2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Pasadena, 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

Pasadena is a little slice of the world in the foothills above the San Gabriel Valley. It has everything you could want. Check out my video on the cost of living in  More

The weather in Pasadena, CA is rather pleasant. It does not get cold here, it used to be around the first two weeks of December it could go down to 32-28 F, only a few  More

Great place to live for all ages and enjoy mostly sunny  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