Santa Cruz, California - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Santa Cruz is the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

and largest city of Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946. It is located on the northern edge of the Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....

, about 72 mi (115.9 km) south of San Francisco.

The present-day site of Santa Cruz was the location of Spanish settlement beginning in 1791, including Mission Santa Cruz

Mission Santa Cruz

Mission Santa Cruz was established in 1791 and named for the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, the name that the explorer Gaspar de Portolà gave to the area when he camped on the banks of the San Lorenzo River on October 17, 1769, and erected a wooden cross...

and the pueblo of Branciforte

Branciforte

Branciforte or as it was named originally, Villa de Branciforte, was a secular pueblo established by the Spanish in the of Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, in 1797 on the eastern bluff overlooking the San Lorenzo River...

. Following the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, California became the 31st state in 1850. The City of Santa Cruz was chartered in 1866. Important early industries included lumber, lime and agriculture. Late in the 19th century, Santa Cruz established itself as a beach resort community. Santa Cruz is now known for its moderate climate, the natural beauty of its coastline and redwood

Redwood

-Trees:Conifers* Family Cupressaceae *** Sequoia sempervirens - coast redwood**** Albino redwood*** Sequoiadendron giganteum - giant sequoia*** Metasequoia glyptostroboides - dawn redwood* Family Pinaceae...

forests, alternative community lifestyles, and socially liberal leanings. It is also home to the University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz

The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...

, a premier research institution and educational hub, as well as the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...

, an oceanfront amusement park.

The Ohlone and pre-contact period

Prior to the arrival of Spanish soldiers, missionaries and colonists in the late 18th century, the Santa Cruz area was home to the Ohlone

Ohlone

The Ohlone people, also known as the Costanoan, are a Native American people of the central California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the area along the coast from San Francisco Bay through Monterey Bay to the lower Salinas Valley...

Native Americans. The Ohlone had no written language, and lived in small villages scattered around the Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay regions. Within fifty years of the Spaniards' arrival, the Ohlone culture and way of life had virtually disappeared in the Santa Cruz area. The only remnants of their spoken language are three local place names: Aptos

Aptos, California

Aptos is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 6,220 at the 2010 census.Aptos is an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz county, consisting of several small communities...

, Soquel

Soquel, California

Soquel is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 9,644 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Soquel is located at ....

and Zayante

Zayante, California

Zayante is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California. It is a residential area located on Zayante Creek. Zayante sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Zayante's population was 705.-History:...

Mission and Pueblo period

In 1769 the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà

Gaspar de Portolà

Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...

accidentally arrived in the vicinity while attempting to travel to Monterey. He named the river San Lorenzo for Saint Lawrence

Saint Lawrence

Lawrence of Rome was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.- Holy Chalice :...

and he named a local creek "Arroyo de Santa Cruz" which translates as "Holy Cross Creek". In 1791, Father Fermín Lasuén

Fermín Lasuén

Father Padre Fermín de Francisco Lasuén de Arasqueta was a Spanish missionary to Alta California, the second presidente and founder of the California Franciscan Mission Chain....

continued the use of Portolà's name when he declared the establishment of La Misión de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz (also known as Mission Santa Cruz

Mission Santa Cruz

) for the conversion of the Awaswas of Chatu-Mu and surrounding Ohlone villages. Santa Cruz was the twelfth mission to be founded in California.

In 1797, Governor Diego de Borica

Diego de Borica

Diego de Borica was a Spanish explorer and the seventh Governor of Las Californias from 1794 to 1800, and is credited with defining Alta- and Baja-California's official borders.-Biography:...

, by order of the Viceroy of New Spain, Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte, marqués de Branciforte

Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte, marqués de Branciforte

Don Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca de Carini y Branciforte, 1st Marqués de Branciforte was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from July 12, 1794 to May 31, 1798. He is known as one of the most corrupt viceroys in the history of the colony...

, established the Villa de Branciforte, a town named in honor of the Viceroy. One of only three civilian towns established in California during the Spanish colonial period (the other two became Los Angeles and San Jose), the Villa was located across the San Lorenzo River

San Lorenzo River

The San Lorenzo River drains a large watershed in Santa Cruz County, California. The headwaters originate in the Santa Cruz Mountains at an elevation of , and the river flows through the San Lorenzo Valley before emptying into the Pacific Ocean at Monterey Bay...

, less than a mile from the Mission. Its original main street is now North Branciforte Avenue. Villa de Branciforte later lost its civic status, and in 1905 the area was annexed into the City of Santa Cruz.

In the 1820s, newly independent Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

assumed control of the area. Following the secularization of the Mission in 1834, the community that had grown up around the Mission was renamed Pueblo de Figueroa. The name didn't catch on, however, and later reverted back to Santa Cruz. After 1834, immigrants from the United States began to arrive in steadily increasing numbers. In 1848, following the Mexican-American War, Mexico ceded the territory of Alta California

Alta California

Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...

to the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...

. California was the first portion of the territory to became a state, in 1850. Santa Cruz became a city in 1866.

Social activism

As a center of liberal

Liberalism

Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...

and progressive

Progressivism

Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...

activism, Santa Cruz became one of the first cities to approve marijuana for medicinal uses. In 1992, residents overwhelmingly approved Measure A, which allowed for the medicinal uses of marijuana. Santa Cruz also became one of the first cities in California to test the state's medical marijuana laws in court after the arrest of Valerie Corral

Valerie Corral

Valerie Corral is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana and Raha Kudo, Design for Dying Project.-Origin of Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana:...

and Mike Corral, founders of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana

Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana

Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana is a non-profit medicinal cannabis dispensing collective located in Santa Cruz, California. WAMM was founded in 1993 by Valerie Leveroni Corral and her then husband Michael Corral. Members receive medicinal cannabis in exchange for volunteer work. There...

, by the DEA

Drug Enforcement Administration

The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...

. The case was ruled in favor of the growers. In 2005, the Santa Cruz City Council established a city government office to assist residents with obtaining medical marijuana. On November 7, 2006, the voters of Santa Cruz passed Measure K

Measure K

Measure K is an ordinance put on the city of Santa Cruz's annual ballot on November 6, 2006. It's purpose was to give marijuana violations the lowest priority for local law enforcement. All other offenses besides adult-marijuana offenses were put to a higher priority as well...

by a vote of 64-36 percent. Measure K

Measure K

made adult non-medical cannabis offenses the lowest priority for law enforcement; this does not apply to cultivation, distribution, sale in public, sale to minors, or driving under the influence. The measure requests the Santa Cruz city clerk send letters annually to state and federal representatives advocating reform of cannabis laws.

