Indigenous people have been living in the Santa Cruz region for at least 12,000 years.[15] Prior to the arrival of Spanish soldiers, missionaries and colonists in the late 18th century, the area was home to theAwaswas nation ofOhlone people, who lived in a territory stretching slightly north of Davenport to Rio Del Mar. The Awaswas tribe was made up of no more than 1,000 people and their language is now extinct. The only remnants of their spoken language are three local place names:Aptos,Soquel andZayante; and the name of a native shellfish –abalone. At the time of colonization, the Indigenous people belonged to the Uypi tribe of theAwaswas-speaking dialectical group. They called the areaAulinta.[16]
The first European land exploration ofAlta California, the SpanishPortolá expedition led byGaspar de Portolá, passed through the area on its way north, still searching for the "port of Monterey" described bySebastian Vizcaino in 1602. The party forded the river (probably near where the Soquel Avenue bridge now stands) and camped nearbyon October 17, 1769.Franciscan missionaryJuan Crespí, traveling with the expedition, noted in his diary that, "This river was named San Lorenzo." (forSaint Lawrence).
Next morning, the expedition set out again, and Crespi noted that, "Five hundred steps after we started we crossed a good arroyo of running water which descends from some high hills where it rises. It was named "El Arroyo de la Santísima Cruz, which translates literally as "The Stream of the Most Holy Cross".[17]
In 1791, FatherFermín Lasuén continued the use of Crespi's name when he declared the establishment ofLa Misión de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz (also known asMission Santa Cruz) for the conversion of the Awaswas of Chatu-Mu andsurrounding Ohlone villages. Santa Cruz was the twelfth mission to be founded inCalifornia. The creek, however, later lost the name, and is known today as Laurel Creek because it parallels Laurel Street. It is the main feeder ofNeary Lagoon.[18]
In 1797, GovernorDiego de Borica, by order of theViceroy of New Spain,Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte, marqués de Branciforte, established theVilla de Branciforte, a town named in honor of the Viceroy.[19] 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 theSan Lorenzo River, 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 assumed control of the area.[20] Following theMexican secularization act of 1833, governorFigueroa attempted to rename the community that had grown up around the mission after himself, toPueblo de Figueroa. The pueblo designation was never made official, however. The new name did not catch on and Santa Cruz remained Santa Cruz.
The Santa Cruz mission, along with the rest of the twenty-one Alta California missions, wassecularized within a few years after 1833. Even before secularization, the Native American population had declined. Following secularization, mission grazing lands, which once extended from the San Lorenzo River north along the coast to approximately today's Santa Cruz County border, were taken away and broken up into large land grants calledranchos. The grants were made by several different governors between 1834 and 1845 (seeList of Ranchos of California).
José Antonio Bolcoff, who served asalcalde (mayor) of Branciforte, built his adobe onRancho Refugio in 1839.
After secularization put most California land into private hands, immigrants from the United States began to arrive in steadily increasing numbers, especially in the 1840s when overland routes like theCalifornia Trail were opened. In 1848, following theMexican–American War, Mexico ceded the territory ofAlta California to the U.S. in theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Demoted to a parish church, the former Santa Cruz mission was unable to maintain its building complex after secularization, and the adobe buildings slowly began to fall apart from wet weather and lack of maintenance. The chapel tower fell in 1840 and the entire front wall was destroyed in the1857 Fort Tejon earthquake. In 1858 a "modern" church was built next door to the remaining rear portion of the chapel. That remainder was demolished in 1889, when today's Holy Cross church was built on the site, in a gothic style.
California was the first portion of the former Mexican territory to become a state, in 1850. Santa Cruz County was established the same year, and Santa Cruz became the county seat. Santa Cruz wasincorporated as a town in 1866, and became acharter city in 1876.
