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

#2 Most Comfortable Summer Cities

#2 Top 10 Cities to Beat the Heat

#43 Best Cities for Board Gamers

#47 Gloomiest Places in America

#50 America's Top Hygge Cities

#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 have lived in Orange County and Los Angeles County for over 20 years. The cost of living has prompted 3 friends to move to the Central Valley, Oregon and Washington  More

I loved living here in Brea, CA for over 17 years. It is a great community. For being a small north Orange County city it has a lot to offer. Schools are really  More

Great city in N. Orange County. Affordable with lots of  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