Santa Cruz County, California

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Santa Cruz County (Template:IPAc-en), officially the County of Santa Cruz, is a county on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 270,861.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Santa Cruz.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Santa Cruz County comprises the Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area. The county is on the California Central Coast,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> south of the San Francisco Bay Area region. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay, with Monterey County forming the southern coast.

History

Santa Cruz County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. In the original act, the county was given the name of "Branciforte" after the Spanish pueblo founded there in 1797. A major watercourse in the county, Branciforte Creek, still bears this name. Less than two months later, on April 5, 1850,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the name was changed to "Santa Cruz" ("Holy Cross").

Mission Santa Cruz, established in 1791 and completed in 1794, was destroyed by the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, but a smaller-scale replica was erected in 1931.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (27%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is the second-smallest county in California by land area and third-smallest by total area. Of California's counties, only San Francisco is smaller by land area.

The county is situated on a wide coastline with over Template:Convert of beaches.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is a strip about Template:Convert wide between the coast and the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains at the northern end of the Monterey Bay. It can be divided roughly into four regions: the rugged "north coast"; the urban City of Santa Cruz, Soquel, Capitola, and Aptos; mountainous Bonny Doon, San Lorenzo River Valley; and the fertile "south county", including Watsonville and Corralitos. Agriculture is concentrated in the coastal lowlands of the county's northern and southern ends. Most of the north coastal land comprises relatively flat terraces that end at steep cliffs like those shown in the photo below.

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Flora and fauna

Santa Cruz County is home to the following threatened or endangered species:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Historically, tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) were native to the coastal grasslands of Santa Cruz County. Elk, sometimes confused with bison, were initially described by Miguel Costansó in his diary of the 1769 Portola Expedition near the mouth of the Pajaro River both on the way north on October 6, and on the way south on November 25.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Later, elk were also described by nineteenth century American hunters.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They were also described in Santa Cruz County by Jlli tribelet Awaswas Ohlone people, who utilized elk along with pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and lived on the Jarro Coast (El Jarro Point is north of Davenport, California).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref> Additionally, there is a "Cañada del Ciervo" (ciervo is Spanish for elk) close to the boundary between Rancho de los Corralitos and Rancho San Andrés, near the present-day Larkin Valley Road. This "Elk Valley" place name was given by José Antonio Robles who rode down, roped, and killed elk there in 1831.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref> Lastly, elk remains dating from the Middle and Late Periods in Northern California were found in at least four late Holocene archeological sites in Santa Cruz County, all coastal: SCR-9 (Bonny Doon site) and SCR-20 (Brown site) on the western slope of Ben Lomond Mountain, SCR-93 (Sunflower site) a coastal terrace on the north shore of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, and SCR-132 (Scott Creek site) 4 miles inland.<ref name=Hylkema>Template:Cite thesis</ref>

Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) remains were found at the SCR-20 (Brown site) on the western slope of Ben Lomond Mountain dating to about 1500 A.D.<ref name=Hylkema/>

Año Nuevo State Marine Conservation Area, Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area and Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve are marine protected areas off the coast of Santa Cruz County. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.

Adjacent counties

Template:Annotated imageSanta Cruz County borders four other counties: San Mateo to the northwest, Santa Clara to the north and east, Monterey to the south, and San Benito with a small border to the south.Template:Clear

Demographics

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2020 census

Santa Cruz County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
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Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 1990<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 151,715 171,203 167,464 156,397 145,551 80.64% 74.52% 65.52% 59.61% 53.74%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,396 2,330 2,160 2,304 2,850 0.74% 1.01% 0.85% 0.88% 1.05%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,515 1,310 1,180 978 853 0.81% 0.57% 0.46% 0.37% 0.31%
Asian alone (NH) 4,985 7,690 8,464 10,658 12,072 2.65% 3.35% 3.31% 4.06% 4.46%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> 311 292 277 x x 0.12% 0.11% 0.10%
Other race alone (NH) 882 404 858 612 1,649 0.47% 0.18% 0.34% 0.23% 0.61%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> 6,679 7,049 13,310 x x 2.61% 2.69% 4.91%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 27,648 46,797 68,486 84,092 94,299 14.70% 20.37% 26.79% 32.05% 34.81%
Total 188,141 229,734 255,602 262,382 270,861 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2011

