2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Albany, OR vs Santa Cruz, CA

#1 Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster (Lowest Risk)

#1 Safest Places from Natural Disasters

#3 Best Green Cities

#5 Most Secure Places to Live 2011 (Small Towns)

#9 Most Secure Places to Live in the U.S. (Small Towns)

#10 2005 Best Places to Live

#55 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Smallest Metro Areas)

#106 America's Most (and Least) Stressful Cities (117 Smallest Metro Areas)

#18 Most Competitive Public Colleges

#27 Best Green Cities

#41 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Mid-Size Metro Areas)

#124 2005 Best Places to Live

I only lived in Albany 1 year. But I found the weather to be quite Mild. The Housing more affordable than Corvallis. I was shocked to find that nearby Corvallis gets  More

I've been living in Albany about 4.5 years. Moved up from Southern California to escape high home prices and the cost of living and clogged freeways. Now it's not sunny  More

Ten months and ongoing in Albany, from the SF Bay Area. Much less crime here, much quieter here, more courteous and sane drivers here by far. We have been able to  More

I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we  More

I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class  More

I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity,  More