Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz is a city in California. Its name means "Holy Cross" in Spanish. It is the largest city in Santa Cruz County and has about 62,956 people, based on information from 2020.

The city is near Monterey Bay and is a popular place for tourists. People visit Santa Cruz for its beautiful beaches, exciting surfing, and old historical sites.

Santa Cruz has an interesting history. It was first settled by the Spanish in 1791 when a mission was built there. Over time, the city grew and became known for its lively atmosphere. After California became a state, Santa Cruz was officially recognized as a town in 1866. Important developments like the arrival of a railroad in 1880 and the opening of a famous beach boardwalk in 1904 helped make the city a favorite seaside destination. Later, in 1965, a university was established, bringing many students to the area.

History

Indigenous period

People have lived in the Santa Cruz area for at least 12,000 years. Before Europeans arrived, the land was home to the Awaswas people, part of the Ohlone group. They lived between Davenport and Rio Del Mar. The Awaswas had up to 1,000 members, but their language is no longer spoken. Only a few place names and the word for a local shellfish, abalone, remain from their language. At the time Europeans arrived, they were part of the Uypi tribe and called the area Aulinta.

Spanish period

The first Europeans to explore this area were part of an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá, searching for a place called Monterey Bay. They crossed a river, likely where Soquel Avenue is today, and camped nearby on October 17, 1769. A missionary with the group named the river San Lorenzo. The next day, they named a nearby stream El Arroyo de la Santísima Cruz, meaning "The Stream of the Most Holy Cross."

Later, a mission called La Misión de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz, or Mission Santa Cruz, was founded here to introduce the Awaswas people to the Spanish way of life. This was the twelfth mission built in California. The stream’s name changed over time and is now called Laurel Creek. In 1797, a town named Villa de Branciforte was created nearby, but it was later absorbed into Santa Cruz.

Mexican period

When Mexico gained independence, it took control of the area. The mission and its lands were broken up into large ranches. Two ranchos were entirely inside today’s Santa Cruz city limits, while three others became part of the city’s borders later. As more people from the United States arrived, the area grew. After the Mexican–American War, Mexico gave California to the United States.

The old mission could no longer be kept up, and parts of it fell down. A new church was built nearby in 1858, and the old mission was torn down in 1889.

American period

California became a state in 1850, and Santa Cruz became the seat of Santa Cruz County. It was officially recognized as a town in 1866 and as a city in 1876. As more people moved in, the city grew. Early leaders like Elihu Anthony started many of the city’s first businesses and services, including a church, a blacksmith shop, and a water system.

Railroads arrived in the 1870s, helping industries like timber and leather grow. A factory made blasting powder during the Civil War and later made materials for the U.S. military.

Santa Cruz was damaged by earthquakes in 1989 and 2011, and by a tsunami in 2022. The city was one of the first to allow certain plants for medical use and was active in protests against certain U.S. laws.

Main articles: Santa Cruz Downtown Historic District and Pacific Avenue Historic District (Santa Cruz, California)

Geography

Santa Cruz is located on the northern edge of Monterey Bay. The city covers an area of 15.8 square miles (41 km²), with 12.7 square miles (33 km²) of land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²) of water.

Locals often talk about Santa Cruz in terms of two main areas: the west side and the east side. The west side is west of the San Lorenzo River, while the east side stretches east of the river to nearby towns like Soquel and Capitola. The climate in Santa Cruz is mild, with wet winters and dry, warm summers. Fog is common, especially in the summer mornings.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Santa Cruz had a population of 62,956. The median age was 33.5 years. 12.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.5 males age 18 and over.

99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 21,731 households in Santa Cruz, of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.8% were married-couple households, 24.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 24,014 housing units, of which 9.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Santa Cruz had a population of 59,946. The population density was 3,787.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,462.2/km²). The racial makeup of Santa Cruz was 44,661 (74.5%) White, 1,071 (1.8%) African American, 440 (0.7%) Native American, 4,591 (7.7%) Asian, 108 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 5,673 (9.5%) from other races, and 3,402 (5.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11,624 persons (19.4%).

