Commute from Pebble Beach to Santa Cruz (San Jose, Tracy: homes, buy)

[amykis5]

Can any locals of these areas tell me about the commute between these 2 towns. I do know mileage wise it is about 45miles and 40 of it is freeway. How jammed does this freeway get?? If I find out traffic runs smooth then I guess the commute is not that bad??? Please let me know what I would be getting myself into if I decided to live in P.B and work in Santa Cruz. Good or bad idea???
Thank you for any input!

[MtnSurfer]

I live in Pacific Grove (right next to Pebble Beach) and work in Seaside. Where I work we have a number of ppl commuting in from Santa Cruz and Watsonville. And there is a guy I just met in our church who goes the other direction (Monterey->SC). But I haven't asked him about the commute yet.

Anyway from driving HWY 1 during rush hour and off peak hours it seems doable, especially from PG->SC. I notice a lot more traffic coming into Monterey than leaving in the morning, hence heading north is better for me than the opposing lane. The road narrows to one lane through Moss Landing. And I have heard that that is where it can get backed up at times, especially if there is an accident. But ppl still do it. The road widens again to two lanes in Watsonville al the way into SC.

The thing about Santa Cruz is that it is larger then PG or Monterey and there is more traffic on the FWY which runs through it. So it really depends on where in SC you will be working. And also you should be willing to try and leave a bit earlier. The women I work with who drives from Watsonville leaves earlier and gets out earlier than most.

As far as PG goes the area is awesome! We moved here from CO with our three children and really like the Monterey area with PG being at the top of the list. You are surrounded by beautful coastline on all three sides being on the tip of the peninsula. We also like living right next to the 17 mile drive and Pebble Beach.

Lastly it really boils down to your own threshold for commuting. That is different for everyone. We have ppl even driving in from San Jose and Tracy. However I know that would be insane for me to try to do daily.

- Derek

[amykis5]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

I live in Pacific Grove (right next to Pebble Beach) and work in Seaside. Where I work we have a number of ppl commuting in from Santa Cruz and Watsonville. And there is a guy I just met in our church who goes the other direction (Monterey->SC). But I haven't asked him about the commute yet.

Anyway from driving HWY 1 during rush hour and off peak hours it seems doable, especially from PG->SC. I notice a lot more traffic coming into Monterey than leaving in the morning, hence heading north is better for me than the opposing lane. The road narrows to one lane through Moss Landing. And I have heard that that is where it can get backed up at times, especially if there is an accident. But ppl still do it. The road widens again to two lanes in Watsonville al the way into SC.

The thing about Santa Cruz is that it is larger then PG or Monterey and there is more traffic on the FWY which runs through it. So it really depends on where in SC you will be working. And also you should be willing to try and leave a bit earlier. The women I work with who drives from Watsonville leaves earlier and gets out earlier than most.

As far as PG goes the area is awesome! We moved here from CO with our three children and really like the Monterey area with PG being at the top of the list. You are surrounded by beautful coastline on all three sides being on the tip of the peninsula. We also like living right next to the 17 mile drive and Pebble Beach.

Lastly it really boils down to your own threshold for commuting. That is different for everyone. We have ppl even driving in from San Jose and Tracy. However I know that would be insane for me to try to do daily.

- Derek

Thank you for the reply!! I did not notice earlier on another post I just wrote to you. So I guess there a few folks that do that commute to Santa Cruz area?? Can you tell me about the school districts in Pebble Beach? Test scores ect>>
Thank you,
Amy

[MtnSurfer]

Hi Amy,

From what I have heard from residents and parents the schools in Pebble Beach are excellent. You can probably look up specific scores on greatschools.net. My wife and I homeschool. But Monterey, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove and Carmel are all known for their good schools.

When we were thinking of moving here another parent (jenndslp) gave me some good advice on the area. You could do a search here and see what her responses were as well. I find the residents very friendly and helpful.

The one thing to consider is that while Pebble Beach is probably the most scenic, although Carmel and Pacific Grove are very nice as well, you are a bit more isolated there. It is a private residential community and there are no real stores to speak of. The median age of residents is above 60 (old money). Hence there are not as many families with children as in PG, Monterey or Carmel. Although there are still some children there. A friend of mine at work has lived there all his life and said he and his wife haven't had a trick or treater in over 20 years. They buy candy every year just in case.

Derek

[MtnSurfer]

I just spoke with the friend I was telling you about who commutes into Santa Cruz (Capitola). He said to ask you 'where' in SC you would be working as the traffic in and through SC can add a lot to your daily commute.

If you are working in 'mid' Santa Cruz he recommended looking at places closer in such as Aptos for example.

Derek

[amykis5]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

I just spoke with the friend I was telling you about who commutes into Santa Cruz (Capitola). He said to ask you 'where' in SC you would be working as the traffic in and through SC can add a lot to your daily commute.

If you are working in 'mid' Santa Cruz he recommended looking at places closer in such as Aptos for example.

Derek

Thank you for all your help! The Santa Cruz area would be the 2400 block of 17th. I am not sure how far off the freeway that is~~ I am going to be making a trip there this Wed. Do you happen to know how far off the freeway it is?
Thank you!!

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by amykis5

Thank you for all your help! The Santa Cruz area would be the 2400 block of 17th. I am not sure how far off the freeway that is~~ I am going to be making a trip there this Wed. Do you happen to know how far off the freeway it is?
Thank you!!

Hmm... Thats about 1.5 miles north of Capitola (where my friend works). While that shouldn't be too bad there still may be some traffic on HWY 1 in the AM. You could get off on 41st=>Soquel Ave=>17th. My friend actually uses his navigational system to find the least traffic.

You guys should do the drive to Monterey to check out the distance and the areas. Monterey is a great place to visit even if you don't end up living here. But honestly I would look seriously at Aptos as well if working in SC.

My 2c,

Derek