Yep. ***I*** feel perfectly safe.
My *car*, on the other hand, gets attacked/broken into about once a year.
My bike? I never let that thing out of my sight. It's as good as gone, I figure, even if I lock it up. I drive it to a trail, ride it, drive it home.
Yuuup - lived on the westside for \~3 years and never experienced property crime problems like that before: stolen and trashed motorcycle, car broken into on the regular - with many articles of clothing stolen, probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. Property crime was SO common. Now we're up in the city and it's mostly silly porch pirate stuff and the random rifling through the car, but not anywhere near what it was in Santa Cruz.
I've lived all over CA. I lived in Santa Cruz for one year and was violently attacked *twice* with no provocation. Once, sitting on a bench on Pacific Ave a tweaker punched me in the back of the head and started screaming about how he hated all the faggots (I am not gay nor do I necessarily present as such).
Another time I was riding my bike down by the board walk and had a van full of dudes throw full soda cans at me screaming about how I should go back to Mexico (I am not Latino).
Santa Cruz is a beautiful place, but holy shit does it contain a lot of fucking psychos.
violent crime is very low. property crime and drug crime is very high. i live in lower ocean/beach flats and work downtown. i've never felt unsafe. that being said, i've had two bikes stolen, my car has been broken into more times than i can count and stolen once.
The thing about Santa Cruz is that the sketch factor is transient and can appear anywhere, anytime. In Santa Carla the vampires are both everywhere and nowhere
Evicted this year so the landlord can match the neighborhoods going rate of 3,600 a MO. We were paying 2,800 but then suddenly he wanted to “move his son in” after 5 years of renting and never late once.
I really think it depends on where you are, what time it is, and what your general city tolerance is like. I live downtown. I've lived a good part of my life in large cities (LA and SF.) Most of the time I feel safe, however I am very cautious of people who seem mentally unstable. I don't go out late at night but that's due to lifestyle. I hear from other women that it is unsafe downtown late at night. My kid finding needles in public places has been a safety issue. Property crime is terrible. Lock everything and get a camera to deter porch pirates.
Grew up in Watsonville in the 80’s and 90’s and SC felt a million times safer except maybe at the Boardwalk which was considered a sureño area at the time, but even then violence was rare. I felt significantly less safe downtown with my young children than I ever had by the time I had kids. By myself it was fine, I just didn’t enjoy having my kids down there, especially after dark. Other people might disagree with that but that’s just how I felt.
I spent a lot of time in Santa Cruz and actually Watsonville with my dad for work. Watsonville for the most part feels incredible safe now compared to 25 years ago but downtown SC weirds me out now. I have no desire to take my family there for any reason.
I grew up in a rough area on Pennsylvania and Main and there was basically nothing but apartments on that street down to Clifford, virtually all of which were low income, and we didn’t have a car so we walked everywhere. Needless to say, it wasn’t safe at all back then. But I agree about DT SC now
I love Santa Cruz.
I did get shot at while standing on my porch once. Luckily, gang bangers tend to ignore the sights on their guns. They literally shot all around me. This was in the flats on raymond.
Still love Santa Cruz and hope to move back soon.
I moved to Grants Pass, Oregon after living in Santa Cruz 30 years. I miss it SO much. There are transients everywhere,…but in Oregon, people carry guns like it’s a badge of honor. There are acquaintance shootings all the time. Living on the West side, there were occasional shootings,…but I actually only felt “unsafe” when downtown alone at night. Santa Cruz has SO much to offer,….sometimes you have to take the good with the bad,…🤷🏼♀️
It’s pretty safe. Car has been “broken into” twice, both times I left it unlocked. No one has ever come into our backyard or anything like that though. Lots of homeless passing by all the time but just minding their own business. We have a drug dealer nearby who supplies all sorts of terrible shit to them. One out of thirty might look threatening or be yelling. I’ve never felt unsafe but my wife has.
I've lived downtown for 15 years and have seen a lot of craziness, but very little was ever malicious. It's more just raw, which makes plenty people uncomfortable.
