moving from TX to Santa Cruz! please guide me. (San Jose: real estate, apartment complexes)

[astrosona]

Hello Folks,

i am 24 years old i am applying to PhD in astronomy and i love to attend in Santa Cruz university. my family will come here with my two little sisters in the end of the summer and they want to stay in a not so large city with good job opportunities and weather and no crime! i think that city could be the best chose. i have masters in astronomy and i can do tutoring in there.

I would be so happy if any one could give me some advise about the cost of living, weather, taxes, schools, people and crime rate and any other points which you think might be useful for me like which area to go or to not go....

best thanks
sona

[Luke9686]

I don't think there is such thing as Santa Cruz University. There is University Of California at Santa Cruz. Also, the only two things you are looking for that Santa Cruz has is a not so large city and good weather. Although the population swells in the summer, so it is always crowded. Job oppurtunities aren't so great, and crime is high for a small city.

I don't think schools are that great either. It is overpriced and taxes are high also. I'm not bashing Santa Cruz by any means, it is a great place. It is just hard to live there on the limited jobs they have. You would have to commute to San Jose for any good job selection, and the commute can be bad.

Good Luck!

[astrosona]

well the university is in the "University of California, Santa Cruz
1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064", and the web link is
http://graddiv.ucsc.edu/

so any one can help????? can you please tell me what does that city look like?

[the_dallas_dean]

I am from Texas moving to San Jose. Maybe we could start a club and help each other when we get there! What part of Texas are you moving from?

[MontereyLocal]

My cousin is in the PhD program at UCSC and enjoys the area. San Jose/Campbell are located about 25 minutes north over the Santa Cruz mountains, so there will always be close work opportunities, malls, and other "civilization". Depending on your cashflow, you may want to consider surrounding areas, such as Scotts Valley, Aptos, or Capitola. There are some good areas of Santa Cruz, but there is also gang activity and other crimes, depending on the area. The local news stations, KSBW (www.theksbwchannel.com), KCBA (www.kcba.com), and KION (www.kion46.com) should help you do some research. Also, check out both monterey.craigslist.org and www.monterey.com/sby (broken link) for rental properties to have an idea of the costs associated with the area.

Good luck!

[astrosona]

thank you...........

so is UCSC located in Santa Cruz itself? it has written Santa Cruz in its address in its website but i was wondering which part. because i wanted to search apartment prices.

and i need to find out is there and colleges located in Santa Cruz...i need to transfer to a college and i need to find a college in that area.

would you please give me any information about the cost of living in there?

by the way; Dallas dean, i would me more than happy if we could help each other. please send me your email address.

thanks so much

[Luke9686]

Originally Posted by MontereyLocal

My cousin is in the PhD program at UCSC and enjoys the area. San Jose/Campbell are located about 25 minutes north over the Santa Cruz mountains, so there will always be close work opportunities, malls, and other "civilization". Depending on your cashflow, you may want to consider surrounding areas, such as Scotts Valley, Aptos, or Capitola. There are some good areas of Santa Cruz, but there is also gang activity and other crimes, depending on the area. The local news stations, KSBW (www.theksbwchannel.com), KCBA (www.kcba.com), and KION (www.kion46.com) should help you do some research. Also, check out both monterey.craigslist.org and www.monterey.com/sby (broken link) for rental properties to have an idea of the costs associated with the area.

Good luck!

Be sure not to get thrown off by San Jose only being 25 miles. It is over a mountain on a windy 4 lane road. Traffic can get bad, especially if there is a wreck, or mudslide.

[MontereyLocal]

Yep, traffic on Highway 17 can be miserable, especially if there is an accident. If you want to see exactly where things are located, I recommend Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) or Google's installed program Google Earth (http://earth.google.com). Google Earth gives you the benefit of checking boxes to see city limits, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Give it a try.

Local 4-year universities include:

State-run: University California, Santa Cruz; California State University, Monterey Bay; California State University, San Jose (San Jose State)

Private: Stanford University, Santa Clara University

Also a quick Google or Yahoo! search should find other options...such as http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__S...rsity/Private/ or http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__S...versity/Public

[astrosona]

thanks every one,

i had found many information with your help.....but i still looking for rantings and apartments...i need to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Sata Cruz or Aptos, can some one help me where is cheap??? how much are the prices???

and what is bad in Aptos? i mean is food and...more expensive??? i would be happy if you name me 10 good reasons to NOT to move to Aptos or Santa Cruz?

thanks

[SantaCruzIsMyHome]

hehe... ok the living situation might be a problem unless mommy and daddy can buy a house for you (you can rent out the rooms to other starving students at huge profit) while you attend... (UCSC has the richest student body of any of the UC's for good reason)

If you are not rich, the housing situation can be a huge pain... You will need to find a job and either live with 5-6 other students in said house(which there are not very many available), get an apartment (they've relently built several new apartment complexes), or get lucky and find a cute apartment/cottage behind someones house(or attached to it)... Now it's going to cost you.. price for one of the new apartments runs 1100-1500/ month for a 1 bedroom.. For a shared apartment you'll pay 6-8 hundred/month... for an apartment behind someones house- 1100-2000/month...

We moved there 6 years ago before they had built all these new places and we were lining up with 20-30 people to try to score the beat down unfurnished shack behind someone's house that had a tarp(yes.. no roof) covering the moldy bathroom....They were wanting 900/month... There are some serious slumlords in Santa Cruz and no ordinances that force landlords to keep their places up.... If you decide to go there keep your expectations low.... If you have money you can find a cute place to live no problem... I could give you a reference to a person at a real estate company you could call if you wanted more information... just look in my profile and email me...

The university itself is gorgeous.. my girlfriend just graduated... The view is spectacular, tucked away in the mountains, overlooking the beautiful ocean... The campus is something to behold (not convenient at all, but beautiful). There are deer with their little babies running all over the place.. so cute...

Like I said.. email me if you're interested in really talking to someone and I'll give you the number to call...

Chris
Check out this Santa Cruz website for history, pics, and info:
http://www.bohova.com/