Advice for family moving to Santa Cruz area (San Diego, Watsonville: for rent, hotel)

[gr8fullytruckin]

Hello everyone, thanks in advance for your replies! We are a family of five plus dog moving back to CA. DH and I lived in Pacifica for a year and SF Ocean Beach for three, left our hearts there, been east too long! My question is about advice on where to live in the SC area. We love the ocean, can put up with some fog. Pacifica was cold every day tho. In SF th micro climate was interesting in that in the Inner Sunset (20th ave and below) it was always sunny while in the outer sunset (40th or so) it was foggy. So advice on micro-climates would be appreciated, particularly when it comes to Aptos/Cap/Soq- are they always foggy?

Our kids love playing on their school sports team- any area better for that? My husband will be looking for a bartender/Waiter/hospitality job preferably at a nice hotel, what he does now, maybe a nice restaurant- is there an area best suited for that? It will substitute teach in my local district, or if lucky land a nearby teaching job. Are there any schools I should avoid due to gun violence tho? In SF we loved being able to leave the car in the garage/parking spot and walk to our local coffee shop, beach, and veggie market. Is there a place we could do that without encountering too much of the drug esp heroin-type drug scene?

Finally, I was considering Ventura but I think I am crossing this off the list as it is so far south that We can't capacitate the exploration of it and know the Bay Area; am I making an error? And Monterey? Should I continue to consider that? Also, we heard nice things about Morgan Hill? I would prefer the beach, but info on that would be appreciated. Mostly tho, I would love to hear advice about SC, Seabridge, West Side, Apt/Cap/Soq.

Thanks posters! You have helped me in my research so much already!

[Ruth4Truth]

OK, you've lived in the area before, so you know the level of housing costs you'll be facing. I take it you'll be renting? Have you checked Craigslist to get an idea of the rents in SC and Monterey? Rents are a little cheaper in the small mountain towns behind SC: Ben Lomond, and others. No beach up there, but you're in the redwoods. And definitely look in Capitola.

Gun violence in SC schools? That's funny. Fog: it's gone by noon, so there's sunny weather every day. Then it comes back in the evening. So I wouldn't worry about micro-climates, because you get sun all afternoon. There are some good markets in town: New Leaf is my favorite, but there are others. There's one that only sells vegan foods, and there's a Whole Foods.

The one part of town where you could be within walking or biking distance of the grocery, restaurants, AND the beach, would not be near the main beach in town, but south of there, along the promenade that follows the coast down to Capitola. Nice neighborhood. No homelessness, etc. in that part of town. Anyplace between West Cliff Drive and Bay St. south to about Fair Ave., where the grocery store is (New Leaf, also Safeway), would be good. The main street going N/S in that area is Delaware Ave., so along either side of that, is a great area. Walking along West Cliff Drive, you can access a narrow, rocky beach area. Farther south, there's a state park on the water. There's a residential area off the main beach in town, as well, up the hill from there. I suppose you could bike downtown from there, for shopping (Trader Joe's, New Leaf, restaurants, teahouse, coffee shop), but the other neighborhood is quieter, and more scenic. It's great for kids, because there are parks, and it's a great neighborhood for safe biking. (Also, some transients are attracted to the beach.) There's too much traffic around downtown and the main beach area for kids to be biking. Also keep in mind that there's an undertow anywhere outside of the bay where the downtown beach is. Kids shouldn't be swimming anywhere outside that zone. They can play and splash around, but no swimming.

[gr8fullytruckin]

Thanks so much Ruth4Truth! Yes we will be renting, and the rent is about the same as this posh suburb we are in on the East Coast, but at least no snow! Your info on the neighborhoods is so helpful. There is not much for rent there right now, but there are a few on the outskirts of these two areas that might work. We will for sure look in the surrounding towns too. I really appreciate the warning about the undertow!
Would you have any advice in terms of my job search for teaching? I have experience in high performing schools as well as struggling schools. It is often easier to find a job working with at-risk youth, which I am good at and enjoy, but I also need to keep an eye on personal safety because I am a mom. I teach 6-12 English and ESL. How difficult is it to commute to outlying districts from SC or Capitola in the morning?
Regarding schools for my own kids, any advice there (K-12)? They are in public school here; I had them in Catholic school a few years ago, and wish I could afford it, maybe in a year or two. Are there any outstanding middle and high schools that I should set my sights on for my oldest? In general for K-12, I like rigor in academics, and really need a strong sports program (football, softball/baseball.)
Thanks again! You advice is so much appreciated!

[Ruth4Truth]

Sorry, I don't know about schools. Good that you asked about the morning commute, though--it's HORRIBLE! In any direction! As a teacher, you'll be done by mid-afternoon, so you'll avoid the worst of the afternoon/evening commute. But in the mornings, you'll be right in the middle of it, unless you're teaching in town.

Since you're ESL, you can look for jobs in the Hispanic communities in the area. Watsonville (which isn't Hispanic-dominant, but has a significant Hispanic population, and btw, rents are a little lower there, too), and the agricultural community of Gilroy (majority Hispanic, many first-generation immigrants, bilingual kids). If you end up locating in Watsonville, the commute to Gilroy, I imagine, wouldn't be bad. I got a very pleasant vibe in Gilroy. I had to stop to ask directions as I was driving through. I speak Spanish, and the young kids working at the stores in town were very nice. There's also a Hispanic community in Santa Cruz, though it looks a bit sketchy. I don't have any info on it as to crime.

My impression of the SC high school is that there's a lot of community involvement. Comments on this forum in the past have been that the schools aren't great, but they're not bad, either. I don't know about the schools anywhere else; it wouldn't hurt to check out the schools elsewhere along Monterey Bay. I think Capitola's schools are pretty good, but I couldn't swear to it. Capitola's very walkable, with a small downtown of shops & coffee shops, and a New Leaf grocery.

If at some point you do decide Santa Cruz is where you want to be centered, (vs. Watsonville, to the south) look for good rents in Scotts Valley, one of those mountain towns.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I think you should consider living in Pacific Grove. It's beautiful and has fantastic schools. It's the foggiest and coolest place in the Monterey area, which is it's only downfall. But, my daughter's friend moved from Portland OR, with a troubled young teen, and he absolutely blossomed in PG. So much so, that she has delayed moving for better job options in the SF Bay Area until he graduates from high school in PG.

Check out the historical weather data to see if it's a no-go for your family. But, even in the fog, it's a beautiful place, and it's safe, and very charming. It's not as cool as SF or Pacifica, in my opinion.

Also, check out greatschools.org for any other areas you might be considering. Santa Cruz is a great place to visit, but I'm not so sure about the schools. I think PG would be a better choice as a family place to live.

Welcome back :-)

[gr8fullytruckin]

Thanks so much for your replies! Woo I think the rent just went up a few hundred dollars in a few weeks for Santa Cruz. I think we are priced right out. Ruth, hopefully someone with deeper pockets will benefit from your kind advice! So we will for sure take a look at PG, NoMoSno- thanks for the advice. We are also looking at Ventura and North San Diego. Our bags are packed, be there soon!