Money, Money, Money - 3/6/2009

I moved here a little over a year ago to get away from some of the snobbier areas of the East Bay, and at first I fell in love with life in Santa Cruz. The weather is beautiful in the summer and not killer in the winter. Cabrillo College is a great campus with a lot of wonderful professors. No matter where you live in this area you are ten minutes from a beach or the forest. However, generally the locals here have this strange animosity for "out of towners" and newcomers to the city, and sometimes I feel out of place having only moved here within the last year. Also, the cost of living is absolutely outrageous and because of this I'm moving somewhere less expensive. There are always homeless people crowding sidewalks downtown, and you will almost always see at least one person passed out in a corner with a needle hanging out of his arm. The funky atmosphere is fun for a little while, but I find myself craving normalcy and the ability to buy food instead of worrying about how I'm going to make this months rent.

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Most vibrant, culturally interesting CA beach town - 4/19/2008

A great place to experience live entertainment and diverse groups of people from all parts of the world. All university towns are lively, but Santa Cruz is exceptional, with 'good' street musicians and art, plus theatre and lecture events all year long. The downtown is becoming "The place to live" for those in the know. Professionals, artists and savvy people who want to be within walking distance of great restaurants, sidewalk cafes', coffeehouses, art galleries, shops, markets, great beaches, the wharf, the boardwalk and entertainment love living in Santa Cruz. It is considered by many to be among the best beach towns to live in on the California Coast. It does have its share of bums and beggers true, but it makes up for it by being among the cleanest, physically attractive and most exciting and interesting places anywhere in the world. Many former residents who have been forced out by the high prices are disgruntled and angry that it has become so "upscale". A place they can no longer afford. And beware, some conservatives may find the region too progressive. Wealthy retirees are also discovering Santa Cruz. They wanting a safe, vibrant place to live where they walk everywhere. And although there is crime here it is still considered safe. And natural beauty abounds with miles of hiking, biking and walking trails in the closeby beaches and mountains.

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Can't Buy A House - 2/8/2008

The cost of living in the Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay Area overall is far too much for anyone who is not using it as a bedroom community to commute to The Silicon Valley. As a government worker in this town. making fairly good money, I STILL can't afford to buy a house that's appropriate to my needs.

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Cost of Living and Job Market Not Compatible - 2/8/2008

I have been in Santa Cruz for about 8 years. I graduated from UC Santa Cruz and then stayed with my job in local government but have tried more than once for other jobs in the area without success. The cost of living is totally unaffordable for most. I was making about 35,000 / year, which, granted, isn't much, but it was hardly enough to survive in this town. My partner and I want to buy a home and it's just not possible for us here.

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Paradise got crowded - 12/21/2007

Santa Cruz has changed in the 15 years I've been here. The traffic is bad for 4 hours a day, and foriegn citizens from south of the border are straining our schools and hospitals. What was a friendly town now has stabbings and loud car stereos pounding. It's been sad to watch the change. Also, you used to be able to hike peacefully in the surrounding forest and mountains but there's a trend of inconsiderate mountain bikers who have no real appreciation of nature. They illegaly cut new trails through public parks and yell to eachother while they seem to ride as fast as they can around corners and over hills. Going on a nature hike is not so fun with this happening and protecting the public lands has become a decreasing budgetary priority for the last few years, so enforcement against this has been difficult to impossible. So not only is it hazardous to cross the street, it's nervracking to stroll down a trail in the redwoods.

