Main Content

What you need to know about living in Santa Cruz, CA

The City of Santa Cruz is known for its excellent quality of life and pleasant weather. Filled with great amenities, rich culture, and an abundance of fun things to do in Santa Cruz, CA, it’s the ideal place for everyone, from growing families to young professionals to retirees. 

If you need more convincing, here are a few great reasons why people love living in Santa Cruz, California:

Diverse real estate options

Santa Cruz offers a wide range of homes from townhouses and condos to beachfront properties and luxury abodes. If you want to live somewhere near the water, East Santa Cruz and Seabright have excellent waterfront options. 

Luxury properties in the area vary in architectural styles and designs. These all sit in sprawling lots overlooking picturesque views of the mountains or ocean. There’s also plenty of vacant lands and lots for sale for those who want to build their dream home from the ground up.

Explore your real estate options in Santa Cruz, CA today with me, Amber Melenudo—the top producing Realtor in the area. I provide only the best hands-on customer service approach tailor-fit for your specific real estate needs. 

Start your home buying journey by viewing my latest listings. Get in touch with me today by calling 831.661.5591 or by sending a message to amber(at)davidlyng(dotted)com.

Quality education

Those with school-aged children will be happy to know that Santa Cruz is home to a nationally acclaimed school district. Schools in the area offer top-notch academic and extracurricular programs. The Santa Cruz School District consists of highly rated schools such as Happy Valley Elementary School, Tierra Pacifica Charter School, and Pacific Collegiate. In addition to great public schools, Santa Cruz also has highly esteemed colleges like UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College.

Active and healthy lifestyle

It’s easy to live an active and healthy lifestyle while living in Santa Cruz. The city has plenty of park infrastructure available to everyone to promote exercise. It’s also a gold bicycle-friendly city, according to The League of American Bicyclists. Eating healthy in the city is easier, too, with several specialty grocery stores and active farmers’ markets found throughout Santa Cruz. 

Great job opportunities

Santa Cruz has great employment opportunities for young professionals. It was even ranked as the 6th best city for future job growth by Forbes. You’ll see a healthy mix of startup companies and well-established businesses in the area. There’s also plenty of entrepreneurs in the city as it has been ranked #4 in the nation for women-owned businesses. The most common jobs in the city are in the education, sales, and office administrative industries.

Outdoor recreation

You won’t run out of things to do in Santa Cruz, CA with so many wonderful outdoor recreation opportunities to engage in. The city is known for its world-class waves and gorgeous beaches. It’s of no surprise that surfing, swimming, and a whole host of water activities are popular in the area. 

For those who love a good view, the Big Sur boasts beautiful cliffs and canyons that are perfect for sightseeing. 

If you want something more low-key, you can go watch adorable marine animals come up to shore. Located in the protected marine sanctuary of the Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a favorite haunt of creatures like sea lions, otters, dolphins, and whales.