Santa Cruz, CA

Santa Cruz, California

Introduction to Santa Cruz, California

Situated on the northern part of Monterey Bay, the California city of Santa Cruz lies about 30 miles southwest of San Jose and 74 miles south of San Francisco. Incorporated in 1866, the city is the county seat for the County of Santa Cruz. The principal industries of Santa Cruz are tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, and education (University of California at Santa Cruz is located here). The city's proximity to Silicon Valley has in recent years also brought an influx of workers in high-tech industries into Santa Cruz and its surrounding towns.

Santa Cruz was founded in 1769 by Spanish explorer Don Gaspar de Portola, who named the area after the Spanish name for "Holy Cross". In the late 1800s, agriculture, logging, lime processing, and commercial fishing were the thriving industries. By the turn of the century, tourism took hold as a major industry and prospered to this day, thanks to the city's scenic beauty, mild climate, abundant sunshine, and 29 miles of coastline. The quintessential beach town often referred to as "Surf City" (despite the fact that Huntington Beach trademarked the moniker), Santa Cruz lays claim to being the place where Hawaiian royalty first introduced surfing to the U.S. mainland.

Things to do in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is famous for its beaches and for the sport of surfing. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, housed in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, traces more than a century worth of surfing history associated with Santa Cruz. Museum visitors enjoy a spectacular view of the city and the Monterey Bay while overlooking the famed surfing site known as Steamer Lane. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk, the West Coast's last remaining seaside amusement park, offers more than 30 rides, arcades, food, an indoor miniature golf course and over 15 gift shops. The Cocoanut Grove complex hosts trade shows, conventions, conferences, parties, banquets and more. The Santa Cruz Wharf is famous for its views of marine mammals, its fishing, and other recreational activities.

Included among the cultural offerings in Santa Cruz is the annual summer festival held by Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Typical performances include two Shakespeare plays and one other play. Some of the performances take place in a unique outdoor space among the redwoods. Santa Cruz is also home to the Cabrillo Music Festival. Local Santa Cruz museums include the Natural History Museum and the Surfing Museum.

The nearby city of San Jose, located only a half-hour away, is home to a number of its own attractions. A few of the more prominent are the Winchester Mystery House, the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, the Children's Discovery Museum, and the History Museum of San Jose. Sports fans can see Minor League Baseball action (Triple-A's San Jose Giants), Arena Football League action (San Jose SaberCats), and the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks.

Fans of alternative sports will recognize Santa Cruz as home to the De Laveaga Disc Golf Course, which hosts several PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) tournaments, including the annual Masters Cup. De Laveaga was the host venue for the disc golf and discathon World Disc Games overall event held in July 2005. The event was sanctioned by the WFDF (World Flying Disc Federation).

High Points

Santa Cruz strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in California):

Category	Trophy
Walking and Biking to Work (vs. Peers)	Top 1%
College Educated Adults (vs. Peers)	Top 14%
Public Transportation Use (vs. Peers)	Top 15%
Well-Paid Single Women (vs. Peers)	Top 17%
Well-Paid Single Men (vs. Peers)	Top 18%

Comparative Profile of Santa Cruz, CA

Comparing Santa Cruz to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in California (State):

Ratings range from (lowest) to (highest).

The People

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Male Share of the Population
Well-Paid Single Women
Well-Paid Single Men
Racial Diversity
Age of the Population
Senior Citizens
Female Share of the Population
Children Under 5 Years Old

Families

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Average Household Size
Portion of People Married

Wealth

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
College Educated Adults
Median Family Income
People in Middle Class or Better
People Above Poverty

Commute & Sprawl

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Walking and Biking to Work
Working at Home
Public Transportation Use
Short Commute Times

Housing

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Seasonal and Vacation Housing
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals
People Living Alone
Affordability of Property Taxes
Housing Recently Built
Affordability of Rents

Crime

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Low Property Crime
Low Violent Crime

Santa Cruz Almanac

Santa Cruz Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

• Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
• Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

Santa Cruz Public Libraries

More Information for Librarians

Santa Cruz Population (2000)

(From 2000 Census, as reported by individuals)

Political Contributions (2004)

Money donated by Santa Cruz residents to parties and candidates for the 2004 elections.

by Political Party

by Presidential Candidate

Neighborhood and Nearby Area Names

According to the US Postal Service, Santa Cruz, its neighborhoods, and/or surrounding areas are also referred to as:

Note that not all alternate names are acceptable for use in US Post Office addresses.

Nearby Cities and Towns

Santa Cruz Hospitals

SUTTER MATERNITY AND SURGERY CENTER
(Voluntary non-profit - Private)
2900 CHANTICLEER AVENUE
(831) 477-2200
Emergency Service: No

DOMINICAN HOSPITAL
(Voluntary non-profit - Church)
1555 SOQUEL DRIVE
(831) 462-7700
Emergency Service: Yes

Starbucks in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz High Schools (2004)

SANTA CRUZ HIGH
415 WALNUT AVE.
831-429-3960
Title I eligible, not participating.
Serves 1,179 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 26.1

HARBOR HIGH
300 LAFONDA AVE.
831-429-3810
Title I eligible, not participating.
Serves 1,177 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 27.1

PACIFIC COLLEGIATE
900 HIGH STREET
831-479-7785
A charter school.
Serves 366 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 17.1

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY COMMUNITY
3650 GRAHAM HILL RD.
831-479-5331
A Non-traditional School
Serves 307 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 14

ALTERNATIVE FAMILY EDUCATION (AFE)
300 LA FONDA AVE.
831-429-3432
A Non-traditional School
Serves 189 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 26.6

ARK ALTERNATIVE
313 SWIFT ST.
831-429-3432
A Non-traditional School
Title I eligible, not participating.
Serves 169 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 22.2

LOMA PRIETA HIGH (CONT.)
319 LAFONDA AVE.
831-429-3854
A Non-traditional School
Title I eligible, not participating.
Serves 115 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 19.2

DELTA CHARTER
343 SOQUEL AVE. #44
831-458-0406
A charter school.
Serves 54 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 15.4

BEN LOMOND YOUTH CONSERVATION CAMP
13575 EMPIRE GRADE RD
831-423-1652
Serves 44 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 44

Santa Cruz Colleges

Click school name for a detailed profile.

Five Branches Institute

University of California - Santa Cruz

(List of All California Colleges)

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