Santa Cruz has an activist Veteran community. The United Veterans Council sponsors a community-based program for Veterans dealing with re-entry into society as an alternative to government remedies. The Bill Motto VFW

Veterans of Foreign Wars

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...

post #5888 sponsors anti-war and peace efforts in Santa Cruz and throughout the country. The Veterans Memorial Building is host to punk

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

, reggae

Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...

, and hip-hop acts from Santa Cruz and around the world. It is also the home of the Bill Motto Post-sponsored Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving (United States)

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...

and Christmas dinners. These dinners were started by post #5888 in the late seventies. In 2006, the Thanksgiving dinner served 1,400 people. Founded in 1976, The Resource Center for Nonviolence is one of the oldest and most centrally located non-profit organizations committed to political and social activism in Santa Cruz County. The center is "dedicated to promoting the principles of nonviolent social change and enhancing the quality of life and human dignity". In 1998, the Santa Cruz community declared itself a Nuclear-free zone

Nuclear-free zone

A nuclear-free zone is an area where nuclear weapons and nuclear power are banned. The specific ramifications of these depend on the locale in question....

, and in 2003, the Santa Cruz City Council became the first City Council in the U.S. to denounce the Iraq War. The City Council of Santa Cruz also issued a proclamation opposing the USA PATRIOT Act

USA PATRIOT Act

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...

.

Notable feminist activists Nikki Craft

Nikki Craft

Nikki Craft is an American political activist, radical feminist, artist and writer.-Activism:In 1975, she presented the Rockwell International Board of Directors with "...naked doll[s] splashed with blood-colored paint" to protest their B-1 bomber called "The Peacemaker".The same year, Craft...

and Ann Simonton

Ann Simonton

Ann J. Simonton is an American writer, lecturer, media activist, and former fashion model. She founded and coordinates the non-profit group "Media Watch", which challenges what they see as racism, sexism, and violence in the media through education and action. Simonton has published two...

resided in Santa Cruz where they formed the "Praying Mantis Brigade". This collection of activists organized the "Myth California Pageant" in the 1980s protesting "the objectification of women and the glorification of the beauty myth." Myth California was staged concurrently with the Miss California

Miss California

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss USA, see Miss California USAThe Miss California competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss America pageant. Delegates from the states of California, Ohio and Oklahoma have each won the title of Miss...

pageant held in Santa Cruz since the 1920s. The protests, including women dressed in meat and pouring the blood of raped women across a pageant entryway, ran for nine years and eventually contributed to the Miss California pageant leaving Santa Cruz. Simonton founded and coordinates the non-profit group "Media Watch" which monitors and critiques media images of women and ethnic minorities. Beginning in 1983 Santa Cruz has hosted an annual Take Back the Night

Take Back the Night

Take Back the Night is an internationally held march and rally intended as a protest and direct action against rape and other forms of sexual violence...

candlelight vigil, rally, march, and protest focusing on the issue of violence against women.

Recent history

On March 11, 2011, Santa Cruz was hit by ocean surges caused by the Tōhoku earthquake

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...

off the coast of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor sustained an estimated $10 million of damage, with another $4 million of damage to docked boats there.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the CDP

Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

covers an area of 15.8 square miles (40.9 km²), 12.7 square miles (32.9 km²) of it is land, and 3.1 square miles (8 km²) of it (19.51%) is water.

Climate

Santa Cruz has mild weather throughout the year, enjoying a Mediterranean climate characterized by cool, wet winters and warm, mostly dry summers. Due to its proximity to Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....

, fog and low overcast are common during the night and morning hours, especially in the summer.

Economy

The principal industries of Santa Cruz are agriculture, tourism, education (UCSC) and high technology. Santa Cruz is a center of the organic

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

agriculture movement, and many specialty products as well as housing the headquarters of California Certified Organic Farmers

California Certified Organic Farmers

California Certified Organic Farmers is a USDA accredited organic certifying agency and trade association located in Santa Cruz, California. CCOF offers organic certification to the USDA National Organic Program standards throughout North and South America to farms, livestock operations,...

. Tourist attractions include the classic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

on the beach, the redwood forests, and Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....

, which is protected as a marine sanctuary.

Top employers

According to Santa Cruz's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	University of California, Santa Cruz University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...	7,186
2	County of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz County, California Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...	2,463
3	City of Santa Cruz	985
4	Plantronics Plantronics Plantronics is an electronics company producing audio communications equipment for business and consumers. Its' products provide unified communications, mobile use, gaming and music...	474
5	Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...	347
6	Costco Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...	236
7	Santa Cruz Biotechnology	216
8	Threshold Enterprises	213
9	Community Bridges	212
10	New Teacher Center New Teacher Center The New Teacher Center is a national non-profit organization in the U.S. dedicated to strengthening the practice of beginning teachers. The NTC conducts research, develops and administers induction and mentoring programs for new teachers and school administrators, and consults with organizations,...	211

Demographics

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:15px;"
|+ Santa Cruz
Population by year

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Santa Cruz had a population of 59,946. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

was 3,787.2 people per square mile (1,462.3/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

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 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

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

living together, 1,833 (8.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 862 (4.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,802 (8.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships

POSSLQ

POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....

, 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

Family (U.S. Census)

A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...

(46.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.92.

The population was spread out with 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.

There were 23,316 housing units at an average density of 1,473.0 per square mile (568.7/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.

2000

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 (4,356.0/sq mi). There were 21,504 housing units at an average density of 1,715.8 per square mile (662.6/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

Race (United States Census)

, 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 population was spread out with 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

Income

Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...

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.

Law and government

In the state legislature

California State Legislature

The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...

Santa Cruz is located in the 11th Senate

California State Senate

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

District, represented by Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Joe Simitian

Saren Joseph Simitian is a Democratic California State Senator elected in 2004. Simitian represents the 11th Senate District, which encompasses all or part of 13 cities in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties....

