combined area of San Luis Obispo, Atascadero, and Paso Robles garnered the number 3 position, while the combined area of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc came in at number 4. In the book's latest edition, those two areas ranked number 9 and number 11 respectively.

In the past few years, over a dozen publications have featured San Luis Obispo in their Top 10 lists, including Surfer (Top 10 Surf Towns) and Runner's World (America's Top 10 Cities for Running). In many ways, San Luis Obispo and all its accolades are a fitting representation of the charm and appeal of the rest of the Central Coast.

A potent sampling of that proof lies along the region's oldest and most famous byway, the incredibly scenic Highway 1. Start at Santa Cruz and head south through Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, San Simeon, Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, Los Osos, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, Nipomo, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Gaviota, Goleta, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria. Add a few quick worthwhile detours through Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, Buellton, Solvang, and Santa Ynez, as well. The result is you can't help but fall in love with what you see.

Every one of these endearing rural villages and funky coastal hamlets seem worlds away from the clamor and congestion of California's more ballyhooed metro districts. If you're new to this area, you may never want to leave. This is the very best of California. Some have called the Central Coast the Lost Coast, like an Indiana Jones lost and forgotten secret treasure.

Well, here's something about the Central Coast that should never be forgotten: reasonably priced, uncrowded, prime coastal California real estate may seem like it should be a secret hidden treasure, but it's an open reality on the Central Coast. Hurry up and stake your claim, though - the secret is getting out!

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