2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Santa Cruz, CA vs Friday Harbor, WA

#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

Beautiful place to retire and live, but a very expensive area to buy property and maintain. Services are limited and labor is in big shortage. So be prepared to pay up  More

I lived on the Island for a couple of the winter months in 2007. I house sat a beautiful home on acreage with a view of the water. The Island is very quiet during the  More