, and in the 27th Assembly

California State Assembly

The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

District, represented by Democrat Bill Monning

Bill Monning

William "Bill" Monning is an American educator, lawyer and politician. Monning was elected to the California State Assembly from the 27th Assembly District in the 2008 Assembly election....

. Federally, Santa Cruz is located in California's 17th congressional district

California's 17th congressional district

California's 17th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that covers all of Monterey and San Benito counties, as well as part of Santa Cruz County...

, which has a Cook PVI

Cook Partisan Voting Index

The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...

of D +17 and is represented by Democrat Sam Farr

Sam Farr

Samuel S. "Sam" Farr is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to Congress in a 1993 special election when longtime Democratic Rep...

Sister cities

Santa Cruz has six sister cities

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc., including Alushta

Alushta

Alushta is a resort town in Crimea, Ukraine, founded in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It is situated on the Black Sea on the road from Gurzuf to Sudak, as well as on the Crimean Trolleybus line....

, Ukraine, Jinotepe

Jinotepe

Jinotepe is a city in Nicaragua, located in Department of Carazo in the South Pacific region of Nicaragua at the municipality of Jinotepe. It borders with Managua, Masaya, Granada, and Rivas.It is a sister city of Santa Cruz, California, United States....

, Nicaragua; Puerto La Cruz

Puerto la Cruz

Puerto la Cruz is a port city located in Anzoátegui State, in Venezuela. It is the seat of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality. The city has road connections to the state capital, Barcelona, to Lecheria and to Guanta, and has the potential to become the largest and most important metropolitan...

, Venezuela; Sestri Levante

Sestri Levante

Sestri Levante is a town and comune in Liguria, Italy. Lying on the Mediterranean Sea, it is approximately 56 kilometers south of Genoa and is set on a promontory. While nearby Portofino and the Cinque Terre are probably the most well known tourist destinations on the Italian Riviera, Sestri...

, Italy; Shingū

Shingu, Wakayama

is a city located in Wakayama, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 32,288, with a household number of 16,003, and the density of 126.41 persons per km². The total area is 255.43 km²....

, Japan, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...

, Spain. A monument next to the downtown Santa Cruz post office has a small circular plaza surrounded by marble posts topped with bronze maps of each of the sister cities.

Transportation

State Routes 1

California State Route 1

State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...

and 17 are the main roads in and out of Santa Cruz. Geographically constrained between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Monterey Bay, the narrow transportation corridor served by SR 1 suffers mild congestion. The ramp from SR 1 northbound to SR 17 southbound, onto Ocean Street, is commonly known as the "fish hook" due to its tightening curve. A project to widen the highway and this interchange was begun in 2006 and completed in the fall of 2008.

The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District

Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District

The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District , or simply the Santa Cruz Metro, provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz County, California....

provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County, California

. Metro also operates bus service between Santa Cruz (city) and San Jose

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

by way of a partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is a special-purpose district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California, United States...

and Amtrak California

Amtrak California

Amtrak California is a brand name used by the Caltrans Division of Rail for all state-supported Amtrak rail routes within the U.S. State of California...

. Connections are possible in San Jose. Greyhound Lines

Greyhound Lines

Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...

bus service is another option for visiting Santa Cruz.

The nearest airports served by major commercial airlines are San Jose International Airport

San Jose International Airport

Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport serving the city of San Jose in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is named for San Jose native Norman Yoshio Mineta, who was Transportation Secretary in the Cabinet of George W...

, Monterey Peninsula Airport

Monterey Peninsula Airport

Monterey Peninsula Airport is a regional airport located three miles southeast of the central business district of Monterey, a city in Monterey County, California, USA. It was created in 1936....

, San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...

, and Oakland International Airport

Oakland International Airport

Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...

. The nearest public airport of any kind is Watsonville Municipal Airport

Watsonville Municipal Airport

Watsonville Municipal Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Watsonville, a city in Santa Cruz County, California, USA. The airport covers and has two runways...

, about eight miles to the southeast, which serves general aviation users.

Santa Cruz has an extensive network of bike lanes and bike paths. Most major roads have bike lanes, and wide, luxurious bike lanes were recently installed on Beach Street, near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

. Additionally, there are levee bike paths along the San Lorenzo River

San Lorenzo River

. A Rail Trail

Rail trail

A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...

– a bicycle and pedestrian path beside an existing coastal train track—is under consideration.

The Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway

Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway

The Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway is a freight and heritage railroad in Northern California.It uses diesel locomotives to haul excursion trains over an route between Olympia, California and an interchange with the Union Pacific Railroad at the Santa Cruz Wye, though the line is now...

operates diesel-electric tourist trains between the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

and Roaring Camp in Felton

Felton, California

-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Felton had a population of 4,057. The population density was 891.2 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Felton was 3,691 White, 25 African American, 29 Native American, 69 Asian, 11 Pacific Islander, 60 from other races, and 172 from...

, through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is a California State Park located in Santa Cruz County, primarily in the area in-between the cities of Santa Cruz, Felton, and Scotts Valley, and the University of California at Santa Cruz, and it includes an extension in the Fall Creek area.-Geography:The main...

, with its famous Redwood Grove

Redwood Grove

The Redwood Grove of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, which is located in Santa Cruz County in Northern California, is a grove of Coast Redwoods with member trees extending into the 1400 to 1800-year-old range. This grove is notable because it allows for the use of self-guided tours of the flat, ...

walking trail.

Education

Santa Cruz is home to several notable educational institutions, including Aptos High School

Aptos High School

Aptos High School is a comprehensive secondary school in Aptos, California, USA in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Aptos High serves the communities of Rio Del Mar, Corralitos, Seacliff, Seascape, La Selva Beach, Buena Vista and Watsonville....

, Harbor High School

Harbor High School (California)

Located at 300 La Fonda Avenue, Harbor High School is a high school located in Santa Cruz, California, and has a student body of roughly 1200 students...

, Pacific Collegiate School

Pacific Collegiate School

Pacific Collegiate School is a grades 7-12 charter school located on the westside of Santa Cruz, California.Currently, the number of students hovers around 514. The school mascot is the Puma, and the school colors are black and silver...

