Santa Cruz Mts (Felton, Ben Lomond) for 22 y/o female? (Scotts Valley: for rent, crime)

[Miss_stitch]

Hello!

I'm a 22 year old UCSC student thinking of living in the Santa Cruz mountains in Felton or Ben Lomond. I love the beautiful redwood forests. I used to live in downtown Santa Cruz but after some sketchy experiences with the local homeless pop., I'd rather live somewhere quieter. I'm an old soul, and I'm usually content to cook, read, and go for walks on the weekends.

I was wondering if Felton and Ben Lomond would be safe areas for a young woman to live alone. According to this site, there's not a lot of crime:
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

... but I don't know if that means it's not getting reported. The other side of not having many people around is that there's no one to call for help and no shortage of space to hide a body.

People who live in Felton/Ben Lomond: What do you gather of the atmosphere? Is it a place you could walk alone at night unmolested?


fyi I'm 5'1" and 95 lbs. short brown hair, glasses, usually dark, conservative clothes.

[Billy Millennium]

Have you looked into Scotts Valley? A quiet town I think and brighter and closer to Santa Cruz. Also, more daily conveniences in town.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Miss_stitch

People who live in Felton/Ben Lomond: What do you gather of the atmosphere? Is it a place you could walk alone at night unmolested?

Little or no issue with worrying about crime up there. Dealing with weather and road issues, and the state of a property's utilities and water supply are more immediate concerns. Boulder Creek has more of a Main Street part of town than the others along Hwy 9. Redwood Estates and Chemeketa Park are somewhat compact areas up in the sticks, over the summit near Lexington Reservoir, that sometimes have decent places for rent.

[gracieanna]

Yes -- very safe. I grew up in Felton and raised my daughter in Ben Lomond/Boulder Creek area. These are small towns where people know their neighbors and don't feel the compulsive need to keep doors locked, etc.