|
|
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA - USA
Santa Cruz is the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, United
States. 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 miles (100 km) south
of San Francisco.
The area was first settled by Ohlone Indians, 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. The town was named, as many of the early Spanish settlements
were, for the Catholic feast day on which it was founded. The Ohlones were
concentrated by the Spanish into the mission and suffered a rapid decline
due to diseases and overwork.
Santa Cruz was settled by Americans in the
19th century. Immigrants from Scotland, Italy, China and Portugal also 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.
Santa Cruz is home to the University of California, Santa Cruz, which was
built starting in the 1960s as an 'alternative' campus. Overlooking the
Monterey Bay among the redwood trees, UCSC is arguably the most beautiful of
the University of California campuses. UCSC was long known for its lack of
letter grades and organized sports teams, although this has been changing in
recent years, with letter grades now provided for most classes. Their mascot
is the banana slug.
Santa Cruz is also well-known for surfing, and is the home of O'Neill
Wetsuits and Santa Cruz Surfboards (as well as Santa Cruz Skateboards).
Santa Cruz is also notable for the extensive damage it suffered during the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which leveled the mostly unreinforced-brick
downtown, killing five people. The downtown area, the Pacific Garden Mall,
has been rebuilt almost from scratch.
The principal industries of Santa Cruz are agriculture, tourism, and high
technology. Santa Cruz is a center of the organic agriculture movement, and
many specialty products such as artichokes, grown in the Castroville area.
Tourist attractions include the classic Santa Cruz Boardwalk on the beach,
the redwood forests and the unspoiled Monterey Bay, which has been protected
as a marine sanctuary.
Santa Cruz provides many great opportunities for birding. (see: bird list)
In recent years, because of its close proximity to Silicon Valley, Santa
Cruz has supported a large high technology industry, particularly in the
Scotts Valley area. Many workers from Silicon Valley live in Santa Cruz and
the surrounding towns. The influx of workers from Silicon Valley, in
combination with growing enrollment at the university, have caused growing
traffic problems and a high cost of housing; Santa Cruz is regularly listed
among the five most expensive housing markets in the United States.
As a center of liberal activism, Santa Cruz became one of the first cities
in California to test the state's medical marijuana laws in court after the
arrest of several medical marijuana proponents by the DEA. The case was
ruled in favor of the growers, and Santa Cruz has continued to be a haven
for medical and recreational pot smokers.
Camper Van Beethoven was spawned in Santa Cruz.
The climate is Mediterranean, with mild summers due to coastal fog. Winters
tend to be rainy, although periodic droughts have occurred in recent years.
Geography
Santa Cruz is located at 36°58'19" North, 122°1'35" West (36.972050,
-122.026252)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
40.4 km˛ (15.6 mi˛). 32.5 km˛ (12.5 mi˛) of it is land and 8.0 km˛ (3.1 mi˛)
of it is water. The total area is 19.67% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 54,593 people, 20,442 households, and
10,404 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,682.2/km˛
(4,356.0/mi˛). There are 21,504 housing units at an average density of
662.6/km˛ (1,715.8/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 78.74% White,
1.73% African American, 0.86% Native American, 4.90% Asian, 0.13% Pacific
Islander, 9.14% from other races, and 4.50% from two or more races. 17.39%
of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 20,442 households out of which 25.1% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 37.0% are married couples living together, 9.6% have
a female householder with no husband present, and 49.1% are non-families.
29.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.6% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.44 and the average family size is 2.98.
In the city the population is spread out with 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% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100
females there are 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 97.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $50,605, and the median
income for a family is $62,231. Males have a median income of $44,751 versus
$32,699 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,758. 16.5% of
the population and 6.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 12.5% are under the age of 18 and 4.8% are
65 or older.
|
|
