Santa Cruz, CA Reviews

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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.Read More

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 Read More

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, Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More