Move To West Side Santa Cruz

West Side Santa Cruz is one of the world’s most famous surf communities, perfectly situated on California's Central Coast just 30 minutes from the metropolitan areas of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. Backing up to the coastal redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains, West Side Santa Cruz offers easy access to a multitude of adventures from the mountains to the sea. Perhaps best known for its iconic Boardwalk, Santa Cruz draws more than 3 million visitors each year. Santa Cruz has limited Airbnbs for this reason, you can read about the Santa Cruz vacation rental ordinance here. 
 
For those looking to move to Santa Cruz, the City can be categorized into the following areas: Davenport, Upper West Side, Lower West Side, Downtown and the Beach Flats/Beach Hill. Santa Cruz is known as an artsy place to live with an eclectic mix of styles and communities coming together as a result of its proximity to the Bay Area and because of the cohort of students that flock to it every year because of UCSC. Although it has grown over the years and is demographically diverse, in many ways it remains a "college town." 141 homes sold in this area in 2024 and the average price of a single family during that time period was $1.55m.* 

More information about real estate in the main Santa Cruz neighborhoods:
Davenport - This is a small coastal town a few minutes north of Santa Cruz on Highway 1. Home to a few businesse, a small residential area, as well as its own elementary school.
Upper West Side - This area above Downtown Santa Cruz (north of Mission St) and near UCSC offers a mix of condos, townhomes and large single family homes, many of which have a view of the Monterey Bay.
Lower West Side - This area, flanked by the scenic West Cliff Drive and known for its "circle" neighborhoods is south of Mission St. It offers many luxury oceanfront homes as well as 2, 3, and 4 bedroom single family homes. It is highly desirable because of its central location, proximity to the beach, and accessibility to Highway 1 and Downtown Santa Cruz. 
Downtown Santa Cruz - The majority of homes in Downtown Santa Cruz are 100+ year old Victorian homes and many are considered historic. There are also a few multifamily homes and townhouses/condos. There is major development occurring Downtown including many new multi-level  apartments buildings to assist with the large housing need impacted by UCSC students.
Beach Flats and Lower Ocean- This up-and-coming area has historically had much lower home prices, but is beginning to become more developed as it is considered an opportunity zone. There are some expensive large Victorian homes and ocean view condos on Beach Hill. This area is very close to the Boardwalk and also has many hotels for tourists.

Compared to other parts of the County, the City of Santa Cruz is a desirable place to live for many people because of its lively Downtown and "Far West End" areas, shorter commute times including Silicon Valley buses, walkability, sunny weather, and proximity to UCSC. West Side Santa Cruz real estate includes stunning ocean front homes, quaint coastal cottages, historic Victorians, luxury properties, condos, and everything in between. View Santa Cruz oceanfront homes for sale and other Santa Cruz properties with our dream team today!
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*Data from MLSListings