Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a popular tourist destination, owing to its beaches, surf culture, and historic landmarks. Santa Cruz was founded by the Spanish in 1791, when Fermín de Lasuén established Mission Santa Cruz. With the Mexican secularization of the Californian missions in 1833, the former mission was divided and granted as rancho grants. The creation of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in 1907 solidified the city's status as a seaside resort community, while the establishment of the University of California,Santa Cruz in 1965 led to Santa Cruz's emergence as a college town. The city's original main street is now North Branciforte Avenue. Its original name was Aptos, Soquel and Zayante; and the name of a native shellfish abalone is Aulinta. The only remnants of their spoken language are three local place names: AptOS, Zayantes, and Soquel. The area was home to the Awaswas nation of Ohlone people, who lived in a territory stretching slightly north of Davenport to Rio Del Mar. At the time of colonization, the Indigenous people belonged to the Uypi tribe of theAwaswas-speaking dialectical group. The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolá expedition, passed through the area on its way north, still searching for the "port ofMonterey" in 1602.

History

Santa Cruz is the primary city name, but also Bonny Doon, Scotts Valley are acceptable city names or spellings, Paradise Park on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is City of Santa Cruz. The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolá expedition passed through the area on its way north, still searching for the "port of Monterey" described by Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602. Prior to the arrival of Spanish soldiers, missionaries and colonists in the late 18th century, the area was home to the Awaswas nation of Ohlone people, who lived in a territory stretching slightly north of Davenport to Rio Del Mar. The only remnants of their spoken language are three local place names: Aptos, Soquel and Zayante; 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 area Aulinta. Santa Cruz was the first portion of the territory to become a state, established in 1850. It was incorporated as Santa Cruz in the same year as the state of California was established. In 1905, the city was annexed into the City of Santa Cruz. It is located on the San Lorenzo River, which is the main feeder of Neary Lagoon. The town was named after the Viceroy of New Spain, Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte, marqués de Branc iforte. The creek, however, later lost the name, and is known today as Laurel Creek because it parallels Laurel Street. In the 1820s, newly independent Mexico assumed control of the area. Mission farming and grazing lands were taken away and broken up into land grants called ranchos.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers an area of 15.8 square miles (41 km²) Santa Cruz is on the northern edge of Monterey Bay. The area is losing several feet of beach a year. To Santa Cruz locals, the area is often discussed in terms of three distinct regions: east side, west side, and midtown. Santa Cruz frequently experiences an Indian 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. The city has mild weather throughout the year, experiencing a warm-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 hours, especially in the summer. The Santa Cruz area has a mild Mediterranean climate, characterized by warm, dry summers and mild winters. It has mild winters and mild summers, with mild, dry winters and wet summers. It is one of the few cities in the U.S. to have a year-round hot-and-cold weather forecast. It also has a warm and dry winter, with warm, wet summers and dry winters in the spring and summer. It was founded in 1788. The town was named after Santa Cruz, California, which is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The current mayor of Santa Cruz has been in office since 1978.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Santa Cruz had a population of 59,946. 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.) Pacific Islander, 5,673 (9.5) from other races, and 3,402 (5.7!) from two or more races. The median income for a household in the city was $50,605, and the median income. for a family was $62,231. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was2.98. 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%. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. ForEvery 100 females age 18 and over,there were 97.9 males. The city has a population density of 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 (662.5/ km²). The racial. makeup of the city is 78.7% White, 17.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.7%. African American, 0.9% Native American, 4.9%. Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islanders, 9.1%.

Economy

The principal industries of Santa Cruz are agriculture, tourism, education (UC Santa Cruz) and high technology. Santa Cruz is a center of the organic agriculture movement, and many specialty products as well as housing the headquarters of California Certified Organic Farmers.Technology companies have made Santa Cruz their home since the 1980s. The city is home to many street performers, musicians, and artists, oftentimes creating the presence of background music and miscellaneous street side entertainment when visiting downtown. The top employers within the city were: As of 2020, the top employers were: UC Santa Cruz, Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, and Samsung. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. The redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains above the town, and Monterey Bay, which is protected as a marine sanctuary, are also popular tourist destinations. The town is also home to a number of museums, galleries, and other public spaces that are open to the public, such as the California Museum of Natural History and the California Center for the Humanities, both of which are open year-round. It is also the home to Santa Cruz High School, which was founded in 1875. It was the first public high school in the state of California, and is now the state's second oldest high school. The school is located in the heart of the town and has a population of about 2,000 students. It has a reputation for being a top-rated college, with many top-ranked programs.