The Census reported that 51,657 people (86.2% of the population) lived in households, 7,910 (13.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 379 (0.6%) were institutionalized.

There were 21,657 households, out of which 4,817 (22.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,310 (33.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,833 (8.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 862 (4.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,802 (8.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 379 (1.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6,773 households (31.3%) were made up of individuals, and 1,862 (8.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39. There were 10,005 families (46.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.92.

The age distribution of the population shows 8,196 people (13.7%) under the age of 18, 17,449 people (29.1%) aged 18 to 24, 15,033 people (25.1%) aged 25 to 44, 13,983 people (23.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,285 people (8.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.

2000 census

Recorded from the census of 2000, there were 54,593 people total with 20,442 households and 10,404 families residing in the city. The population density includes 1,682.2/km² (4,357/mi²). There were 21,504 housing units at an average density of 1,715.8 units per square mile (662.5 units/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.7% White, 17.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.7% African American, 0.9% Native American, 4.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.1% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races.

There were 20,442 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.1% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 17.3% under the age of 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males age 18 and over.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,605, and the median income for a family was $62,231 (these figures had risen to $59,172 and $80,496 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $44,751 versus $32,699 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,758. About 6.6% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Housing and homelessness

By one estimate, Santa Cruz had in 2023 the least affordable rental market in the United States, pushing past San Francisco which was previously the most unaffordable rental market. There were 23,316 housing units at an average density of 1,473.0 units per square mile (568.7 units/km²), of which 9,375 (43.3%) were owner-occupied, and 12,282 (56.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.4%. 22,861 people (38.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 28,796 people (48.0%) lived in rental housing units. The median price of a home being $640,000 as of April 2013.

Santa Cruz has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the US. In recent years, groups have worked with city leaders to address related challenges.

Economy

Santa Cruz has many important jobs in farming, visiting places, learning, and making new technology. It is well-known for growing food without chemicals and has a special group that helps farmers do this.

People love to visit Santa Cruz for fun places like the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, forests with tall trees, and the ocean near Monterey Bay.

Many technology companies started in Santa Cruz in the 1980s, and some still work there today. The downtown area has many shops, and you can often see musicians and artists performing on the streets. Pacific Avenue shows the special and creative spirit of Santa Cruz.

Top employers

As of 2023^[update], the top employers within the city were:

Arts and culture

Santa Cruz has many places for art and fun things to see, like the University of California, Santa Cruz, Arboretum and Mission Santa Cruz. You can visit the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History or the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. There’s also a special place for surf lovers, the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, near Steamer Lane.

The city holds many festivals and events each year. There’s a music festival called the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and a summer festival for plays by William Shakespeare called Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Other fun events include film and music festivals, and a big surfing event called the O'Neill Cold Water Classic at Steamer Lane.

Historic landmarks

By the 1860s, Pacific Avenue became the main street in downtown Santa Cruz and is still important today. A big earthquake in 1989 damaged many old buildings downtown. Some special places listed as important historic sites include the Branciforte Adobe, Mission Santa Cruz, and the Santa Cruz Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster. Other notable spots can be found on lists of historic places in the area.

Main article: Surf City, USA

Sports

Santa Cruz is home to exciting sports teams! The Santa Cruz Warriors play in the NBA G League and use the Kaiser Permanente Arena for their games. There’s also a fun roller derby team called the Santa Cruz Derby Girls, and they skate at the same arena.

Parks and recreation

Santa Cruz has many beautiful parks and beaches, such as Lighthouse Field State Beach, Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, Twin Lakes State Beach, and Seabright State Beach. The city also has green spaces like Arana Gulch, Moore Creek, and Pogonip, which has oak and redwood forests, meadows, and streams perfect for hiking.

