What Are The Pros And Cons Of Living In Santa Cruz, CA?
California is known for its many beautiful beaches, parks, and communities. It is also known for being an expensive and affluent place to live. Santa Cruz is a prominent city on the coast of California and has everything you would expect from the “golden state.”
Santa Cruz is located on Monterey Bay, which is only an hour and a half away from San Francisco. On Monterey Bay, you can enjoy the beautiful Pacific Ocean waters and perfect weather year-round. There is no lack of recreational activities on the beach or in the mountains.
Santa Cruz has a lot to offer residents. The pros of living in Santa Cruz include the variety of entertainment in the area. Popular aspects of the city include a large surfing community, lots of great recreational activities, good food, and perfect weather. The cons of living in Santa Cruz include the cost of living being much higher than average and a high crime rate. Since it ranks 4th in the most expensive places to live, buying or renting a home is costly.
If you are considering moving to Santa Cruz keep reading to find out if this place is right for you!
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What Are The Pros Of Living In Santa Cruz?
When you think of California, you think of the beach, soft sand, and endless sunlight. It’s a beautiful state with many affluent areas. The attractiveness of Santa Cruz has led to constant growth throughout the years.
Santa Cruz offers exceptional educational opportunities, a variety of entertainment, and good health care options. Pros also include:
Perfect Weather Year Round
Santa Cruz sees 250 days of sunlight per year. Compared to the state average of 146 sunny days per year, it is a hot spot for plenty of beach and other outdoor activities. Where Santa Cruz is located, you can find great weather year-round.
During the fall season, the temperature can drop to about 40 degrees, and during the summer, it is a perfect 80 degrees. It doesn’t get too hot here or too cold. Great weather is one of the highlights when you weigh the pros and cons of living in California.
Lots To Do Here
The most alluring part about Santa Cruz is the number of things to do. From outdoor recreational activities like exploring the Roaring Camp Railroad Redwood forest, to indoor entertainment like visiting the art galleries in Downtown Santa Cruz, this city does not fall short. There is something here for everyone to enjoy.
Endless Outdoor Activities
Since Santa Cruz sits on Monterey Bay, the beach provides activities such as boating, surfing, and relaxing by the water. Santa Cruz has a big surfing community here and is home to the Surfing Museum.
If you’re not into surfing, there are also whale watching excursions and other encounters with marine wildlife available. We recommend a visit to the National Marine Sanctuary.
If you prefer to stay dry on land, Santa Cruz is located near multiple different mountains, which means hiking and mountain biking are popular activities there.
Trails & Beaches in Santa Cruz
Here are a few trails and beaches to check out while in Santa Cruz:
Parks:
- Enchanted Trail trailhead
- Wilder Ranch State Park
- Santa Cruz Rincon Trail Head
- Moore Creek Preserve
- Spring Box Trailhead
Beaches:
- Four Mile Beach
- Santa Cruz Beach
- Lighthouse Field State Beach
- Seabright Beach
- Capitola Beach
These are only a handful of what Santa Cruz has to offer. There are many more beaches and trails to check out when in Santa Cruz.
Off Shore Breaks
There are multiple beaches around the Santa Cruz area that are very popular with surfers for their offshore breaks. Cowell Beach and Capitola Jetty are known for being good surfing waters for beginners. Steamer Lane is known for more hazardous surf and better for seasoned surfers.
Great Entertainment
Located on the beach is Santa Cruz Boardwalk complete with a rollercoaster, food, and games. This is one of the most popular attractions in Santa Cruz. Along Monterey Bay, you can also find the longest wooden wharf (pier) in the country. Besides the beach entertainment, you can find multiple different museums and celebrations of art and culture.
Museums To Visit
Here are some great museums to check out in Santa Cruz:
- Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
- Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
- Seymour Marine Discovery Center
- The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum
- Court of Mysteries
Good Food On The Boardwalk
The food in Santa Cruz does not disappoint either. On the Boardwalk, you can find food ranging from tacos to waffles and even acai bowls. For the best tacos, you should try Los Gallos Taqueria. If you’re looking for delicious waffles, go to Silver Spur.
For a healthier touch grab an acai bowl from Cafe Brasil. There are many other dining options on the boardwalk that will cover any craving you have.
Highly Ranked Education
Santa Cruz public schools have ranked in the top school districts nationally. This doesn’t stop at public school districts. They also rank at the collegiate level.
Santa Cruz is home to UC Santa Cruz which is a public liberal arts college. This college offers 65 undergraduate majors and 41 graduate programs.
School Systems in Santa Cruz
There are many highly ranked schools here in Santa Cruz from Middle School to College.
- Mission Hill Middle School
- Santa Cruz High School
- Scotts Valley High
- Pacific Collegiate Charter
- Cypress Charter High
Great Health Care
Santa Cruz has been known for its great health care. The county of Santa Cruz has its own health care division that has health benefit programs, prescription relief programs, and a health advocates program.
The community also has resources for the elderly, and coverage for children available. And there are several resources for mental health.
What Are The Cons Of Living In Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz has many great opportunities and amenities, but they also have some not-so-great categories. Some of these lower-rated items include traffic, high crime rates, high cost of living, and low job opportunities.
High Crime Rate
Santa Cruz has a high crime rate, with a ratio of 1 in 18 victims for property and violent crime. The safest part of Santa Cruz is in the North part of the city. Highly populated areas such as airports, parks, or inner city areas are where crime spikes.
High Cost Of Living
The cost of homes is exceptionally high. Trying to buy or rent a home is very costly in Santa Cruz. The average home starts at $645K and goes up. The average rent is $2,500/month.
The cost of living can be up to 85% higher than the national average when adding in other expenses like utilities, miscellaneous home needs, insurance, and groceries.
If you are planning on moving to Santa Cruz, make sure you have a solid job and enough money saved up. Moving to California can be a big financial shock to those living in the South and Midwest.
Low Paying Jobs
Considering the high price of living in this city, there aren’t enough high-paying jobs. Job shortage is not the problem. There is actually an influx of job opportunities, but little to no workers.
The problem is that these jobs don’t average enough income to produce comfortable living in the city. Unless workers are working overtime, their income doesn’t match living expenses.
The low-income problem gets worse when you consider that people with lower-paying jobs are not eligible for welfare but also not able to afford the average cost of living. This puts a lot of lower-income workers on the streets or in rough neighborhoods.
Constant Traffic
Santa Cruz is a high-traffic city. This is primarily due to it being a college town and having large industries. You will likely run into a lot of traffic throughout the day and see it worsen during rush hours.
The highways with the most traffic jams are Highway 17 and Highway 1. These two highways run through Santa Cruz from opposite directions and meet up in the middle. Avoid those whenever possible.
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Summing It Up
To sum it up, Santa Cruz is a haven of opportunity for those who are looking for active beach living, recreational opportunities, and strong education. It offers a lot to those who can afford to live here. Unfortunately, affordability is a problem. This city is better meant for those who are very financially stable and not looking for a new career opportunity. While enjoying the entertainment and nightlife that Santa Cruz has to offer, also remember to be mindful of the crime rate in certain areas.
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Paige is an elementary school librarian with a passion for writing. Her hobbies include reading an exorbitant amount of fantasy, slowly teaching herself to draw, and home decor. While she isn't the most talented artist or interior designer, what she lacks in skill she more than makes up for in enthusiasm. When she's not curled up with a book, you can certainly find her curled over the keyboard.
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