Most people recognize the Santa Cruz area for its great beaches, iconic boardwalk, attractions, and scenic properties. Recently many young professionals have been moving into the area because of the high quality of living, amazing outdoor activities, great local restaurants and shops, and more.
The Most Popular Areas of Santa Cruz County for Professionals
City of Santa Cruz
Being the city for which the county has been named it is no big surprise that Santa Cruz is highly desirable to young professionals. Santa Cruz offers a cultural hub to the county right on the coast. It has some of the most amazing beaches, is the spot of the original iconic beach boardwalk, there's plenty of entertainment venues and nightlife, and the small town atmosphere with plenty of friendly residents and community pride is also a big plus. It is also a great place to further education for furthering your career at places like the University of California Santa Cruz.
The city of Santa Cruz has great job opportunities, especially in technology and tourism. There are several large multinational companies located in Santa Cruz and a good amount of tech start-ups as well.
Live Oak is a city that offers a peaceful atmosphere which has been growing in popularity over the last few years. It is a quiet suburb with more affordable housing options as compared to the downtown area of the city of Santa Cruz. It is also just 4 miles away from this area...
Seabright is a highly desirable neighborhood located in the central portion of the city of Santa Cruz California. Many people say that it is Santa Cruz's best neighborhood. When you ask why some may attribute it to its laid-back atmosphere and mixed-use offerings of both residential homes and trendy local shops, great restaurants, and bars.
Seabright shares a border on its west side with the San Lorenzo River and shares the eastern border with the Woods Lagoon. The residents of Seabright benefit from their own private beach. Seabright Beach encompasses about half a mile of shoreline on the south end of the neighborhood. The Walton Lighthouse is located on this beach.
At the beach residents enjoy swimming, surfing, pretty much any beach land activity, dog-friendly space, and public washrooms.
More Reasons to Love Seabright Beyond the Beach at Your Door
Restaurants
The Seabright area of Santa Cruz has some of the finest restaurants in the city most of the restaurants in Seabright are on the north end of the neighborhood located along Soquel Avenue which stands as Seabright's east border. Murray Street and Seabright Avenue also have a great collection of local restaurants. This paired with one of the best beaches in town makes it hard to ever leave your own neighborhood.
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is located within the Seabright neighborhood. Making for even more fun activities the natural history Museum offers several exciting exhibits telling the history of Santa Cruz and beyond....
As home values increase and mortgage interest rates are doing so as well many people are looking for affordable ways to purchase their next home. This has many people wondering where the most affordable areas in the desired location happen to be. For those wanting to live in the amazing town of Santa Cruz, this is not an uncommon question.
The factors that go into determining the affordability of a neighborhood can depend on a few different things including median income level, rent-to-income ratios, and home price-to-income ratios. These are the biggest driving factors that impact the cost of living in an area and can help to give fair insight into the quality of life in an area and the actual affordability of properties in that area. A median home price can help someone assess how much they might need to make from their income to afford properties in an area.
Based on the driving factors listed above we have a list of the most affordable neighborhoods to live in Santa Cruz.
Tanner Heights
Tanner Heights has a median home price of $715,691 and a median rent price of $2216. This by the numbers is the most affordable neighborhood to live in in the city of Santa Cruz. Based on an increase in home prices in the neighborhood over the past three years it shows up at number 1 compared to all neighborhoods in Santa Cruz.
Tanner Heights scores average in its public transportation offerings. Some errands can be accomplished by walking giving the area an average walk score as well. Some businesses can be reached from the Tanner Heights neighborhood on foot. Some of the closest businesses to Tanner Heights include Walnut Ave., Café,...
Carmel California or Carmel-by-the-Sea as it is also known is one of California's most picturesque coastal towns. It is often on many best-of lists and one of the most frequent best-of lists that Carmel can be found is California's Best Places to Retire.
Here are some of the best places to retire lists that Carmel has recently made
California.com"s The Best Coastal Towns in California to Retire
Caramel topped the category for quaint coastal retirement towns in california.com's article. The website notes that Carmel by the sea has an effortless elegance. It also shares Carmel's amazing white sand beaches and great local shops and dining opportunities with the most amazing views from pretty much any point in the town. And the majority of Carmel's residents are age 55+. They name it a can't-miss central coast beach town in California.
Stacker.com Best Places to Retire in California
Stecker.com ranks Carmel-by-the-Sea at number 19 out of 25 for the best places to retire in the entire state of California. They share some statistics about Carmel by the sea along with how they arrived at their data to compile what they believe is their best places to retire in California list. They noted that the most popular places on their list tend to have great walkability or proximity to healthcare sources and businesses of interest for entertainment and activities.
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