Following the U.S.Conquest of California, Santa Cruz steadily grew with the arrival of immigrants from the eastern United States.Elihu Anthony (1818–1905) arrived in Santa Cruz in 1847[21] and opened many firsts for the city, including the first Protestant Church and the first blacksmith foundry. He built the first wharf and was the first postmaster.[21] He developed the first commercial blocks in downtown Santa Cruz with his early blacksmith foundry located at what is now the corner of Pacific Avenue and Mission Street.[21] WithFrederick A. Hihn, Anthony built the first privatewater supply network in the city and serving nearby communities.[22]
The establishment of railroad lines in Santa Cruz in 1875–76 with theSanta Cruz & Felton Railroad and theSanta Cruz Railroad provided market access for the city's timber, leather and limestone industries.[23]
California Powder Works began manufacturing blasting powder for California mining when normal supplies were interrupted by theAmerican Civil War. The extensive complex built on the San Lorenzo River upstream of Santa Cruz used charcoal and powder kegs manufactured from local forests. The Works later manufacturedsmokeless powder used in United States ArmyKrag-Jørgensen rifles and guns of theUnited States Navy Pacific and Asiatic fleets.[24]
Santa Cruz was hard hit by the1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that killed three people.[25] It was also hit by ocean surges caused by the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, wherein the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor sustained an estimated $10 million of damage, with another $5 million of damage to docked boats there.[26] Following the earthquake, a former building chief urged the city government to consider relocating to a safer location with lower risk of damage from seismic activity.[27] It was again hit by ocean surges caused by2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption and tsunami, that caused damages to the harbor.[28]
Santa Cruz became one of the first cities to approve marijuana for medicinal uses. In 1992, residents overwhelmingly approved Measure A,[29][30] which allowed for the medicinal uses of marijuana. Santa Cruz was home to the second above-ground medical marijuana club in the world when the Santa Cruz Cannabis Buyers Club opened its doors in April 1995. Santa Cruz also became one of the first cities in California to test the state'smedical marijuana laws in court after the arrest ofValerie Corral and Mike Corral, founders of theWo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, by theDEA.[31] In January 2020, Santa Cruz became the third city in the US and second city in California to decriminalizepsilocybin mushrooms in addition to a slew of otherentheogenic plants on the Federal Schedule 1 Substance List.[32]
In 1998, the Santa Cruz community declared itself anuclear-free zone,[33] and in 2003, the Santa Cruz City Council became the first city council in the U.S. to denounce the Iraq War.[34] The City Council of Santa Cruz also issued a proclamation opposing theUSA PATRIOT Act.[35]
Notable feminist activistsNikki Craft andAnn Simonton 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.[36][37] Myth California was staged concurrently with theMiss California pageant held in Santa Cruz since the 1920s. The protests ran for nine years and eventually contributed to the Miss California pageant leaving Santa Cruz.[38]
Riots occurred on May 1, 2010, sparked when anarchist extremists threw paint at police cars and paintedanarchist symbols and anti-capitalist phrases onto buildings, resulting in more than a dozen buildings being vandalized and numerous storefronts being damaged.[39] Property damages are estimated to top roughly $100,000. Prior to the riot, aMay Dayrally was being held for worker andimmigrant rights.[40] According to police, the rally was infiltrated by a local anarchist group, who used the rally as a cover for attacking corporate premises.
Occupy Santa Cruz formed as an autonomous organization in solidarity with the worldwideOccupy movement, a broad-based protest against economic and social inequality. The organization gained most of its notoriety when members barricaded themselves in an empty bank building owned byWells Fargo[41] and occupied the building for 72 hours, causing $30,000 in damages.[42][43] Eleven criminal charges were filed, at least seven of which have since been dropped.[42]
Santa Cruz is on the northern edge ofMonterey Bay. The area is losing several feet of beach a year.[44]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city covers an area of 15.8 square miles (41 km2), of which 12.7 square miles (33 km2) is land, and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), or 19.51%, is water. To Santa Cruz locals the area is often discussed in terms of distinct regions: east side and west side.
The "westside" of Santa Cruz is commonly accepted to be anything west of the San Lorenzo River and the "eastside" east of the San Lorenzo River all the way to neighboring towns ofSoquel andCapitola. The beginning ofAptos is seen as the end boundary for the "eastside".
Santa Cruz has mild weather throughout the year, experiencing awarm-summer Mediterranean climate characterized by mild, wet winters and warm, mostly dry summers. Due to its proximity toMonterey Bay, fog and low overcast are common during the night and morning, especially in the summer. Santa Cruz frequently experiences anIndian summer, with the year's warmest temperatures often occurring in the autumn. Since the city faces south rather than west with mountains to its north, temperatures are usually several degrees warmer than in coastal areas to its northwest.
Climate data for Santa Cruz, California (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
Santa Cruz city, California – Racial composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Recorded from the census of 2000,[53] there were 54,593 people total with 20,442 households and 10,404 families residing in the city. The population density includes 1,682.2/km2 (4,357/sq mi). There were 21,504 housing units at an average density of 1,715.8 units per square mile (662.5 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 78.7%White, 17.4%Hispanic orLatino, 1.7%African American, 0.9%Native American, 4.9%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 9.1% fromother races, and 4.5% from two or more races.
There were 20,442 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.1% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 17.3% under the age of 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males age 18 and over.
The medianincome 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[54]). 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.
