COMMENT BY
Mike from Soquel, CA
COMMENT ABOUT PLACE
Soquel, CA
COMMENT
Santa Cruz
I have owned a home in Soquel (right next to Santa Cruz) for 24 years and spent lots of time in SC. First, noise is JUST LIKE everywhere else. Second, if you have skills and are willing to work you will not be unemployed. Third, roads are acceptable but not great. Fourth, I have never seen a discarded needle but the party crowd and homeless crowd comes to the beach and just like SF it is not always pristine. Fifth, there is no feral cat problem. Sixth, drought is not an issue if you use a yellow/mellow, brown flush it down strategy. Seventh, affordable housing issue is real if you are not making $$. Seventh, most people who rent pay taxes on that income, the assertion is ridiculous. Eighth, crime is in fact high due to out of town partiers and local homeless/addicted population. Positives -- incredible beauty, climate, clean air, Silicon Valley 35 min. away, with a quickly vanishing older hippie population. Downtown is still funky and weird, stay away from it if you don't like it. Basic message is just stick to those areas you really dig and you will love the area. Be sure to bring skills and a desire to work.