If You Want to Get Away – Try Santa Cruz

Redfin has just expanded its search services to include the sun loving, beach mecca: Santa Cruz.  Known for tourists, open beaches, fishing, sea lions and the only UC Campus with the Banana Slug as its mascot – Santa Cruz is home to many Silicon-valleyites who don’t mind commuting 45 minutes across windy roads every morning so that they can live by the ocean.

Artists and strolling seaside musicians are a common sight amongst Santa Cruz’s brightly colored streets – filled with shops touting beach apparel and souvenirs for tourists.  The wharf is a common tourist attraction, with many seafood restaurants, kayak and boat rental shops, and fisherman trying their luck for the next “big one”.

A little known fact about this famous city is that its beaches were where Hawaiian royalty first introduced the sport of surfing to the mainland, and the tradition stuck.  Surfers are still seen riding the blue waves of Santa Cruz, and surf boards and equipment are featured throughout the town. 

One of the biggest attractions found in Santa Cruz is the Beach Boardwalk – the last remaining seaside amusement park on the West Coast.  The main roller coaster, the Giant Dipper,  has been featured in many movies, including Lost Boys and has been around since 1924.  Admission is free, and the park also features free Friday night concerts with big name bands such as Blue Oyster Cult and Sha Na Na gracing their ocean front stage. 

Life in Santa Cruz moves at a slower pace than in Silicon Valley proper – which is why it makes a great getaway from the pressures of the work world.  Homes are also more reasonably priced – the average home price in Santa Cruz is now $600,000, down from $610,000 in May.