(a grade 7–12 charter school), Cypress Charter High School, Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School

Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School

Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School, often referred to as Kirby or GBK is a non-profit independent school, located in Santa Cruz, California...

(a grade 6–12 private school), Monterey Coast Preparatory (also a 6–12 private school), Santa Cruz High School

Santa Cruz High School

Santa Cruz High School is a comprehensive public school in Santa Cruz, California which opened in 1897 and now serves an enrollment of about 1,040 students in grades nine through twelve.- Notable alumni :...

, the University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz

The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...

, Cabrillo College

Cabrillo College

Cabrillo College is a public community college offering associate degrees and certificates in more than 70 fields of study such as: engineering, computer science, allied health , public safety, marine biology and the visual and performing arts. The college itself is named after the explorer Juan...

, (which is located in nearby Aptos

Aptos, California

and holds some classes within Santa Cruz city), and Five Branches University.

The Long Marine Laboratory

Long Marine Laboratory

The Long Marine Laboratory is a research center located at the West edge of Santa Cruz, CA. It is affiliated with the University of California, Santa Cruz and is a field base for researchers of the Monterey Bay...

is a marine research facility on the western edge of the city.

Downtown

Roy Rydell was engaged as the landscape architect for the former Pacific Garden Mall and other notable places in Santa Cruz including: Abbott Square beside The Museum of Art & History and Lulu's at the historical Octagon, Plaza Branciforte on Soquel Avenue, the Town Clock Plaza, the Communication Building at UCSC, Deer Park Center, Santa Cruz City Hall Annex, and the Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...

estate.

During the Loma Prieta earthquake

Loma Prieta earthquake

The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...

in 1989, several buildings along what was known as the Pacific Garden Mall were destroyed, including the former beaux arts courthouse renamed and reopened in the 1960s as the Cooper House. The Cooper House was widely regarded as the heart of the downtown area and featured outdoor music played each day by Don McCaslin's band "Warmth". The Cooper House had a restaurant and bar that went through several owners throughout the 1980s but consistently attracted the townspeople, their guests, and local characters such as "Rainbow Ginger" to the outdoor patio where cocktails, food, music, and people watching were always on the menu. Since the earthquake, the old "Pacific Garden Mall" theme was eliminated, and an updated downtown design plan by ROMA Design Group

ROMA Design Group

ROMA Design Group is a San Francisco-based interdisciplinary firm of architects, landscape architects, and urban planners focused on infill development and the design of the public realm...

was implemented. The few remaining empty lots on Pacific Avenue are currently in the process of being developed.

Parks, beaches, greenbelt districts and marine protected areas

Santa Cruz is home to several state parks and beaches, including Lighthouse Field State Beach

Lighthouse Field State Beach

Lighthouse Field State Beach is a protected beach as part of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, located in Santa Cruz, California.- External links :*...

, Natural Bridges State Beach

Natural Bridges State Beach

Natural Bridges State Beach is a California state park in Santa Cruz, California in the United States. The park features a natural bridge across a section of the beach. It is also well known as a hotspot to see monarch butterfly migrations...

, Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, Twin Lakes State Beach, and Seabright State Beach.

Santa Cruz has five greenbelt districts, including Arana Gulch

Arana Gulch

Arana Gulch is a landform and greenbelt area within the city of Santa Cruz, California. This parcel of land includes open meadows, California oak woodland, and the riparian zone of Arana Creek. The property ownership is by the city of Santa Cruz, who operates Arana Gulch as a public open space. A...

, Lighthouse Field, Moore Creek, Neary Lagoon, and Pogonip. Pogonip is a city-run park and open space located adjacent to the University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz

The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...

. It includes second-growth redwoods and meadows as well as several streams, and is crossed by several hiking trails. The Pogonip also includes a former country club, with its golf courses and polo fields. The name for the park is derived from the Ohlone

Ohlone languages

The Ohlone language family also known as "Costanoan", is a family of languages of the San Francisco Bay Area spoken by the Ohlone peoples. It is a member of the hypothetical Penutian language phylum or stock, and the Utian language family...

Native American word pogonip meaning "icy fog". There are also three regional parks and twenty-one neighborhood parks.

Año Nuevo State Marine Conservation Area

Año Nuevo State Marine Conservation Area

Año Nuevo State Marine Conservation Area is one of two adjoining marine protected areas off the coast of San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties, on California’s central coast.The area is approximately 55 miles south of San Francisco. The SMCA is 11.07 square miles...

, Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area

Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area

Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area is one of two adjoining marine protected areas off the coast of San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County, on California’s central coast. The area is approximately south of San Francisco. The SMCA is...

and Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve

Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve

Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve is a marine protected area located at the northern edge of Santa Cruz, California, approximately south of San Francisco. The SMR covers The SMR protects all marine life within its boundaries. Fishing or other removal of any living marine resource is...

are marine protected areas off the coast of Santa Cruz. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.

Recreation

Santa Cruz is well-known for watersports such as sailing, diving, swimming, paddling, and is regarded as one of the best spots in the world for surfing

Surfing

Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

. It is the home of O'Neill

O'Neill (brand)

O'Neill is an American surfboard, surfwear and equipment brand that was started in San Francisco, California, but soon moved down the coast to Santa Cruz. Some credit the company with having invented the modern wetsuit...

Wetsuit

A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material,...

s and Santa Cruz Surfboards, as well as Santa Cruz Skateboards and Santa Cruz Bicycles. Santa Cruz also houses Derby skate park. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

is California’s oldest amusement park and a designated State Historic Landmark. Home to a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

, a 1911 Charles I. D. Looff

Charles I. D. Looff

Charles I. D. Looff was a master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels and amusement rides in America. Looff built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876. During his lifetime, he manufactured over 50 carousels,twelve amusements parks, several roller coasters and Ferris wheels, and built...

Carousel

A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...

and 1924 Giant Dipper

Giant Dipper

The Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. It opened on May 17, 1924. It is the fifth-oldest roller coaster in the United States; over 55 million riders have ridden it since its opening...

roller coaster, the Boardwalk has been owned and operated by the Santa Cruz Seaside Company since 1915.

In one of the first published descriptions of surfing in California, three Hawaiian princes, Prince Edward Keliiahonui

Edward Keliiahonui

Edward Abnel Keliiahonui Piikoi was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His second name was probably based on "Abner", but sounds for "r" and "l" are used interchangeably in some dialects of the Hawaiian language.-Early life:...