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The Nature of Santa Cruz - 11/23/2007

I was born in Santa Cruz California at Dominican Hospital. I have lived there for 28 years. The town is a cesspool of bums, slums, unemployed liberals and college students that spend more time clogging up the sidewalks with their stupid signs complaining about anything and everything. The sidewalks are used as bathrooms by the homeless and If you have a Anti-abortion bumper sticker or a pro-conservative bumper sticker or a Hummer SUV expect your car to be trashed and vandalized. The "No blood for Oil" crowd spray painted that very quote on my neighbors new Hummer and slashed his tires. I have been attacked in my car for my Pro Bush bumper sticker. The basic "Culture" all these people say they like are freaks with tattoos and piercing from head to toe. Their faces are full of metal with mohawks and no jobs. Heavy drug use and loitering by these people. Very aggressive panhandling by the bums, sometimes accompanied with threats if demands are not met. You cannot leave a restaurant without a bum demanding your leftovers. Woman have been raped in BROAD DAYLIGHT in the city owned parking garages and other places. a few years back a brazilian man refused to give money and got his head blown off by a double barrel shotgun. You get intimidated at the voting booth by local Liberals "Reminding you" to vote for the local socialist candidate. So, some say the culture is a reason to live there. I have to laugh, there is no culture there, just a bunch of liberals and losers running around doing whatever they want whenever they want is not called "Culture" I can go on and on but I think you get the picture. This is not worth having both husband and wife working 50 hours a week so you can live in this sludge. If you want to have a 1 parent income so the other can stay home with the children, california is NOT the state for you. Plus, If you are a stay at home mom and/or dad, DO NOT expect to have a warm welcome. Stay at home moms, once word gets out, are harassed by the local feminists. This future of America, these liberals would rather have a mom and pop shop employ 1-3 workers for minimum wage and no health benefits than allow a Costco to employ 250 people for 12-14 an hour WITH benefits just because it is a large company. these people are like broken records when it comes to what they want. Big business is the only people that offer big pay and they are driven out of town by the local liberals, probably because the local liberals lack the college degree required to fill these positions. The local college liberals take to the streets demanding higher minimum wage all the time and when they get it everything else goes up so their few cents an hour more is irrelevant, however it seems to make them happy (until they realize it had not accomplished anything) then back to the streets. Finally, the weather climate is unmatched and the ocean is beautiful but not worth the struggle to make ends meet. I recently moved to Kennewick, Washington, got a business loan a few days later and I am opened for business making double what I was making on salary. This is NOT something I could have done in Santa Cruz California. I tried already for over two years and gave up on the bureaucratic NIGHTMARE Santa Cruz gleefully offers to ensure people not even try to get ahead and stay broke and depending on welfare, food stamps and other government programs. The City elected officials call these programs, GREP (Guarantee Re-Election Programs)

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Yes, cost of living is much higher...but... - 8/15/2007

I spent my entire adult life as a Santa Cruz local. Yes, rent and home prices are higher than average, yes childcare costs are almost double, yes, gas prices are higher. Remember the old addage, "you get what you pay for". The city is a hub of cultural activity. The coastline provides a free and tranquil oasis. The towering Redwood's provide a wealth of environmental learning possibilities (aka pic-nics). I've moved away from my home town, been gone for two years now. Not a day goes by that I don't long to return to my high priced little piece of heaven in Santa Cruz, California!

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Bye Bye - 7/17/2007

I agree with most of the postings before me. My husband and I have lived near Santa Cruz since 1983. During that time I have seen it change from a cute, funky little town, to a dirty, intolerant, tired town. The only thing we enjoy is the beauty of the ocean and trees and the weather; neither of which is enough anymore. In addition to the beggars and street urchins that make going downtown miserable, there really are very few good restaurants, the shopping is abysmal (unless you are 25 or under) and the politics aren't liberal they're socialism bordering on communisim. I absolutely cannot WAIT to get the heck out of here to somewhere more normal. Just give me a little culture, some nice restaurants, decent shopping and realistic home prices. The thing that drove me over the edge: The freaks that protested the Borders Bookstore downtown to the point where they threw acid (and I don't mean LSD)at the front door. Then proceded to vandalize the bathrooms until they had to close them permanently. Insane. You would have thought they were putting in a bordello. Thank you for letting me vent.

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Far -A- way - 6/25/2007

I'll be looking for out of the way retirement cottage or RV woodsie 6000 ft+ CA, Or, Id, Mont. location. All I'll need is a satellite connestion for my computers and HD-TV's.....Hey - I'm one of then.....G'day Lee

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Nice bus service - 5/17/2007

I think Santa Cruz Metro is an excellent bus service... at least in the opinion of someone coming from a sprawled suburb that never saw a bus in its entire existence!