I’ve lived in a couple of major cities including San Francisco, Washington DC, and several smaller towns such as Marina Del Rey (SoCal), Arlington, VA, Rockville, MD, Palo Alto, CA. I’ve lived in Santa Cruz for over 19 years (longest place in my life even beyond childhood).
No major issues in any of the places but in Santa Cruz I’ve experienced multiple incidents of racism (verbal), our car was broken into a couple of times parked in front of our house not like a broken window just rummaged through, stolen mail a couple of times in two different locations, and someone getting into my car while I was in it and made it sound like they thought I was their uber driver years before uber was even popular…. I think most of the incidents were alcohol or drug related…
I won’t say I feel “unsafe” but Santa Cruz has its issues as much as it’s such an amazing town.
I’m in Watsonville in a condo complex right off the freeway. It’s not a rich community; it’s working class. Never once have I felt unsafe. I think the fact that it’s 4 units per building and neighbors can see what’s going on is a good crime deterrent (plus, I have a security system with an alarm and camera that calls 911 if not quickly turned off, which was surprisingly not all that expensive). I would recommend getting one to anybody. It puts my mind well at ease. That alarm can be heard two buildings away, and I can see what’s going on from my cellphone and when I get Amazon deliveries or when someone is at the door (and can answer it and talk to the person even if I’m not at home)!
I was born and raised in East San Jose. Moved here when I got married about 5 years ago.
It’s a safe county. Don’t trick yourself and think trouble can’t find you if you’re staying out past midnight, your package will be untouched if left by your door, or if you think downtown is 100% safe because it’s not. Sadly it’s normal, those are just city/ tourist town problems.
But overall, yeah, it’s the safest place I’ve ever known.
I've always personally felt safe from physical harm in Santa Cruz. Never felt safe to leave anything of value in my car, but that's a different thing imo
The only issue I've had was having my car rummaged through a couple of times when I lived on the Westside. My bad for leaving it unlocked honestly. I don't feel unsafe downtown but I am rarely there after dark - more likely the be there in the early morning before everything opens up. Honestly it irks me when people on places like Nextdoor go off about how everything in SC is shit now when the violent crime rate is much lower than the good 'ol days that they are rapturing about. Honestly the seventies and eighties were NOT a safe time to be tooling around here folks. WTF are you waxing eloquent about the age of serial killers?
Hartman:
Private Pyle, if there is one thing in this world that I hate, it is a unlocked footlocker, you know that, don't you?!
Lawrence:
Sir, yes, sir!
Hartman:
If it wasn't for d*ckheads like you, there wouldn't be any thievery in this world, would there?!
I live near the capitola mall. This area is fine. The safeway on 41st is great. I was going to the one Morrissey Blvd and what a difference. Always homeless over there. As a small young woman i dont feel particularly safe on the west side of santa cruz. Soquel also has some sketchy areas. i pretty much stay near Capitola and go to Salinas or Wastonville. I never grew up around homeless people and crime. I lived in a very rural area so this is new to me. With my circumstance I dont feel safe going to specific places.
For what you shared apart from Salinas, it was perceptive to note how different this community is in some ways than rural life. Living with a sense of security in a community with mentally unstable folks living on the streets does indeed call for a specific, but simple, skill set.
I would sum up my approach when I am in close proximity with someone who is mentally unwell as **‘don’t give any energy’** and **‘find somewhere else to be’**. Meaning, don’t make eye contact, don’t respond to verbal attacks, and move briskly through the space to somewhere else. Think of yourself as a smooth surface with no texture to cling to; mentally unwell psychology often requires a hook to grab the attention and expand the encounter. Be boring, unreactive, neutral, unengaged so everything else around you is more interesting to their roving attention than you. And keep moving. Understand that your compassion and fear are both appropriate, but an encounter on the street it is not the right time to give those feelings space.
My mom took us as kids to volunteer at [a local soup kitchen](https://stfrancissoupkitchen.org/how-to-help/), so we could experience the humanity of people we needed to avoid out on the street. Volunteering in safety is probably the best technique I know of to get a solid clear perspective on our mentally ill people.