2010 Census

The county of Santa Cruz has experienced demographic fluctuations in recent history. Between 1990 and 2000, the population increased by 11.3%. This is primarily because of new births, rather than immigration or migration.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite journal</ref>

The 2010 United States census reported Santa Cruz County had a population of 262,382. The racial makeup of Santa Cruz County was 190,208 (72.5%) White, 2,766 (1.1%) African American, 2,253 (0.9%) Native American, 11,112 (4.2%) Asian, 349 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 43,376 (16.5%) from other races, and 12,318 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 84,092 persons (32.0%).<ref>Template:USCensus2010CA</ref>

2000

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 255,602 people, 91,139 households, and 57,144 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 98,873 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.

There were 91,139 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,998, and the median income for a family was $61,941. Males had a median income of $46,291 versus $33,514 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,396. About 6.7% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over.

Santa Cruz County residents tend to be well-educated. 38.3% of residents age 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree at least, significantly higher than the national average of 27.2% and the state average of 29.5%.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Politics

Santa Cruz County was a Republican stronghold for most of the 19th and 20th centuries; from 1860 through 1980 the only Democrats to carry Santa Cruz were Woodrow Wilson in 1916, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and Jimmy Carter in 1976.<ref>Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004, pp. 152–155 Template:ISBN</ref> However, the opening of UCSC in 1965 caused the county's political landscape to dramatically change.

Today, it is a strongly Democratic county in presidential and congressional elections. The last Republican to carry the county was Ronald Reagan in 1980, and the last Republican to win a majority in the county was Richard Nixon in 1968.

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The last Republican to represent a significant portion of Santa Cruz in Congress was Burt L. Talcott, who was defeated in 1976 by Leon Panetta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Santa Cruz County is split between California's 18th and 19th congressional districts, represented by Template:Representative and Template:Representative, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite GovTrack</ref>

In the State Assembly, Santa Cruz County is split between the 28th, 29th and 30th Assembly districts, represented by Template:Representative, Template:Representative and Template:Representative, respectively. In the State Senate, Santa Cruz County is entirely within Template:Representative.

Voter registration

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Cities by population and voter registration

Crime

Crime rates vary throughout Santa Cruz County. The cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville are the highest crime regions, where the 34:1000 and 38:1000 per-capita crime victimization rates are worse than around 90% of the rest of California. The rest of the county has lower instances of crime, although the crime rate remains above average for California. Scotts Valley, Felton, and Ben Lomond have the lowest per capita crime victimization rates, at around 28:1000 people.<ref>https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ca/santa-cruz/crime#description</ref>

Noteworthy crime issues in Santa Cruz County include gang crime, and issues stemming from the large transient population. Over a dozen Norteno or Sureno affiliated criminal street gangs operate throughout Santa Cruz County.<ref>https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2009/10/22/recognize-gangs-in-santa-cruz-county/</ref> The county also has the highest homeless population per capita in the state, with the county government's 2024 point-in-time homelessness census estimating the homeless make up just under 2% of the county population.<ref>https://kion546.com/news/top-stories/2023/06/12/santa-cruz-has-most-homeless-people-in-california-per-capita-and-insufficient-county-staff-to-help-with-mental-health-gjr-says/#:~:text=In%20this%20same%20Grand%20Jury%20Report%20it%20was,estimated%2037%25%20of%20the%20BHD%E2%80%99s%20clients%20are%20homeless.</ref><ref>https://housingforhealthpartnership.org/LearningCenter/Point-in-TimeCounts.aspx</ref>

Local law enforcement agencies include the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, the Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and Capitola Police Departments, University of Santa Cruz Police, State Parks Rangers and Game Wardens, and the California Highway Patrol. The Sheriff's Office runs two jail facilities in the county; a maximum-security jail in Santa Cruz city and a minimum-security jail outside Watsonville.<ref>https://www.shf.santacruzcountyca.gov/</ref>

