2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Santa Cruz, CA vs Palmer, AK

#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

#3 Best Cities for Teleworking - Small Metro Areas

#15 Most Secure Places to Live 2011 (Mid-Size Cities)

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

#83 2005 High Gas Prices

#85 High Gas Prices - Which Cities are Hit the Hardest?

#100 Most Popular Cities for the Holidays

#160 2005 Best Places to Live

#308 Best Green Cities

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

The first time I saw Palmer was in 1974. It's grown up from the old days of farm country complete with 4-H clubs, fields of crops and livestock. Gone are most of the  More

The four months of cold and dark. Winter lasts about 8 months, but the real cold, dark lasts about 4 months. It is getting harder and harder to deal with as I get  More

I have lived in Palmer for 11 years. I love everything about it except about four months of the dark, cold winters. The people are  More