The2010 United States census[55] reported that Santa Cruz had a population of 59,946. The population density was 3,787.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,462.2/km2). The racial makeup of Santa Cruz was 44,661 (74.5%)White, 1,071 (1.8%)African American, 440 (0.7%)Native American, 4,591 (7.7%)Asian, 108 (0.2%)Pacific Islander, 5,673 (9.5%) fromother races, and 3,402 (5.7%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino 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.
The Pacific Coast in Santa Cruz
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%) wereopposite-sex married couples 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, 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 10,005families (46.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.92.
The age distribution of the population shows 8,196 people (13.7%) under the age of 18, 17,449 people (29.1%) aged 18 to 24, 15,033 people (25.1%) aged 25 to 44, 13,983 people (23.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,285 people (8.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
By one estimate, Santa Cruz had in 2023 the least affordable rental market in the United States, pushing past San Francisco which was previously the most unaffordable rental market.[56] There were 23,316 housing units at an average density of 1,473.0 units per square mile (568.7 units/km2), of which 9,375 (43.3%) were owner-occupied, and 12,282 (56.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.4%. 22,861 people (38.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 28,796 people (48.0%) lived in rental housing units. The median price of a home being $640,000 as of April 2013.[57]
Santa Cruz has one of the highest rates ofhomelessness in the US, with 9,041 estimated homeless in Santa Cruz county in 2011, approximately 3.5% of the total county population.[58] with over 52% of homeless experiencing some form of mental illness, includingclinical depression orPTSD and over 26% suffering unspecifiedmental illness.[58] Additionally, 38% of homeless surveyed in Santa Cruz county in 2011 experienced drug and/oralcohol dependency.[58] In recent years, citizen groups such as Take Back Santa Cruz, established in 2009, have lobbied city government and officials to address what they view as a public safety crisis, a situation that has gathered national attention.[59][60]
The principal industries of Santa Cruz are agriculture, tourism, education (UC Santa Cruz) andhigh technology. Santa Cruz is a center of theorganic agriculture movement, and many specialty products as well as housing the headquarters ofCalifornia Certified Organic Farmers.
Tourist attractions include the classicSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk on the beach, the redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains above the town, and Monterey Bay, which is protected as amarine sanctuary.
Downtown Santa Cruz houses a variety of storefronts and businesses. It is also stage to many street performers, musicians, and artists, oftentimes creating the presence of background music and miscellaneous street side entertainment when visiting downtown. Consequently, Pacific Avenue serves as an outlet for the artistic and unique culture[citation needed] that Santa Cruz possesses.
Santa Cruz hosts numerous cultural events and festivals every year. TheCabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is an annual festival of contemporary music for orchestra that has been called a "new music mecca" byThe New York Times.[65]Santa Cruz Shakespeare is an annual summer festival that performsWilliam Shakespeare plays every summer. Other notable events include the Santa Cruz Film Festival,[66] the Santa Cruz Blues Festival, the Santa Cruz Digital Arts & New Media Festival, and Santa Cruz Pride.[67] TheO'Neill Cold Water Classic is annual surfing event that draws crowds at the popularSteamer Lane.[68]
The Open Studios Art Tour is an art fair has been run for more than three decades and draws artists and patrons from around the area.[69] First Friday Santa Cruz is a monthly event features dozens of art openings in the Santa Cruz area on the first Friday of the month.[70]
TheSanta Cruz County Symphony, founded in 1958, 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.[71]
Beach Street is a popular tourist hotspot fronting Santa Cruz Beach.
By the 1860s, Pacific Avenue had become the main street of downtown Santa Cruz, and remains so today. Local architect Kermit Darrow and landscape architect Roy Rydell were engaged in 1969 to convert several blocks of Pacific Avenue into a semi-pedestrian street named the Pacific Garden Mall.[72] TheLoma Prieta earthquake of 1989 destroyed nearly all of the 19th-century buildings in the downtown area. ThePacific Avenue Historic District had been recognized by theNational Register of Historic Places; it was delisted in 1991. After the earthquake, the Pacific Garden Mall theme was eliminated, and an updated downtown design plan byROMA Design Group was implemented.[73] As of 2016, only one empty lot remains on Pacific Avenue from the destruction of the 1989 earthquake.
AfterHuntington Beach, California, trademarked the "Surf City USA" name, Santa Cruz politicians tried to stop themark from being registered by theU.S. Patent and Trademark Office because of a 10-year-old controversy over Santa Cruz's nickname "Surf City".[76] Huntington Beach has obtained a total of seven registrations for the "Surf City USA" trademark.[77] None of these registrations of the trademark are on theprincipal register, but on thesecondary register, 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".[78] 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.[79]
Santa Cruz has three greenbelt open space properties along the city limits, includingArana Gulch, Moore Creek, and Pogonip.[81] There are also five community parks and eighteen neighborhood parks.
