About Santa Cruz County - Dave Dawson, Realtor

ABOUT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Santa Cruz is the county seat of Santa Cruz County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,593. It is on the northern edge of the Monterey Bay, about 60 mi (100 km) (a 72 mile drive) south of San Francisco. The climate is Mediterranean, with mild summers. Santa Cruz is well known for surfing, boating and disc golf. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is California’s oldest amusement park and is a designated State Historic Landmark.

The area was first settled by Ohlone, Native American hunter-gatherers. Santa Cruz was colonized in the mid-1700s by the Spanish, who established both a mission (Mission Santa Cruz) and a secular settlement named Branciforte. Immigrants from Scotland, Italy, China and Portugal added distinctive contributions to the area's culture. In the 19th century, forestry and commercial fishing were primary industries, as well as dairy farming and leather production. Today the principal industries of Santa Cruz are agriculture, tourism, education and high technology.

Santa Cruz is home to the University of California, Santa Cruz, which was built starting in the 1960s as an 'alternative' campus. Overlooking Monterey Bay among the redwood trees, UCSC is arguably the most beautiful of the University of California campuses.

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