Arts and culture

Santa Cruz hosts numerous cultural events and festivals every year. The O'Neill Cold Water Classic is an annual surfing event that draws crowds at the popular Steamer Lane. The Santa 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. The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 destroyed nearly all of the 19th-century buildings in the downtown area. Landmarks on the California Register of Historical Resources include Mission Santa Cruz, Villa de Branciforte, and the Santa Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Santa Cruz politicians tried to stop the mark from being registered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because of a 10-year-old controversy over Santa Cruz's nickname "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 Visitor's Bureau retains the right to use the trademark. None of these registrations of the trademark are on the principal register, but on the secondary register, which means that Huntington Beach has no exclusive right to assert ownership over the "surf City USA" trademark. 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. As of 2016, only one empty lot remains on Pacific Avenue from the destruction of the 1989 earthquake. The Pacific Avenue Historic District had been recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

Parks and recreation

Santa Cruz has 11 world-class surf breaks, including the point breaks over rock bottoms near Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point, which create some of the best surfing waves in the world. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is California's oldest amusement park and a designated State Historic Landmark. It is home to the iconic Giant Dipper roller coaster, which is currently the fifth oldest coaster in the United States. The DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course was the venue for the WFDF-sanctioned World Disc Games overall event held in Santa Cruz in July 2005. Santa Cruz is well known for watersports such as sailing, diving, swimming, stand up paddle boarding, paddling, and is regarded as one of the world's best spots for surfing. In recent years, Santa Cruz has become home to several minor-league and amateur sports teams, such as the Santa Cruz Warriors (an NBA G League team) and Santa Cruz Derby Girls (an amateur roller derby league) The city has five community parks and eighteen neighborhood parks, as well as five greenbelt open space properties along the city limits, including Arana Gulch, Moore Creek, and Pogonip. It also has several state parks and beaches, including Lighthouse Field State Beach, Natural Bridges State Beach and Twin Lakes State Beach. Most of the rest of the coastline of Santa Cruz lies adjacent to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The city is known for fishing, viewing marine mammals and other recreation, including birding and butterfly watching.

Government

Santa Cruz has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the US, with 9,041 estimated homeless in Santa Cruz county in 2011. In 1973, the district attorney for Santa Cruz County referred to the city as "the murder capital of the world" 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. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Santa Cruz is split between California's 18th congressional district, represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo, and California's 20th congressional districts, representedby Democrat Jimmy Panetta. In California's State Legislature, the city is in the 17th Senate District and the 29th Assembly District. In 2011, over 52% of the homeless experienced some form of mental illness, including clinical depression or PTSD and over 26% suffering unspecified mental illness. 38% of homeless surveyed inSanta Cruz county in 2011 experienced drug and/or alcohol dependency. The 2019 edition of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports data published by the Santa Cruz Police Department showed that crime rates had decreased for all crimes except arson when measured against a five year rolling average. In 2013, a Santa Cruz Sentinel article noted that Santa Cruz had the highest property crime rates per capita for medium and large-sized cities in the state of California. The article noted tourism, police staffing concerns, prolific liquor licenses, widespread availability of drugs, and large numbers of transients as potential causes.

Education

Santa Cruz is home to several educational institutions. The city is served by the Santa Cruz City School District. Notable public schools include Santa Cruz High School and Harbor High School. notable private or charter schools include Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School (a grade 612 private school), Pacific Collegiate School (a grade 712 charter school), Cypress Charter High School, and Monterey Coast Preparatory. UC Santa Cruz's Long Marine Laboratory is a marine research facility on the western edge of the city. Five Branches University and Cabrillo College are located in nearby Aptos and Watsonville and hold some classes within Santa Cruz city. The University of California, Santa Cruz is the home of the university's flagship college, the University of Santa Cruz, which is located in the city's downtown area. The university also has a campus in Watsonville, where it holds classes in the nearby town of Santa Clara. The Santa Cruz Police Department is based in Santa Cruz and is responsible for patrolling the city and surrounding areas. The police department has been involved in several high-profile incidents, including the shooting of two police officers in 2010. The department has also been involved with the arrest of a suspect in connection with the murder of a woman in San Francisco in 2011. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder, but the case was later dismissed. The California Department of Justice is investigating the shooting. The FBI is also investigating the death of a Santa Cruz police officer in 2012, and the city has been accused of failing to protect the public.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California = 95. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 29. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 81. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Santa Cruz = 5.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 62,956 individuals with a median age of 35.2 age the population grows by 2.05% in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,000 residents per square mile of area (1,500/km²). There are average 2.39 people per household in the 21,130 households with an average household income of $64,370 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.90% of the available work force and has dropped -4.54% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 22.02%. The number of physicians in Santa Cruz per 100,000 population = 250.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Santa Cruz = 30.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 65. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 262. 74 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 56, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California which are owned by the occupant = 43.45%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 42 years with median home cost = $394,020 and home appreciation of -9.68%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.92 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,030 per student. There are 20.2 students for each teacher in the school. 18027.18% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 26.71% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 17.31% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).