Santa Cruz, CA Reviews

Weather - 2/4/2015
It has the most beautiful weather every month of the year. Read More

Panhandlers Delight - 2/3/2015
The dilemma of under achievement is lack of internal compass? Or as some news pundants like to say is a lack of drive. Lack of opportunity but then again this is a tourist town. Underwhelmingly underrepresented by anything other than The Boardwalk.

The foodservice at the new Warriors Stadium home to the D-league NBA is currently the same lack luster carnival fare you'd get during regular season of the 100 year old beach venue.. All packaged with a small town mentality that serves only those at the helm of the leading employer to the area.. Care to guess what that tastes like?

The river that cuts a lovely path through the downtown is currently off limits to public use or enjoyment beyond simply gazing upon it's sparkling shore. Riding in a kayak, stand up paddle board or worse a motorized boat is strictly prohibited. There was an early spring moratorium on non use and with that water enthusiasts flocked to gain a toe in the water. A bird was flushed from Read More

Santa Cruz Area - 1/3/2015
Beautiful, liberal, college town, progressive, great weather, surfing, kayaking, hiking, walking, creative people. Good organic food, good local award winning wines. It has retianed it's small town feel. Lots of traffic because so many people who live over the hill in Silicon Valley come here looking for affordable housing and then havae to commute over Highway 17 which can be a nightmare if there is an accident or for someone who doesn't know how to drive.
Probably one of the most beautiful places on earth to live but getting more expensive by the Read More

There's Good and Bad - 10/3/2013
I think my experience may be a little bit different than most people's. got lucky in that I already had a solid friend base when I moved to Santa Cruz, as well as an affordable room near the beach at my friend's apartment. While I certainly enjoyed aspects of Santa Cruz, I was very ready to leave after my 9 month temporary stay in the city.

So let's start with the cons: Very rude and intolerant people: For a place that is supposedly liberal, I have never been called a "f*cking f*ggot" more times in my life than when I was walking downtown. It was appalling and there reached a point where I just didn't want to go outside anymore. The tourists: I'm not one of those anti-tourism people and perhaps it's my own fault for living on Beach Hill, but come Friday my neighborhood became a hotbed of litter, stumbling drunks, cat-callers, and just plain disrespect. If you are going to visit Santa Cruz, that's fine (I did as a teen all the time) but have some respect for the people Read More

santa cruz is too hot - 4/21/2013
Coming from 11 years in San Francisco and one in Berkeley, the adjustment to the SC climate is not going well. It seems unreasonably warm for April (80F today). In fact, after the usual winter rains stopped, it's been nothing but sunshine and heat. Most people would likely enjoy this, but I miss layers of clothing, fog, and my four o' clock breeze. Read More

Beautiful Place but pricy - 7/11/2011
Santa Cruz is an amazing place to live but now that i am getting older i am coming to terms that i may not be able to afford it when i start a family. I have lived here all my life & it is truly an beautiful place. You have the best of both worlds you have trees and hiking and beautiful beaches. It is a great place to live but the cost of living is prriiccy. Read More

too cold? - 6/27/2011
I'm considering a move to Santa Cruz for school, but am concerned it may be too chilly of a climate for me. I like to be warm and I was surprised to see that even summer nights are 50 degrees?? Does it ever get to 80s in the summer?  Read More

Great Climate - 6/17/2011
You can't beat the weather in Santa Cruz, CA....almost no humidity, relatively mild winters with rain, but gorgeous spring, summer and fall. Fall is actually the best time of the year here as the weather is usually sunny and beautiful and most of the tourists have gone home. While the summers can sometimes have foggy, cool days (especially in June "June Gloom" and even into the early weeks of July) mostly it's just Read More

Forget Santa Cruz... - 5/13/2011
Other then the wonderful weather and beautiful Monterey Bay, EVERYTHING else here stinks...the natives are total underachievers, real losers, many are total druggies,alcoholics and "tweekers" AND there are SO many homeless per capita it's frightening...and that's the good news!
The bad news is the educational system is horrific,turning out very uneducated students comparatively;It's extremely expensive (the 3rd highest rents in America!)it's a beach town (read:no work) AND there's absolutely NO culture per say!
I've lived here almost 10 years now and curse the day I moved Read More

the good the bad and the ugly - 3/21/2009
If you are not into fast living with lose morals then santa cruz is not the place for you if you are young. i can agree with just about everyone on santa cruz. it is pricey to an extreme, there are crazy mountain bikers. politics are wacko and college kids do run ramped. but i do share a lot of political views as the liberals, i love mountain biking and the crazy politics make the town what it is. it is not what it was when my parents were young there but it is still something different and funky. it will always have a special place in my heart. the crime is kinda high but you only really hear the negative. i have never been bothered. some punk kids tried to break into my house when i was little. but before they could help them selves to the tv they realized someone was home and ran. and yeah there are very aggressive bums but you learn how to live with them. and the locals kind of are jerks. unless you are one of them. i honestly think santa cruz could be better but for some reason Read More