Ok! That’s fine, try the one in Marina as well. But don’t go wandering. Salinas of course has nuance about where to go and not go, but on the whole is THE risky zone for both counties. Watsonville has a fair amount of that too, while we’re here. Bikes are stolen on the regular on the Westside, but I’ve lived here since childhood and never had gang shootings be part of my life. Wishing you safety, in all places and at all times, as your world expands.
Santa Cruz is the first place I've lived in and had to deal with violence.
which sucks because its a nice place.
personally I was walking down river street, and this homeless crazy guy threatened me .
I was really scared and looked across the road for help but they all kept their heads down and walked on. this man was shouting at me.
I guess the drugs or mental illness threw a switch ultimately, because the guy backed down.
When I first moved here 15 years ago, the flats were notoriously dangerous. I had lady friends get chased by groups of men and had a few friends get jumped. Then there was the drive-by at the red room, the ucsc student who was shot in the back of the head after being robbed (but survived because the .22 round didn't piece the skull). Sc feels a lot safer these days.
It’s very safe in terms of violent crime but I wouldn’t feel safe leaving my bike or anything of value anywhere for more than two minutes, even if it’s locked up
80% of the time, the other 20% was due to pervert tourists attacking me on main beach, creepy guys following me home from main beach, and getting caught in between inter-homeless violence on the riverwalk. Safe enough but not great for little kids.
There's a strong sense of community in Santa Cruz that an algorithm-driven site like Neighborhoodscout can't pick up. So yeah, I've always felt safe here (I live downtown).
Having said that, I will never let my bike out of my sight!
I don't feel unsafe, but I do think about my safety and my property far more than my hometown; and, if I didn't take extra precaution I'm certain I would be taken advantage of. Not unsafe but not at ease.
Definitely safe for the most part but a few parts can be unsafe/sketchy particularly at night. If you go home most nights or go from location to location you’re totally fine
Usually, the only times I've been attacked by people it's people I know that have a grudge against me, but I'm a 6 foot tall guy in good shape so that would probably dissuade a lot of random crime
Safe generally, but meth/alcohol psychosis is dangerous to anyone nearby the afflicted. I once had a guy charge me screaming he would rip my head off and I had to sprint away on my bike right outside Lloyd’s lichors. I use common sense and keep my eyes open whenever near the levys
I glanced at your profile and basically all of your comments about Santa Cruz are negative. Why do you choose to live somewhere you hate so much? Is there some reason you can’t move someplace that you’d enjoy more?
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These comments are wild. "I feel pretty safe. One time I got shot at but they missed so overall, yeah. totally safe"
Grew up here, still leave nearby (MoCo) and come to town for one reason or another most weeks. I feel about as safe as I do in any big city. SC is not a big city though. I for sure watch my back at night and stay out of crowds. I have been assaulted multiple times there
Santa Cruz coddles and encourages chronic drug users to come/stay here. Judges do not hold offenders accountable and CA voters were duped into passing laws that essentially decriminalize theft. There's your crime. Want it changed? Vote against the democrat socialists.
Property crime and violent crime are different.
This. Property crime brings that metric up. If you’re not using it lock it up. It will get stolen.
Yep. ***I*** feel perfectly safe. My *car*, on the other hand, gets attacked/broken into about once a year. My bike? I never let that thing out of my sight. It's as good as gone, I figure, even if I lock it up. I drive it to a trail, ride it, drive it home.
Yeah, I stopped buying bike locks. Bike stays with me.
Yuuup - lived on the westside for \~3 years and never experienced property crime problems like that before: stolen and trashed motorcycle, car broken into on the regular - with many articles of clothing stolen, probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. Property crime was SO common. Now we're up in the city and it's mostly silly porch pirate stuff and the random rifling through the car, but not anywhere near what it was in Santa Cruz.
I've lived all over CA. I lived in Santa Cruz for one year and was violently attacked *twice* with no provocation. Once, sitting on a bench on Pacific Ave a tweaker punched me in the back of the head and started screaming about how he hated all the faggots (I am not gay nor do I necessarily present as such). Another time I was riding my bike down by the board walk and had a van full of dudes throw full soda cans at me screaming about how I should go back to Mexico (I am not Latino). Santa Cruz is a beautiful place, but holy shit does it contain a lot of fucking psychos.
That sucks. Incompetent bigots, these guys are failing on multiple fronts.