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense:

Cities by population and crime rates

Economy

In the 19th century, Santa Cruz's economy was based on milling lumber, making lime cement from limestone, and tanning leather. By the mid 19th century, Santa Cruz was the second largest manufacturing area in the state. As natural resources depleted, tourism became the more important economic sector in the area.<ref name=ProQuest304420788>Template:Cite thesis</ref>

In 1989, Santa Cruz was named as a surplus labor area by the U.S. Department of Labor.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref> A surplus labor area has an unemployment rate 20% higher than national unemployment. As of 2024, Watsonville city was still on this list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

10% of jobs in Santa Cruz County are food producing/processing jobs. These employees make less than an average of $10 an hour.<ref name=":02"/>

As of 2003, 21% of residents work outside of Santa Cruz County. This is down form the 28% outside employment rate of 1989.<ref name=":02"/>

The agriculture businesses are significant enough to be prominent in local politics, where they influence issues of water, pesticide use, and labor.<ref name=":02"/>

There are mandated living wages for Santa Cruz county, and individually in the cities of Watsonville and Santa Cruz. These occurred after The Santa Cruz Living Wage Coalition campaigned to set up ordinances.<ref name=":02"/>

The low wage sector of Santa Cruz experiences workplace abuse. Data from 2015 show that in the county, 38% of Agricultural workers have experienced overtime pay violation, 14% of tipped workers reported tips stolen by their employers, and 50% of service sector workers reported violations on receiving breaks. It is California law for employers to make written workplace policies available. However, in a county wide survey, 30% of workers reported that they did not receive an employee handbook.<ref>McCay, S., Espinoza, R., & Mora, S. C. (2015). Working For Dignity: The Santa Cruz County Low-wage Worker Study (Rep.).</ref>

Service sector laborers have a resource for navigating labor law through the Economic Justice Alliance of Santa Cruz County, a local organization that educates community members on issues of "sustainable wages and working conditions."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Housing market

In 2002, the National Association of Realtors reported that Santa Cruz was the most unaffordable place to live in the United States.<ref name=":02"/> This statement remains true with 2017 data that shows that Santa Cruz is the least affordable county for renters.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

In Santa Cruz County, 60% of residents rent and a median monthly rent is $3000. UCSC's No Place Like Home Project reports that in Santa Cruz County, 2.5 minimum wage jobs would be needed to afford renting a 2 bedroom apartment. UCSC's "No Place Like Home" project identifies four main rental markets: agricultural workers, UCSC students, Silicon Valley tech workers, and short term vacation rentals. Short term rentals in particular have been a rising concern to local politicians, who have proposed parking restrictions to discourage short term renters.<ref name=":11">Template:Cite news</ref>

Rent control has been attempted as a policy in Santa Cruz three times between the 1970s and 1980s, but it never passed. National policies since the 1980s have deregulated rental markets, which decreased the rights of tenants and exacerbated frustrations for renters all across the country as well as in Santa Cruz.<ref name=":1" />

27% of surveyed Santa Cruz County renters experience "overcrowding" in their homes, which is described as when there is more than one person per room of a house, which includes all rooms not just bedrooms.<ref name=":1" />

One of the constraints on Santa Cruz's development are environmental protections. The restrictions on land prevent development from responding to housing and employment demands, which is an issue particularly politically relevant in the Watsonville jurisdiction. This conflict between residents wanting to protect the environment and those wanting more housing is also racially divided, as most residents favoring environmental protection are white, while the population on the side of developing housing is more heavily Latino.<ref name=":02" /> A 2010–2011 report by a Santa Cruz County grand jury states that Watsonville had no policy for assessing environmental hazards, and would give out land use and building permits without any investigations of the environmental conditions of the land in question.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