, Prince David Kawānanakoa

David Kawananakoa

Prince David Laamea Kahalepouli Kinoiki Kawānanakoa Piikoi , was the patriarch of the House of Kawānanakoa. He was in the line of succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii around the time of the kingdom's overthrow.-Life:...

and Prince Jonah Kalanianaole

Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole

Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaole Piikoi was a prince of the reigning House of Kalākaua when the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown by international businessmen in 1893...

, surfed on locally milled redwood boards at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in July 1885. Santa Cruz has 11 world-class surf breaks, including the point breaks over rock bottoms near Steamer Lane

Steamer Lane

Steamer Lane is a famous surfing location in Santa Cruz, California. It is just off a point on the side of cliffs in the West Cliff residential area near downtown Santa Cruz, providing easy access and a good vantage point for viewing. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is housed in a lighthouse there....

and Pleasure Point

Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, California

Two more spots surfed in the early '70's are "Little Wind & Sea" and "26th avenue". Both are just north of "Sewers" and "First Peak" at 26th Avenue....

, which create some of the best surfing waves in the world. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is a museum which was established in May 1986 to document the history of surfing. With collections dating back to the earliest years of surfing on mainland United States, the museum houses a historical account of surfing in Santa Cruz, California.-Location:Located in...

at Steamer Lane is staffed by docents from the Santa Cruz Surfing Club who have surfed Santa Cruz waves since the 1930s. Santa Cruz hosts several surf contests drawing international participants each year, including the O'Neill Cold Water Classic, the International Longboard Association contest, and many others.

The Santa Cruz Wharf

Santa Cruz Wharf

The Santa Cruz Wharf is a wharf in Santa Cruz, California, USA, known for fishing, boat tours, viewing sea lions, dining, and gift shops. The current wharf was built in 1914, the last of six built on the site, and is operated by the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Office.A fish market on...

is known for fishing, viewing marine mammals and other recreation. Local parks offer many opportunities for birding and butterfly watching

Butterfly watching

Butterfly watching is a hobby concerned with the observation and study of butterflies. It also includes "catch and release" of butterflies...

, as well as outdoor sports such as skateboarding

Skateboarding

Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...

, cycling

Cycling

Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

, camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

, hiking, and rock climbing

Rock climbing

Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...

. In addition to its reputation in surfing and skateboarding, Santa Cruz is known for other alternative sports such as disc golf

Disc golf

Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...

. The Santa Cruz Skatepark is open to the public 7 days a week and is free. The De Laveaga Disc Golf Course

De Laveaga Disc Golf Course

De Laveaga Disc Golf Course is a world renowned 27-hole disc golf course in the hills above Santa Cruz, California. It boasts one of the original long disc golf courses, with some holes measuring more than 500 feet in length...

hosts PDGA tournaments, including the annual Masters Cup. De Laveaga was the disc golf and discathon venue for the WFDF

World Flying Disc Federation

The World Flying Disc Federation is the international governing body for flying disc sports, with responsibility for sanctioning world championship events, establishing uniform rules, setting of standards for and recording of world records...

-sanctioned World Disc Games

World Disc Games

The World Disc Games is a semi-regular event that brings the entire world flying disc community together for a week of overall disc events that allow people to compete in and enjoy disc sports...

overall event held in Santa Cruz in July 2005.

Cultural attractions

Santa Cruz has several smaller attractions, including the University of California, Santa Cruz, Arboretum

University of California, Santa Cruz, Arboretum

The University of California, Santa Cruz, Arboretum, also called the UCSC Arboretum, is located on the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz, in Santa Cruz, California, USA....

, Mission Santa Cruz

Mission Santa Cruz

, the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

The Santa Cruz City Museum of Natural History, also known affectionately by locals as the "whale museum", is one of the earliest museums in the state of California. Founded from the Laura Hecox collection in 1905, the museum's collections grew extensively throughout the years, acquiring many...

, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History and the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

which is housed in a lighthouse near Steamer Lane

Steamer Lane

Cultural events

Santa Cruz County Symphony
Santa Cruz County Symphony
Founded in 1958, the Santa Cruz County Symphony has been under the guidance of John Larry Granger, Music Director since 1991. The Santa Cruz County Symphony performs at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and the Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville, California. Five regular-season...

— Founded in 1958, the Santa Cruz County Symphony is a fully professional ensemble of 65 members which presents an annual concert series at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and the Mello Center in Watsonville. Additional offerings include musician school visits, free concerts for area school children, family concerts, and pops concerts.
Shakespeare Santa Cruz
Shakespeare Santa Cruz
Shakespeare Santa Cruz is a professional theatre festival held annually in Santa Cruz, California.- History :Shakespeare Santa Cruz was founded in 1981 and performs annually on the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz...

— An annual summer festival at UC Santa Cruz, the event typically performs two Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

plays and one other play every summer, many of which are performed in a unique outdoor space among the redwoods.
Santa Cruz Film Festival — An annual event for independent filmmakers to share their work with film enthusiasts

Santa Cruz Pride — The annual parade is a celebration of sexual preference and diversity in Santa Cruz, held on the Pacific Avenue mall.
Open Studios Art Tour — The art fair has been run for more than three decades and draws artists and patrons from around the area.
O'Neill
O'Neill (brand)
O'Neill is an American surfboard, surfwear and equipment brand that was started in San Francisco, California, but soon moved down the coast to Santa Cruz. Some credit the company with having invented the modern wetsuit...

Cold Water Classic — An annual surfing event that draws crowds at the popular Steamer Lane
Steamer Lane
Steamer Lane is a famous surfing location in Santa Cruz, California. It is just off a point on the side of cliffs in the West Cliff residential area near downtown Santa Cruz, providing easy access and a good vantage point for viewing. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is housed in a lighthouse there....

.
Wharf to Wharf Race — An annual race which has been held for more than three decades.
Woodies on the Wharf — An annual woodie
Woodie
A woodie is a car body style, especially a station wagon, where the rear bodywork is constructed of wood framework with infill panels of wood or painted metal....

s show that takes place on the Santa Cruz Wharf.
Santa Cruz Farmers Market – Several year-round outdoor markets showcasing the agricultural diversity of the Central Coast region with emphasis on sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...

and organic food
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...