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one sided - 5/2/2007

The politics in Santa Cruz are ultra-left wing,Bush and Conservative hating. They don't like freedom of speech. Military Recruiters and conservative thinkers are kicked off of the University of California Santa Cruz campus. The city counsel actually handed out marijuana on the front steps of city hall. New business is not welcome here. The nice climate is the only redeeming factor.

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High cost of living - 4/16/2007

The cost of living here is sky high. We are tired of working sixty hours a week just to make ends meet. We are about to relocate.

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Rents - 2/26/2007

How would one look for a rent in Santa Cruz, being from east cost. Please help, any local newspapers or San Francisco papers???

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Come for a while (rent) and leave when you want to - 2/7/2007

Ok, it's like this here, my girlfriend and I make a combined $135K a year and we can't even come close to buying a house here. Five years ago we could have managed something. I wouldn't plan on buying here unless you have a high value property to turn over for the cash. Anual property tax is 1% of the purchase price and the effect is over $500 per month for what is little more than a shack. I'm talking a shack with no insulation and no real foundation. If you are already sold on California than SC is pretty nice for NorCal. There is much more recreation activities here than over in San Jose. If you live out of state now, I'd seriously reconsider coming to California at all. Propostion 13 makes CA a nightmare for younger people.

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Rent only - 2/7/2007

Don't move to Santa Cruz with the anticpation of buying a place. That is if you are young. The price of a piece of junk house is above $650k. Rents are affordable if you get lucky. The city has a dark side with rampant hard core drug use in the down town area. If you can handle the idiots downtown the climate is nice

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The best climate and weather - at a price! - 9/3/2006

The best climate and weather; great air quality. But, cost of living is astronomical! Be prepared to have two good sources of income to purchase a house.

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Santa Cruz, CA - 5/1/2006

Great Climate. Close to beach and mountains. Only drawback is the fog.

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Woodsculptor - 5/1/2006

Great Climate, beach and mountains are both very close. Only draw back is the fog.

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Santa Cruz is a nice place to live, BUT... - 4/12/2006

...one should consider the following: - Housing will always be an issue. It will never be "affordable" here, even if the housing market takes a huge nose dive. - UCSC is the disease of Santa Cruz. Students move here, vote on issues that only affect them, and %&@! all the local politics up. They're supported by rich parents, which, in turn, throws the entire local economy off, making it difficult for us LOCALS to survive here. - Hippies, dirts, and beggars everywhere. I've lived here my whole life and still can't get used to people in their early 20's with their new car parked around the corner sitting on the sidewalk with a puppy begging for change. - Bloody tourists. Tourism makes up the majority of the local economy, but that doesn't excuse their poor driving practices. Turn on your damn turn signal! No, I won't give you directions to the beach! - People are rude here. Don't expect people to help you out if you're in a jam. Most people would rather ignore you and continue on their merry way. - Suffocating local ordinances and bylaws. People make an issue out of *anything* here. For example, this is an excerpt from today's (04/12/06) paper: "A new city law that punishes anyone who spends more than 15 minutes in a downtown parking lot or garage is about to go on the books to improve public safety and make the area more inviting." WTF? I love Santa Cruz because I grew up here and make my home in the mountains away from some of the aforementioned problems, but it is not the laid-back beach town that it once was.

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Almost perfect - 3/13/2006

I've lived in Santa Cruz most of my 45 years. I'd have to say the weather is almost ideal here - we don't really have 4 seasons, maybe 2. The summers are mild to warm, lots of fog in the mornings but usually burns off by afternoon. From late August thru late September and sometimes into November, we have beautiful sunny days, warm and little fog. The winters are normally (this year wasn't normal) cool and damp, maybe 45-50 deg. But we do have lots of sunny days that average 65-70 deg. if the cost of living wasn't so darn hight, it would be perfect!

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