There's Good and Bad
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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 who live there! Jobs: I got lucky in that I found a decent paying job fairly easily, though I was required to commute to our San Jose office twice a week. A lot of people commute to San Jose and it can get tiresome since there are few jobs in Santa Cruz outside of the University or healthcare. Traffic: worst traffic I have ever experienced. I think people are rude in Santa Cruz because the traffic stresses them out. Whoever planned this city most not have been entirely sober because the streets make absolutely no sense. It's hard to just get one mile in the city and don't even think about driving on a Saturday in July or during rush hour.
Ok, now the pros. There are still a lot of sweet old hippie people, and I love hippies, who bring a spark to Santa Cruz. This one is just my preference and I know that not everyone likes hippies. The redwoods and the beach are right there if you want them. There are a multitude of health-food stores. There are some amazing restaurants. Gay volleyball on Wednesday evenings is wonderful. Once again, I already had a friend base when I moved there and I only lived there for a temporary job, so my experience is different than most peoples. If you do move to Santa Cruz, you must go to trivia nights and 99 Bottles, ride your bike up to Wilder Ranch State Park, go on the Giant Dipper regularly, try one of the hundreds of great coffee shops, and attend some of the fun events downtown.
Santa Cruz if far from perfect and in many ways I think it is getting worse instead of better. But it's not terrible. It still has a small town feel with an interesting culture. Just prepare for the summer rush of trashy tourists. But when that happens, walk on down to the Penny Ice Creamery and have some amazing homemade ice cream.
Eric | St. Louis, MO