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Yeah if anything it's the COL that is getting to me. I would prefer to live without gangs and drug problems but I'm currently living in an area dealing with those things. It's not bad or extreme though. I don't consider homeless to be a problem and I have homeless people by me as well. As long as I don't get beat up, or stolen from I'll be fine. Does anyone know of a cheaper alternative? Is Salinas close enough to the beach? What is it like there? Or any city/town near by?
I like Salinas, but it's so different than SC that you might as well stay in Tacoma. I'd recommend some of the smaller towns around Santa Cruz as being more affordable: Felton, Bonny Doon, Soquel. There's also other areas in California you might like, such as Fort Bragg.
I grew up in Santa Cruz in the 80s and 90s, moved away for good at the end of decade though I still have family there so I still go back. It's gotten much pricier and it's changed a lot from the sort of sleepy college/hippie/beach town it was back in the day. Very expensive with high rents and a weak job market(unless you commute). It's much more gentrified(just like everywhere) as well--places that used to have a surf ghetto feel or be sort of working class or funky beach hippie in style in feel just feel more yuppie and upscale these days.
There's always been a sketchier element around in my lifetime, but I feel that the level of crime gets overstated sometimes for the whole area(there's always been worse areas and drugs around, but it's not the entire region--and much of it is fairly petty crime). It's a medium-sized town and everything that happens the whole town is talking about--I find this true every time I go back. It's a beautiful place in terms of the sea and the hills, I've had friends from the Pacific NW who liked it after they visited there to the point that they moved there and made it work for some time(some moved on though, some are still there). I agree with the above poster--it's worth checking out the smaller towns around Santa Cruz that still feel fairly mellow, Felton, Bonny Doon, Soquel, maybe even Boulder Creek(though it's a bit further out).
I'd say the COL is the biggest problem with Santa Cruz--and in ways what has left is a different place. People who grew up there and stayed around seem so bitter when I go back. Rents can remain high though with Silicon Valley just over the hill and a revolving door of UCSC students who drive up demand for rentals(school expanded a lot over the last 20 years). There's places in Santa Cruz that I miss--especially the beaches north of town or hiking through the Santa Cruz Mountains just to the north or walking down West Cliff Drive on a sunny day watching surfers--but at the same time I don't have any desire to ever move back there. That being said though, if one really desires to live there, you can find ways to make it work.
I found this thread/forum because I am considering the opposite move. I'm born and raised in Santa Cruz and absolutely love it, but I have a career opportunity in Tacoma. I'd be happy to answer questions about SC and would appreciate hearing more about the differences. Someone mentioned that SC is more liberal-how much so? I moved from SC to Berkeley and thought Berkeley was more conservative than I'd expected. Are there any places to live around Seattle/Tacoma that have a similar vibe (in terms of being laid-back, safe, quiet, and beautiful...not necessarily a pot culture)?
Tacoma is much more blue collar than Santa Cruz but also much cheaper. It has more urban bones than Santa Cruz and the City does have character, but it is not particularly vibrant. Downtown can often feel like a ghost town, although 6th Ave does have some pizazz. There is a short light rail line there and plans to expand it to the broader Seattle light rail system, but that won't happen for a while.
You're not going to find nearly as many hippies in Tacoma - there are definitely gang and crime issues (especially by WA State standards) and they are more blatant than in Santa Cruz. (I've spent time in both places). Seattle is about 30 minutes away but the two cities have a very different feel. I will say people in Tacoma are friendlier and more outgoing than Santa Cruz, but not as educated and more conservative. Tacoma is a liberal city overall but not at the level of Santa Cruz, and Pierce County (which Tacoma is in) is moderate with some conservative leanings overall.
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