2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Santa Cruz, CA vs Foley, AL

#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 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

I have lived here for a little over a year. I had imagined this would be a small town with some sense of community, but it seems entirely geared toward becoming a second  More

My husband and I have lived here for over a year and it is hands down my least favorite place I’ve ever lived. We are prior military and have lived in many incredible  More

Lovely place to live for retirees however traffic is getting bad as it is quickly turning into quite a tourist destination. The city has a darling downtown area as well  More