Santa Cruz (San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Lorenzo: low crime, houses, to buy)

[rkedz]

I'm from the east coast. Can someone tell me about this area. I am looking at a business in this area. I have teenage kids. Crime? Schools? Cost of living? Quailty of life?
Thx

[staplegunsarefun]

Are you looking at living in Santa Cruz, or just in the Santa Cruz Area? As far as cost of living goes, Santa Cruz is pretty expensive, but the Santa Cruz Mountains have pretty low house costs and are amazingly beautiful.

Crime rates in the area are nothing to be worried about. Schools are decent (not quite as good as some of the places in the Bay Area that everyone talks about like Palo Alto, but definately not bad). GreatSchools.net gives San Lorenzo Valley Unified District a 7 of 10, which is pretty high - especially since it is one of the few affordable regions in the Bay Area (i.e. EPA one of the few other places in the Bay Area you can find houses for below 400,000 is rated a 2 of 10).

If you are looking at actually living in Santa Cruz, the schools are about the same. You still have low crime rates, but if you want to buy a house, you are looking at spending a little more (400k minimum, probably more if you have a family and want 2bed/2bath - and something over 700 square feet)

Santa Cruz Area is fantastic if you like hiking, mountains, the beach... I actually just moved from Upstate NY two weeks ago (although I have lived in the Bay Area on and off for many years). I just put in an offer on a home in Boulder Creek (about 1/2 hour north of Santa Cruz, in the "Santa Cruz Mountains"). So, obviously, I think the area is practically perfect.

Depending on where you are coming from (East Coast is pretty varied), you might have some culture shock. Santa Cruz is pretty Liberal (compared to some of the more conservative East Coast Areas like Upstate NY). It also seems to be much more laid-back.

[Bluesbabe]

I love Santa Cruz. It a very different place with an interesting history. It is VERY expensive! It is a college town, and the cost of living there really spiraled when that school went in.

It has a lot of character and, like many coastal cities, is "tired-looking" from the salt air and water. AND the earthquakes. But it's beach lines are very beautiful and there are many quaint homes, old and new.

The weather is very mild. Summer days are seldom hot; in fact, September is their warmest month. Winters are VERY mild, rainy. If you love your wintery cold snow then you may not like Santa Cruz winters.

Surfing remains a huge sport there. There is a lot of hiking in the Santa Cruz area, as already mentioned, and it's a short drive to San Francisco. The whole California coast is awesome. Lots of salt in the air, which I love.

And then, of course, there's the Boardwalk, which I still enjoy, but as a resident it would wear off you. The Municipal Wharf there is also a favorite spot of mine. It has great tourist shops, fishing, boating, and terrific restaurants.

Santa Cruz holds on to its "surfer" theme but downplays the hippie movement it had in the 60's to early-70's (I remember it well). Lingering touches of "the hippies" are noticeable here 'n' there, as many never left the city.

Since I don't live there I don't know about crime, but I never felt threatened ever (I still go there every other year).

Like Staplegunsaresafe pointed out, Santa Cruz is radically liberal. If you are a conservative, you may want to check into this.

Also, the traffic flow through and around that place is ~ in my opinion ~ some of the worst.

I don't know how old your kids are but they'd probably love it.