. Regional specialties include strawberry, apple, artichoke, artisan goat cheeses and brassica
Brassica
Brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family . The members of the genus may be collectively known either as cabbages, or as mustards...

. The main market is held downtown on Wednesdays.

Historic places

Landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

:

A. J. Hinds House
Hinds House
The Hinds House is a historic building in Santa Cruz, California. It was built in 1888 and 1889 by Alfred J. Hinds and his wife Sarah. Its classical Victorian style has been preserved and it is the largest surviving Stick-Eastlake house in Santa Cruz County. Today the Hinds House is a historical...

(8/25/1983)
Allan Brown Site (6/25/1981)
Bank of Santa Cruz County (3/15/1982)
Branciforte Adobe
Branciforte Adobe
The Branciforte Adobe, also known as the Craig-Lorenzana Adobe, is the only remaining dwelling from the Villa de Branciforte, the settlement that was established in 1797 at the time of the Mission Santa Cruz....

(1/31/1979)
Carmelita Court (3/20/1986)
Cope Row Houses (1/28/1982)
Cowell Lime Works Historic District (11/21/2007)
Elias H. Robinson House (1/9/1998)
Garfield Park Branch Library (3/26/1992)
Glen Canyon Covered Bridge (5/17/1984)
Golden Gate Villa
Golden Gate Villa
The Golden Gate Villa is a Queen Anne style house built in 1891 Santa Cruz, California. The house was designed by San Francisco architect Thomas J. Welsh for Major Frank McLaughlin, a mining engineer and California politician. Visitors to Golden Gate Villa included Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas...

(7/24/1975)
Hotel Metropole (5/23/1979)
Live Oak Ranch (7/10/1975)
Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster
Santa Cruz Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster
Santa Cruz Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster On The Beach Boardwalk is a National Historic Landmark composed of two parts, a Looff carousel and the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, on the boardwalk at Santa Cruz, California.-Looff Carousel:...

(2/27/1987)
Mission Hill Area Historic District
Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz was established in 1791 and named for the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, the name that the explorer Gaspar de Portolà gave to the area when he camped on the banks of the San Lorenzo River on October 17, 1769, and erected a wooden cross...

(5/17/1976)
Neary-Rodriguez Adobe (2/24/1975)
Octagon Building
Octagon Building (Santa Cruz, California)
The Octagon Building is an historic redbrick octagonal government office building in Santa Cruz, California. It was built in 1882 to serve as the Santa Cruz County Hall of Records. It later became the Museum Store for the adjacent Museum of Art and History....

(3/24/1971)
Santa Cruz Downtown Historic District (7/27/1989)
US Post Office-Santa Cruz Main (1/11/1985)
Veterans Memorial Building (4/27/1992)

Landmarks on the California Register of Historical Resources
California Register of Historical Resources
The California Register of Historical Resources is a California state government program for use by state and local agencies, private groups and citizens to identify, evaluate, register and protect California's historical resources...

:
- Mission Santa Cruz
  Mission Santa Cruz
  Mission Santa Cruz was established in 1791 and named for the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, the name that the explorer Gaspar de Portolà gave to the area when he camped on the banks of the San Lorenzo River on October 17, 1769, and erected a wooden cross...
- Center of Villa de Branciforte
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
  Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
  The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...

Television

The Monterey-Salinas metropolitan statistical (or service) area (MSA) is served by a variety of local television stations, and is the 124th largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 222,900 homes:

KLFB – Channel 21
KLFB-LP
KLFB-LP is a low-power television station in Salinas, California, broadcasting locally in analog on UHF channel 21 as an affiliate of 3ABN. Founded November 30, 1989, the station is owned by Living Faith Broadcasting and is associated with local Seventh-day Adventist Churchs.- External links :*...

: – Salinas
KOTR – Channel 2
KOTR-LP
KOTR-LP is a television station located in Gonzales, California, which is the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Monterey Bay area. The station broadcasts on channel 2, but brands using their channel 11 cable channel slot, which preceded the launch of the broadcast signal. KOTR-LP is owned by Mirage...

: – Monterey/Salinas-(Comcast Cable 11) Santa Cruz (Comcast Digital Cable 187)
KSBW – channel 8
KSBW
KSBW is a television station in the United States and is the primary NBC affiliate for the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz, California market. The station is owned by Hearst Television. KSBW has its studios on John Street in downtown Salinas, which is mentioned occasionally during commercial breaks...

: – (NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

; ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

on DT2
KSBW-DT2
KSBW-DT2, branded as Central Coast ABC, is the second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate KSBW, which is owned by Hearst Television. The second digital subchannel is the ABC affiliate for the Salinas–Monterey–Santa Cruz, California market, which began transmission on April 18, 2011...

) – Salinas
KMUV – channel 15: – (Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....

) – Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz (Simulcast of KSTS
KSTS
KSTS is the NBCUniversal owned and operated Telemundo television station in the San Francisco Bay Area market. The station is located in San Jose, California and broadcasts on digital channel 49. KSTS shares facilities with NBC sister operation KNTV. The new all-digital broadcast center was opened...

48)
KQET – channel 25: – (PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

) – Watsonville (Simulcast of San Francisco's KQED)
KDJT – channel 33: – (Telefutura
TeleFutura
TeleFutura is a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami, Florida.-Overview:TeleFutura Is America’s #2 Spanish-Language Network in prime time...

) – Monterey
KCBA – channel 35
KCBA
KCBA is a Fox affiliate television station in Salinas, California, USA. The station broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 13. KCBA is owned by Seal Rock Broadcasters, LLC and operated by Cowles Publishing Company through a local marketing agreement with CBS affiliate KION-TV channel...

: – (Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

) – Salinas
KMCE – channel 43
KMCE-LP
KMCE-LP is an Azteca América affiliate serving the vicinity of Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz- Channel 29, California. The station is licensed to Monterey and broadcasts from Fremont Peak, however, KMCE's studeios are located in Watsonville....

