2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Nashua, NH vs Santa Cruz, CA

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

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

#10 Best Places for Military Retirees

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

#78 Most Popular Cities for the Holidays

#151 2005 Best Places to Live

#235 2005 Best Places to Live

#238 Best Green 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

Twenty or so years ago, this was a pretty nice city. Convenient and safe. Now, at least over the past decade-to-decade and a half, it's changed for the worse. Mainly the  More

Did a short term stay here for work, it was the most depressing place I could ever imagine. Boring, unfriendly people, freezing winter, crap restaurants, and horrible  More

I have lived in many places across southern NH - and Nashua is by far the most community oriented place I have lived. The Library, Main Street initiatives, and parks  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