2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Atwater, CA vs Santa Cruz, CA

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

#289 Best Green Cities

#328 2005 Best Places to Live

#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've lived in Atwater Village for the past 11 years. It's rated one of the best neighborhoods in Los Angeles and I am in complete agreement with that. I've seen it  More

It went from hellhole to paradise in less than five years. Now, there are more places to shop and eat. What was a boring, open field is now a huge shopping center off of  More

This is a Little town of about 28,000 people. All ages, mainly Spanish Speaking. There are not very many varities of Resturants, or of Good Quality. The Housing is  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