: – (Azteca América
Azteca América
Azteca América is a broadcast television network marketed toward Spanish-speaking families residing in the United States. As a rapidly-growing Spanish language network, Azteca América now reaches 89% of the Hispanic households in the U.S., operating in sixty-two markets nationwide. Wholly owned by...

) – Monterey/Salinas
KION – channel 46
KION-TV
KION-TV is a full-power television station in Salinas, California, broadcasting on digital channel 32 as a CBS affiliate. The stations continues to use UHF channel 46 as its virtual channel through the use of PSIP. KION-TV shows local news, weather, and sports programming, as well as syndicated...

: – (CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

) – Salinas
KSMS – channel 67
KSMS-TV
KSMS-TV is a Spanish-language television station in Monterey, California, broadcasting locally on digital channel 31 as an affiliate of Univisión. KSMS shares its facilities with sister-station KDJT, its Telefutura affiliate. KSMS has their studios on Garden Court in Monterey. Founded September...

: – (Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...

) – Monterey
KYMB – channel 27: – (This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....

) – Monterey

Radio

KSCO
KSCO
KSCO is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format located in Santa Cruz, California. It can be heard over much of Central California during the day. Since 1991, it has been owned by the Zwerling family...

, 1080 AM
KUSP
KUSP
KUSP is a community supported, National Public Radio affiliated public radio station. Located in Santa Cruz, California, USA, the signal covers most of California's Central Coast area. Station content consists of about 2/3 news and information and 1/3 music content.-Online audio:KUSP offers a...

, 88.9 FM
KZSC
KZSC
KZSC is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California. It is a non-commercial college radio station that serves as a training ground for UCSC students interested in broadcasting, as well as an outlet for many members of...

, 88.1 FM
KHIP
KHIP
KHIP is a commercial radio station in Gonzales, California, broadcasting to the Santa Cruz-Monterey-Salinas, California area on 104.3 FM.104.3 was home of alternative rock KMBY which moved to 103.9 in a major switch in 2002....

, 104.3 FM
KAPU
Kapu
Kapu refers to the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct of laws and regulations. The kapu system was universal in lifestyle, gender roles, politics, religion, etc. An offense that was kapu was often a corporal offense, but also often denoted a threat to spiritual power, or theft of mana. Kapus were...

, 104.7 FM
KPIG-FM, 107.5 FM
KDON
KDON
KDON-FM is a Rhythmic Top 40 station licensed to Salinas, California. They are owned by Clear Channel Communications .-History:...

, 102.5

Newspapers

The Santa Cruz Sentinel

Santa Cruz Sentinel

The Santa Cruz Sentinel is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by MediaNews Group Inc....

is Santa Cruz's only daily newspaper. The area is also served by weeklies: Santa Cruz Weekly

Santa Cruz Weekly

Santa Cruz Weekly, a free-circulation weekly newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California began publishing under its current name on May 6, 2009...

(formerly called Metro Santa Cruz) and Good Times

Good Times (newspaper)

Good Times is Santa Cruz County’s free-circulation weekly newspaper founded by Jay Shore and published in Santa Cruz, California since 1975. Good Times is read by more than 100,000 people in the county, a coastal area that includes Capitola, Rio del Mar, Aptos and Watsonville...

. University of California has its own publication, City on a Hill Press
City on a Hill Press
City on a Hill Press, originally launched in 1966 as The Fulcrum, is the weekly student newspaper of the University of California, Santa Cruz...

, and an alternative humor publication, Fish Rap Live!
Fish Rap Live!
Fish Rap Live!, also known as FRL!, is a triweekly alternative humor publication at the University of California, Santa Cruz.- Recognition :...

. There is also an online newspaper called Santa Cruz Wire.

Businesses

Notable businesses that are headquartered in Santa Cruz include Cruzio

Cruzio

Cruzio is the oldest and largest Internet service provider in Santa Cruz County, California. Established in 1989, they provide multi-gigabit fiber Internet, business-grade wireless Internet, DSL, email, website hosting, hands-on classes, computer care, and an on-site data center, with collocation...

, Fullpower Technologies

Fullpower Technologies

Fullpower is a private company based in Santa Cruz, California. It is notable for its founding in 2003 by Philippe Kahn and Sonia Lee and for its MotionX technology platform. MotionX is a mobile sensing technology platform embedded in solutions from companies such as Nike, Jawbone, Pioneer and JVC...

, O'Neill

O'Neill (brand)

, Plantronics

Plantronics

Plantronics is an electronics company producing audio communications equipment for business and consumers. Its' products provide unified communications, mobile use, gaming and music...

, RF Micro Devices

RF Micro Devices

RF Micro Devices is involved in the design and manufacture of high-performance radio frequency systems and solutions for applications that drive wireless and broadband communications....

, Giro

Giro (company)

Giro is a U.S. manufacturer of helmets, sunglasses, goggles and softgoods for cycling, skiing and snowboarding. The company was founded in 1985 by Jim Gentes and is headquartered in the Santa Cruz, California area....

, and Santa Cruz Skateboards. Businesses which used to be headquartered in Santa Cruz include Odwalla

Odwalla

Odwalla Inc. is an American food product company that sells fruit juice, smoothies and food bars. It was founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1980 and is headquartered in Half Moon Bay, California....

and Santa Cruz Operation.

"Surf City" nickname Controversy

After Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...

, California, trademarked the "Surf City USA" name, Santa Cruz politicians tried to stop the mark

Trademark

A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...

from being registered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because of a 10-year-old controversy over Santa Cruz's nickname

Nickname

A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....

"Surf City." Huntington Beach has obtained a total of seven registrations for the "Surf City USA" trademark. None of these registrations of the trademark are on the principal register

Lanham Act

The Lanham Act is a piece of legislation that contains the federal statutes of trademark law in the United States. The Act prohibits a number of activities, including trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising.-History:Named for Representative Fritz G...