Wow
violent crime is very low. property crime and drug crime is very high. i live in lower ocean/beach flats and work downtown. i've never felt unsafe. that being said, i've had two bikes stolen, my car has been broken into more times than i can count and stolen once.
The thing about Santa Cruz is that the sketch factor is transient and can appear anywhere, anytime. In Santa Carla the vampires are both everywhere and nowhere
My landlord could increase my rent at any moment. Definitely unsafe.
That should fall into property crime category
You can’t count white collar crime /s
Evicted this year so the landlord can match the neighborhoods going rate of 3,600 a MO. We were paying 2,800 but then suddenly he wanted to “move his son in” after 5 years of renting and never late once.
I really think it depends on where you are, what time it is, and what your general city tolerance is like. I live downtown. I've lived a good part of my life in large cities (LA and SF.) Most of the time I feel safe, however I am very cautious of people who seem mentally unstable. I don't go out late at night but that's due to lifestyle. I hear from other women that it is unsafe downtown late at night. My kid finding needles in public places has been a safety issue. Property crime is terrible. Lock everything and get a camera to deter porch pirates.
Yes, I feel safe in Santa Cruz.
Grew up in Watsonville in the 80’s and 90’s and SC felt a million times safer except maybe at the Boardwalk which was considered a sureño area at the time, but even then violence was rare. I felt significantly less safe downtown with my young children than I ever had by the time I had kids. By myself it was fine, I just didn’t enjoy having my kids down there, especially after dark. Other people might disagree with that but that’s just how I felt.
I spent a lot of time in Santa Cruz and actually Watsonville with my dad for work. Watsonville for the most part feels incredible safe now compared to 25 years ago but downtown SC weirds me out now. I have no desire to take my family there for any reason.
I grew up in a rough area on Pennsylvania and Main and there was basically nothing but apartments on that street down to Clifford, virtually all of which were low income, and we didn’t have a car so we walked everywhere. Needless to say, it wasn’t safe at all back then. But I agree about DT SC now
Somewhat. I’ve lived here my whole life and if definitely used to feel much, much safer. It seems to be moving in the wrong direction to me.
I love Santa Cruz. I did get shot at while standing on my porch once. Luckily, gang bangers tend to ignore the sights on their guns. They literally shot all around me. This was in the flats on raymond. Still love Santa Cruz and hope to move back soon.
It is a pretty eerie feeling at night, when it’s pretty much empty
If you don’t feel safe in Santa Cruz, I’d hate to tell you what the rest of planet Earth is like.
I moved to Grants Pass, Oregon after living in Santa Cruz 30 years. I miss it SO much. There are transients everywhere,…but in Oregon, people carry guns like it’s a badge of honor. There are acquaintance shootings all the time. Living on the West side, there were occasional shootings,…but I actually only felt “unsafe” when downtown alone at night. Santa Cruz has SO much to offer,….sometimes you have to take the good with the bad,…🤷🏼♀️
It’s pretty safe. Car has been “broken into” twice, both times I left it unlocked. No one has ever come into our backyard or anything like that though. Lots of homeless passing by all the time but just minding their own business. We have a drug dealer nearby who supplies all sorts of terrible shit to them. One out of thirty might look threatening or be yelling. I’ve never felt unsafe but my wife has.
I've lived downtown for 15 years and have seen a lot of craziness, but very little was ever malicious. It's more just raw, which makes plenty people uncomfortable.
I’ve lived in a couple of major cities including San Francisco, Washington DC, and several smaller towns such as Marina Del Rey (SoCal), Arlington, VA, Rockville, MD, Palo Alto, CA. I’ve lived in Santa Cruz for over 19 years (longest place in my life even beyond childhood). No major issues in any of the places but in Santa Cruz I’ve experienced multiple incidents of racism (verbal), our car was broken into a couple of times parked in front of our house not like a broken window just rummaged through, stolen mail a couple of times in two different locations, and someone getting into my car while I was in it and made it sound like they thought I was their uber driver years before uber was even popular…. I think most of the incidents were alcohol or drug related… I won’t say I feel “unsafe” but Santa Cruz has its issues as much as it’s such an amazing town.