The Santa Cruz Wharf is a popular spot for fishing and watching marine life. Local parks are great for bird watching, butterfly watching, skateboarding, cycling, camping, hiking, and rock climbing. Santa Cruz is famous for surfing and skateboarding, and it also has sports like disc ultimate and disc golf. The DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course hosts big tournaments.

Surfing

Santa Cruz is a top place for water sports like sailing, diving, swimming, and stand up paddle boarding, especially surfing. It is home to famous brands like O'Neill Wetsuits and Santa Cruz Surfboards. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is California's oldest amusement park and features a famous Giant Dipper roller coaster.

Santa Cruz has 11 great surf spots, including Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum shares the history of surfing in the area. The city holds many surf contests each year with surfers from around the world.

Government

In 2022, Santa Cruz changed its way of choosing leaders. Instead of everyone voting for the same group of leaders, the city now has different areas, each choosing its own leader. There is also one leader chosen by everyone to be the mayor. Fred Keeley was the first person to be chosen as mayor this new way.

Santa Cruz is part of the California State Legislature. In the state legislature, it is in the 17th senatorial district, where Democrat John Laird helps make laws, and in the 28th Assembly district, where Democrat Gail Pellerin also helps. For the United States House of Representatives, Santa Cruz is in California's 19th congressional district, and Democrat Jimmy Panetta represents the area there.

Education

Santa Cruz has many places for learning. Public schools in the city are part of the Santa Cruz City School District, with well-known schools such as Santa Cruz High School and Harbor High School.

The city is also home to some private and special schools, like Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School and Pacific Collegiate School. One of the most famous schools is the University of California, Santa Cruz, which has a special place for studying the ocean called the Long Marine Laboratory. There are also other schools such as Five Branches University and a part of Cabrillo College.

Media

Santa Cruz has one daily newspaper called the Santa Cruz Sentinel. There is also a weekly paper named Good Times. The University of California has its own newspaper called City on a Hill Press and a fun humor paper called Fish Rap Live!. An online newspaper is Lookout Santa Cruz.

Radio stations in Santa Cruz include KSCO, KOMY, KZSC, KLVM, KSQL, KSQD, and KPIG-FM.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major roads like State Routes California State Route 1 and California State Route 17 connect Santa Cruz to nearby areas, including San Jose and the San Francisco Bay Area. Because Santa Cruz is located between mountains and the ocean, traffic can get very busy, especially on a curved part of the road called the “fish hook.” Projects have been done to help ease traffic.

The closest big airports are San Jose International Airport, Monterey Regional Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Oakland International Airport. There is also a smaller airport, Watsonville Municipal Airport, closer to town for smaller planes.

In the past, horse-drawn trams and electric streetcars moved people around Santa Cruz. Today, buses serve the area through the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District. Amtrak Thruway offers connections to train services, and Greyhound Lines buses are also available, though used less often.

Santa Cruz has many bike paths and lanes, including new wide lanes on Beach Street near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and paths along the San Lorenzo River. There are also plans for a path next to a train track called a Rail Trail. Tourist trains run between the beach boardwalk and Roaring Camp in Felton through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

Water

The main source of water for Santa Cruz comes from Loch Lomond Reservoir.

Public safety

A report from 2013 mentioned that Santa Cruz had higher rates of certain types of crimes compared to other cities its size in California. Possible reasons included many visitors, concerns about police staffing, many places selling alcohol, drugs being easy to find, and a large number of people moving through the area. More recent data from 2019 showed that crime rates had gone down for most types of crime.

Sister cities

Santa Cruz has special friendships with cities around the world, called sister cities. These include:

• Shingū, Japan (since 1974)
• Sestri Levante, Italy (since 1980)
• Alushta, Crimea, Ukraine (since 1984)
• Jinotepe, Nicaragua (since 1990)
• Biarritz, France (since 2022)

There is also an inactive friendship with:

• Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela (since 1966)