Santa Cruz is a small city of 56,000 but boasts some big city features like a campus for the world-famous University of California. It's located in Northern California along the shore. San Francisco is 75 miles to the north, whiel San Jose is 30 miles northeast.

This beautiful coastal city is mainly home to agriculture and tourism industries. A healthy manufacturing, food processing, and high-tech industry is also thriving in the region. Just about 10% of all land in the city is reserved for State Parks. Average temperatures reach 70 degrees whiel lows can hit mid 40's.

The city is the epitome of beach town living. This is the spot where surfing was first introduced to mainland America by Hawaiian royalty. Since then, Santa Cruz has been the premiere California city for catching waves. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is another famed attraction here. It features nightly calliope music, fine dining, and one of the West Coast's only seaside amusement parks.

For the shopper, downtown Santa Cruz recently received a new look. The pedestrian-centric beautiful tree-lined streets are stocked with great stores, gallieries, bistros, and many buskers. This Surf City is definitely offbeat and loving it!