, but on the secondary register

Lanham Act

, which means that Huntington Beach has no exclusive right to assert ownership over the "Surf City USA" trademark. Two Santa Cruz surf shops, Shoreline Surf Shop and Noland's on the Wharf, sued the city of Huntington Beach in order to protect the public use of the term "Surf City." The parties reached a confidential settlement in January 2008, in which neither side admitted liability and all claims and counterclaims were dismissed. The Santa Cruz surf shops continue to print t-shirts, and the Visitor's Bureau retains the right to use the trademark. In 2009 Steve Marble, of Los Angeles Times' L.A. Now news blog, wrote an article The real Surf City? It's Santa Cruz, says magazine saying: "But Surfer
Surfer (magazine)
Surfer magazine is a monthly surfing culture magazine published in San Clemente, California.The magazine was founded by John Severson in 1959 as a program to accompany his yearly surf films...

magazine proclaims Santa Cruz to be 'The Real Surf City, USA,' after it considered the surf, food and vibe of the nations' best known surf towns." Steve Marble quotes Surfer: "Huntington Beach may have won the right to the name ‘Surf City, USA’ in the California courts, but any surfer who’s ever paddled out at Steamer Lane knows the judge got it wrong.”

Pop culture references

In the 1963 Beach Boys song "Surfin' USA
Surfin' USA (song)
"Surfin' USA" is a song with lyrics written by Brian Wilson for The Beach Boys, set to the melody from Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen". Berry received co-writing credit for composing the song after litigating. "Surfin' USA" was recorded by The Beach Boys and released as a single on March 4,...

", one of the verses features the lyrics, "You'd catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar, Ventura County Line, Santa Cruz and Trestles."
Much of the Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...

movie Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact is a 1983 American crime thriller and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood...

takes place in Santa Cruz.
Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

indie/rock band, The Thrills
The Thrills
The Thrills are an Irish rock band, formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland. The band was founded by lead vocalist Conor Deasy and guitarist Daniel Ryan, guitarist and bass player Padraic McMahon, pianist Kevin Horan and drummer Ben Carrigan. Their big break came with their debut album, So Much for the...

, released a single called "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)," from their 2003 album So Much for the City
So Much for the City
So Much for the City is the debut album of the Irish indie/pop band The Thrills. It was released in June 2003 and quickly became the number one in the Republic of Ireland where it spent 61 weeks in the top 75, and also won 'Album of the Year' at the national music awards...

.
Much of the 1985 Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...

film Creator
Creator (film)
Creator is a 1985 film directed by Ivan Passer, starring Peter O'Toole, Vincent Spano, Mariel Hemingway, and Virginia Madsen. It is based on a book of the same title by Jeremy Leven.-Plot:...

was filmed at UC Santa Cruz.
Several scenes from the 1987 film The Lost Boys
The Lost Boys
The Lost Boys is a 1987 American teen comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Alex Winter, Jamison Newlander, and Barnard Hughes....

were filmed at distinctive locations in Santa Cruz, including the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...

, Pogonip club house and the Santa Cruz Wharf.
In the 1988 drama film The Boost
The Boost
The Boost is a 1988 drama film directed by Harold Becker. It stars James Woods, Sean Young, John Kapelos, Steven Hill, June Chandler and -- in her final role and first Hollywood film in 33 years -- Amanda Blake.-Plot:...

, starring James Woods, Sean Young, John Kapelos, Steven Hill, June Chandler, Lenny and Linda move to Santa Cruz, after they have lost everything, to "clean up."
Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...

has a song named "Santa Cruz," from his 1996 album Better Living Through Chemistry
Better Living Through Chemistry (album)
Better Living Through Chemistry is the first studio album by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released on 23 September 1996. Its name is a variation of a DuPont advertising slogan; for more information on the slogan, see "Better Living Through Chemistry".The founder of Skint Records, Damian...

.
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...

references the City of Santa Cruz in Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs is an American crime film marking debut of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It depicts the events before and after a botched diamond heist, but not the heist itself. Reservoir Dogs stars an ensemble cast: Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and...

and the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...

in Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...

.
Gillian Welch
Gillian Welch
Gillian Welch is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, Bluegrass, and Americana, is described by The New Yorker as "at once innovative and obliquely...

references the destruction of the Santa Cruz Pacific Garden Mall in her song "Wrecking Ball," off her 2003 album, Soul Journey
Soul Journey
Soul Journey is the fourth studio album by Gillian Welch. As with all of her previous releases, it is a collaboration with David Rawlings....

.
"Paddle Out
Sublime (album)
Sublime is the third and final album released by ska-punk band Sublime. Originally intended to be titled Killin' It, the band and record label agreed to substitute an eponymous title due to lead singer Bradley Nowell's death prior to the album's release...

" by Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...

is about surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

in Santa Cruz. It mentions Natural Bridges
Natural Bridges State Beach
Natural Bridges State Beach is a California state park in Santa Cruz, California in the United States. The park features a natural bridge across a section of the beach. It is also well known as a hotspot to see monarch butterfly migrations...

, Steamer Lane
Steamer Lane
Steamer Lane is a famous surfing location in Santa Cruz, California. It is just off a point on the side of cliffs in the West Cliff residential area near downtown Santa Cruz, providing easy access and a good vantage point for viewing. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is housed in a lighthouse there....

, Mitchell's Cove and Stockton Avenue.
JJ Cale sings a song about Santa Cruz
The 2008 Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...

Christmas Single was a song named "Santa Cruz."
A 2009 video on YouTube depicted a woman struggling to make a speech at a City Council meeting. The woman is now known as the "Brilliant woman of Santa Cruz."
Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen, Junior is an American Texas Country singer-songwriter. He is popular with fans of traditional country music, folk music, college radio, and alt-country. Keen currently resides in Kerrville, Texas and maintains a ranch in Medina, Texas.-Early life:Growing up in Houston, Texas,...

's song "I'm Coming Home" recalls a trip to Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....

and includes the line "Life is good out in Santa Cruz."
In 2011, Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...

filmed a movie at Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz tentatively titled "Of Men and Mavericks."

External links

Santa Cruz City official site
Santa Cruz Wiki – The People's Guide to Santa Cruz, California
Via Riva Trigoso Sister City street
Pogonip Open Space Preserve
Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

The Ohlone and pre-contact period

Mission and Pueblo period

Social activism

Recent history

Geography

Climate

Economy

Top employers

Demographics

2010

2000

Law and government

Sister cities

Transportation

Education

Downtown

Parks, beaches, greenbelt districts and marine protected areas

Recreation

Cultural attractions

Cultural events

Historic places

Television

Radio

Newspapers

Businesses

"Surf City" nickname Controversy

Pop culture references

See also

External links