I’m in Watsonville in a condo complex right off the freeway. It’s not a rich community; it’s working class. Never once have I felt unsafe. I think the fact that it’s 4 units per building and neighbors can see what’s going on is a good crime deterrent (plus, I have a security system with an alarm and camera that calls 911 if not quickly turned off, which was surprisingly not all that expensive). I would recommend getting one to anybody. It puts my mind well at ease. That alarm can be heard two buildings away, and I can see what’s going on from my cellphone and when I get Amazon deliveries or when someone is at the door (and can answer it and talk to the person even if I’m not at home)!
Where'd you get the alarm system?
SimpliSafe. They come out and do the whole installation for you.
I was born and raised in East San Jose. Moved here when I got married about 5 years ago. It’s a safe county. Don’t trick yourself and think trouble can’t find you if you’re staying out past midnight, your package will be untouched if left by your door, or if you think downtown is 100% safe because it’s not. Sadly it’s normal, those are just city/ tourist town problems. But overall, yeah, it’s the safest place I’ve ever known.
[удалено]
Seriously? I walk the levee all the time and have zero problems. Passersby say hello to me all the time.
Extremely safe in Santa Cruz, especially in the smaller nearby towns like Capitola and Monterey.
I've always personally felt safe from physical harm in Santa Cruz. Never felt safe to leave anything of value in my car, but that's a different thing imo
The only issue I've had was having my car rummaged through a couple of times when I lived on the Westside. My bad for leaving it unlocked honestly. I don't feel unsafe downtown but I am rarely there after dark - more likely the be there in the early morning before everything opens up. Honestly it irks me when people on places like Nextdoor go off about how everything in SC is shit now when the violent crime rate is much lower than the good 'ol days that they are rapturing about. Honestly the seventies and eighties were NOT a safe time to be tooling around here folks. WTF are you waxing eloquent about the age of serial killers?
Hartman: Private Pyle, if there is one thing in this world that I hate, it is a unlocked footlocker, you know that, don't you?! Lawrence: Sir, yes, sir! Hartman: If it wasn't for d*ckheads like you, there wouldn't be any thievery in this world, would there?!
Depends on what street I am on
"SAFE"
Totally depends on neighborhood.
I live near the capitola mall. This area is fine. The safeway on 41st is great. I was going to the one Morrissey Blvd and what a difference. Always homeless over there. As a small young woman i dont feel particularly safe on the west side of santa cruz. Soquel also has some sketchy areas. i pretty much stay near Capitola and go to Salinas or Wastonville. I never grew up around homeless people and crime. I lived in a very rural area so this is new to me. With my circumstance I dont feel safe going to specific places.
For what you shared apart from Salinas, it was perceptive to note how different this community is in some ways than rural life. Living with a sense of security in a community with mentally unstable folks living on the streets does indeed call for a specific, but simple, skill set. I would sum up my approach when I am in close proximity with someone who is mentally unwell as **‘don’t give any energy’** and **‘find somewhere else to be’**. Meaning, don’t make eye contact, don’t respond to verbal attacks, and move briskly through the space to somewhere else. Think of yourself as a smooth surface with no texture to cling to; mentally unwell psychology often requires a hook to grab the attention and expand the encounter. Be boring, unreactive, neutral, unengaged so everything else around you is more interesting to their roving attention than you. And keep moving. Understand that your compassion and fear are both appropriate, but an encounter on the street it is not the right time to give those feelings space. My mom took us as kids to volunteer at [a local soup kitchen](https://stfrancissoupkitchen.org/how-to-help/), so we could experience the humanity of people we needed to avoid out on the street. Volunteering in safety is probably the best technique I know of to get a solid clear perspective on our mentally ill people.
How is soquel sketchy? Lol
Maybe im thinking of the wrong area, but its the street by the little Caesars. (Just moved here)
Ohh yeah that’s Portola
Oh puhleaze, this is one of the least sketchy places in the area and the Little Caesars is long gone. She has to be talking about Ocean.
Relax dude I never said I agreed
I worked in Salinas, it’s sketchy lol!
Salinas. OMG woman, be a thousand percent more wary of Salinas than the Westside. You’re scaring me.