One of the housing solutions that residents have resorted to is the occupation of accessory dwelling units. Commonly known as "mother-in-law" units, these secondary housing spaces on residential property used to be illegal to build. In 2002, Santa Cruz leaders changed the law and encouraged construction with affordable mortgages. The goal was to contain urban sprawl while still finding housing alternatives for residents in light of the crisis that was exacerbated by UCSC growth and Silicon Valley encroachment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Land use

Debates about land use in Santa Cruz were particularly important after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, which destroyed the central business district of Santa Cruz and led to the loss of an estimated 2,000 jobs.<ref name=ProQuest304420788/>

Already contentious debates about land were present in the area due to its large tourism industry and the relatively new UCSC campus, but after the quake both private interests and public servants had a stake in how rebuilding would go. This led to a necessary compromise, a public-private partnership that debated the how to rebuild the pacific garden mall space, with considerations of green space, timely implementation, and supporting local business and economy. Many constituents felt left out of this process, and reported that the political elite and economic elite were monopolizing control over the rebuilding movement.<ref name=ProQuest304420788/>

Top employers

According to Santa Cruz County's 2020–21 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the top employers in the county are:

# Employer Product/Service # of Employees
1 University of California, Santa Cruz Education 1,000–4,999
2 Pajaro Valley Unified School District Education 1,000–4,999
3 County of Santa Cruz County Services 1,000–4,999
4 Dominican Hospital Hospital 1,000–4,999
5 Santa Cruz Governmental Center City Services 1,000–4,999
6 Graniterock Excavating Contractors 500–999
7 Plantronics Telephone Apparatus Mfg. 500–999
8 Watsonville Community Hospital Hospital 500–999
9 Source Naturals Vitamin Manufacturer 500–999
10 Santa Cruz Health Center Clinics 500–999
11 Monterey Mushrooms Agriculture 500–999
12 Larse Farms Inc Agriculture 500–999

Winemaking and wineries

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Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Winemaking—both the growing of the grapes and their vinting—is an important part of the economic and cultural life of Santa Cruz County. The wines of the David Bruce Winery and Ridge Vineyards were selected for tasting in the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 (Tabor, p.167-169).

Education

Four-year universities

Two-year college

K-12 education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Unified: Template:Div col

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Secondary:

Elementary: Template:Div col

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Transportation

Major highways

County routes

Public transportation

Santa Cruz County is served by the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District bus system.

An Amtrak Thruway "Highway 17 Express" bus between Santa Cruz and San Jose is jointly operated by Amtrak, the SCMTD and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

Airports

Watsonville Municipal Airport is a public general aviation airport. There are two air carriers based at the airport offering on-demand air charter:

There is a notable private airport, Monterey Bay Academy Airport, which is a former military base.

The nearest airports for scheduled commercial travel include San Jose International Airport, Monterey Regional Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Oakland International Airport.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Santa Cruz County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 census)
1 † Santa Cruz City 62,956
2 Watsonville City 52,590
3 Live Oak CDP 17,038
4 Scotts Valley City 12,224
5 Soquel CDP 9,980
6 Capitola City 9,456
7 Rio del Mar CDP 9,128
8 Interlaken CDP 7,368
9 Aptos CDP 6,664
10 Ben Lomond CDP 6,337
11 Pleasure Point CDP 5,821
12 Boulder Creek CDP 5,429
13 Twin Lakes CDP 4,944
14 Felton CDP 4,489
15 Freedom CDP 3,835
16 Day Valley CDP 3,410
17 Seacliff CDP 3,280
18 Bonny Doon CDP 2,868
19 Amesti CDP 2,637
20 La Selva Beach CDP 2,531
21 Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley CDP 2,383
22 Corralitos CDP 2,342
23 Brookdale CDP 2,043
24 Lompico CDP 1,154
25 Mount Hermon CDP 1,110
26 Pasatiempo CDP 1,093
27 Zayante CDP 729
28 Davenport CDP 388
29 Paradise Park CDP 367
30 Pajaro Dunes CDP 122

See also

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Sources

  • Taber, George M. Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. NY: Scribner, 2005.

Notes

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References

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