Goleta is located in Santa Barbara County on the northwestern city limits of Santa Barbara between Buellton and Santa Barbara along US Highway 101 near the Santa Barbara Channel and the Pacific Ocean.
Goleta is part of the Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc metro area.
Its name derives from Spanish for "small ship" or "schooner". The Southern Pacific Railroad reached here in 1887 and it was also the filming location for 1981 movie, "The Postman Always Rings Twice".