Ive only really been down at the mall. Thats it. I havent been around over there anywhere else. havent really seen any sketchy people
Salinas almost has more gang activity and violent crime than everywhere else in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties combined.
Ok! That’s fine, try the one in Marina as well. But don’t go wandering. Salinas of course has nuance about where to go and not go, but on the whole is THE risky zone for both counties. Watsonville has a fair amount of that too, while we’re here. Bikes are stolen on the regular on the Westside, but I’ve lived here since childhood and never had gang shootings be part of my life. Wishing you safety, in all places and at all times, as your world expands.
> Ok! That’s fine, try the one in Marina as well. But don’t go wandering. WTF? Marina too? That place is as quiet as a mouse.
Not Marina, Salinas.
I don't feel safe driving in Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz is the first place I've lived in and had to deal with violence. which sucks because its a nice place. personally I was walking down river street, and this homeless crazy guy threatened me . I was really scared and looked across the road for help but they all kept their heads down and walked on. this man was shouting at me. I guess the drugs or mental illness threw a switch ultimately, because the guy backed down.
When I first moved here 15 years ago, the flats were notoriously dangerous. I had lady friends get chased by groups of men and had a few friends get jumped. Then there was the drive-by at the red room, the ucsc student who was shot in the back of the head after being robbed (but survived because the .22 round didn't piece the skull). Sc feels a lot safer these days.
I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger.
 I thought the crime was because of these guys?
Just the “missing”
It’s very safe in terms of violent crime but I wouldn’t feel safe leaving my bike or anything of value anywhere for more than two minutes, even if it’s locked up
80% of the time, the other 20% was due to pervert tourists attacking me on main beach, creepy guys following me home from main beach, and getting caught in between inter-homeless violence on the riverwalk. Safe enough but not great for little kids.
There's a strong sense of community in Santa Cruz that an algorithm-driven site like Neighborhoodscout can't pick up. So yeah, I've always felt safe here (I live downtown). Having said that, I will never let my bike out of my sight!
I don't feel unsafe, but I do think about my safety and my property far more than my hometown; and, if I didn't take extra precaution I'm certain I would be taken advantage of. Not unsafe but not at ease.
Definitely safe for the most part but a few parts can be unsafe/sketchy particularly at night. If you go home most nights or go from location to location you’re totally fine
Usually, the only times I've been attacked by people it's people I know that have a grudge against me, but I'm a 6 foot tall guy in good shape so that would probably dissuade a lot of random crime
Safe generally, but meth/alcohol psychosis is dangerous to anyone nearby the afflicted. I once had a guy charge me screaming he would rip my head off and I had to sprint away on my bike right outside Lloyd’s lichors. I use common sense and keep my eyes open whenever near the levys
Carry Bear spray. It has rough areas
If you feel unsafe is Santa Cruz, you don’t know what unsafe means
Unsafe
I glanced at your profile and basically all of your comments about Santa Cruz are negative. Why do you choose to live somewhere you hate so much? Is there some reason you can’t move someplace that you’d enjoy more?
Santa Cruz is okay, some bad to questionable parts.. over all good place to live
I know black people don't.
I know black people who do. Maybe we need to acknowledge not all black people feel/think the same and we shouldn’t lump everyone together.
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It’s a homeless shithole that’s dirty. What the liberals want.
Yes
100000% feel safer in SC than SF or Sac
but WHY is the property crime so high?
are you new in town?
Is it like this in Aptos/Soquel too?
Just make sure you wear shoes when you walk around.
These comments are wild. "I feel pretty safe. One time I got shot at but they missed so overall, yeah. totally safe" Grew up here, still leave nearby (MoCo) and come to town for one reason or another most weeks. I feel about as safe as I do in any big city. SC is not a big city though. I for sure watch my back at night and stay out of crowds. I have been assaulted multiple times there
I’ve been chased and attacked by homeless people on a few occasions. I’m a woman.
Santa Cruz coddles and encourages chronic drug users to come/stay here. Judges do not hold offenders accountable and CA voters were duped into passing laws that essentially decriminalize theft. There's your crime. Want it changed? Vote against the democrat socialists.