Pogonip Open Space is located adjacent to theUniversity of California, Santa Cruz. It includes second-growth oak and redwood forest, meadows and several streams, and is crossed by several hiking trails. Pogonip was the name of the former country club there, which once had a golf course and polo field.
Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve is a marine protected area off the coast at the northern edge of Santa Cruz. Like underwater parks, marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems. Most of the rest of the coastline of Santa Cruz lies adjacent to theMonterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
TheSanta Cruz Wharf is known for fishing, viewing marine mammals and other recreation. Local parks offer many opportunities forbirding andbutterfly watching, as well as outdoor sports such asskateboarding,cycling,camping, hiking, androck climbing. The Santa Cruz Skatepark is open to the public 7 days a week and is free. In addition to its reputation in surfing and skateboarding, Santa Cruz is known for other sports such as disc ultimate anddisc golf. TheDeLaveaga Disc Golf Course designed by hall of fame and local disc sports promoter Tom Schot, hostsPDGA tournaments, including the annual Masters Cup. DeLaveaga was the disc golf and discathon venue for the WFDF-sanctionedWorld Disc Games overall event held in Santa Cruz in July 2005.[82][83]
Santa Cruz is well known for watersports such as sailing, diving, swimming, stand up paddle boarding, paddling, and is regarded as one of the best spots in the world forsurfing.[84] It is the home ofO'NeillWetsuits and Santa Cruz Surfboards, as well asSanta Cruz Skateboards andSanta Cruz Bicycles. TheSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk is California's oldest amusement park and a designated State Historic Landmark. It is family-operated, and celebrated its Centennial in 2007. It is home to the iconic Giant Dipper roller coaster, which is currently the fifth oldest coaster in the United States. Home to aNational Historic Landmark, a 1911Charles I. D. LooffCarousel and 1924Giant Dipper roller coaster, the Boardwalk has been owned and operated by the Santa Cruz Seaside Company since 1915.[85]
In one of the first published descriptions of surfing in California, three Hawaiian princes,Prince David Kawānanakoa,Prince Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui andPrince Jonah Kalanianaʻole, surfed on locally milled redwood boards at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in July 1885.[86][87] Santa Cruz has 11 world-class surf breaks, including the point breaks over rock bottoms nearSteamer Lane andPleasure Point, which create some of the best surfing waves in the world.[84] TheSanta Cruz Surfing Museum 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.
In 2022, Santa Cruz switched from an at-large city council system to representation by district, with a separate elected mayor.Fred Keeley became the first elected mayor.[88]
TheSanta Cruz Sentinel is Santa Cruz's only daily newspaper. The area is also served by the weekly newspaperGood Times, bought in 2014 by the owners of its competitorSanta Cruz Weekly, who then merged the two, continuing one paper under theGood Times name, and the legal paperSanta Cruz Record.[89] University of California has its own publication,City on a Hill Press, and an alternative humor publication,Fish Rap Live!. There is also an online newspaper calledLookout Santa Cruz.
State Routes1 and17 are the main roads in and out of Santa Cruz, with the latter being the primary route north toSan Jose and the rest of theSan Francisco Bay Area. Geographically constrained between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Monterey Bay, the narrow transportation corridor served by SR 1, California's Pacific Coast Highway, suffers excessive 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.[90]
Greyhound Lines bus service is another, albeit less commonly used, option for visiting Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz has an extensive network of bike lanes and bike paths. Most major roads have bike lanes, and wide bike lanes were recently installed on Beach Street, near theSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Additionally, there are levee bike paths along theSan Lorenzo River. ARail Trail – a bicycle and pedestrian path beside an existing coastal train track—is under consideration.[92]
A 2013 article in theSanta Cruz Sentinel noted that according to FBI statistics, Santa Cruz had the highestproperty crime rates per capita for medium and large-sized cities in the state of California,[95] in addition to some of the highest violent crime rates in the state of California for medium and large-sized cities. The article noted tourism, police staffing concerns, prolificliquor licenses, widespread availability of drugs, and large numbers oftransients as potential causes. The 2019 edition of the FBI'sUniform Crime Reports data published by the Santa Cruz Police Department showed that crime rates had decreased for all crimes exceptarson when measured against a five-year rolling average.[96]
In 1973, after the discovery of four bodies inHenry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Peter Chang, thedistrict attorney for Santa Cruz County referred to the city as "the murder capital of the world" in an interview.[97][98] The bodies were later determined to be victims of the serial killerHerbert Mullin.
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