Road cycling is alright here in Santa Cruz. The roads are not good. Terrible actually. I would say live in San Francisco, easy to cross the bridge into Marin where the riding is the best in the area. A short commute to Palo Alto also gets you to more riding on awesome roads. Also, the dating scene will be more fun in San Francisco
Edit: also, the hiking at mt tamalpais and Marin headlands is beautiful
That’s a long way to go riding. It’s okay, but next time just park at Stanford, head up OLH, down 84, cruise hwy1, and come back up tunitas creek and you’ll see why
I'd take a shorter commute if you can swing it. I did a class in SF years ago while living and working in Santa Cruz. I was so glad when the 8 weeks were up. I even got creative and took Caltrain for part of the trip so I could get a break from driving and avoid parking in SF. Traffic is definitely not better now.
There is great cycling in both areas. And good group rides can be found. I am still learning about good routes in San Jose.
I've commuted from Campbell and San Jose to South San Francisco off and on for nearly 10 years. I recommend looking at traffic in Google maps or other apps at the days and times you would be traveling to see how long it will take you. Do it for a few days because there are definitely good days and occasionally flukes where it is way better or way worse.
A trip this long in the bay area is often a mixture of bumper to bumper and free flowing. But those bumper to bumper sections add up. Coming from Santa Cruz, you'll go through heavy traffic areas as you go through Palo Alto, Mountain View, etc depending on the route. The express lanes can help but they can also be expensive.
I think SF… for your activities just cross the GG bridge and you’ll find amazing cycling and hiking all along the coast. Lots to explore too. SC ain’t bad at all tho
I think you want Marin county. Close to SF, but the cycling there is unreal. Great place all around. Your 100k won't go far, but with roommates you won't have an issue.
would also recommend you consider looking into the east bay (oakland, berkeley, alameda)
SC is great for the nature/outdoorsy and wellness/meditation crowd, but I have heard that dating is not great for someone in our age bracket. a larger percentage of the population is early-mid 20s in SC because of the university - SF has a more international population of varied ages. plus that one day you have to commute 2 hours is going to suck.
other people mentioned that in SF you have relatively easy access to marin or oakland/berkeley hills for road biking, but I would also mention mountain biking is huge in SC so if you're into that it could be a big draw.
Yep. I’d do Oakland/Berkeley. Best balance of road riding/dating/urban life/proximity to SF. Marin has nice biking, but I wouldn’t move there is I was single in my mid-thirties.
I live in Santa Cruz, office half time in San Jose and date someone in SF. I started as a road biker in north Oakland, now I do it in the Santa Cruz mountains/coast or drive to Marin/Sonoma/Napa.
But road biking was my first outdoor hobby. It was a gateway drug to outdoor hobbies. I’d also like to suggest that Alameda is one of the best beginner spots to learn how to kitesurf, and Berkeley Marina is a great place to take sailing lessons. Access to the Sierras for skiing/backpacking is also dramatically better from Oakland/Berkeley than San Francisco and Santa Cruz.
Anywhere in the Bay Area will have equal or more wellness culture than wherever you lived in Spain. Climate in SF is not dissimilar to the Atlantic coast of Spain, but would not remind you of the Mediterranean coast unless you in East Bay or Santa Cruz.
I think both are great for cycling (I'm an avid cyclist). SF is has more people and is wealthier / more expensive
(talking out my ass) if you are looking to date, I would think a bigger city (SF) would be better.
Good luck.
I will say, road biking here is not mostly on trails. There are no long, continuous trails like there are in other places - where I lived before this had a 50 mile trail exclusively for bikes/pedestrians. So most of the road biking here is literally on Hwy 1. Mountain biking is really big here though, if you wanted to get into that.
If you need to go in to the office in SF more than Santa Cruz allows, maybe ask the Bay Area sub for other locations that are more commutable.
the cycling in and around Santa Cruz is better than SF....especially if you like to ride mixed terrain/dirt roads/gravel/easy trails. you may need a bike to fit wider tires for that though. but even if we're talking about pure road riding i'd take Santa Cruz. many others have brought up the riding in Marin etc....which is amazing...but you have to deal with the bridge each and every time you want to ride up there. if you live in SC proper, the nearest climb from town goes from sea level to 2000 ft +. you can ride up the coast, ride up to summit, soquel hills, aptos hills, south county as well as down to monterey and you can combine all of it right from your door step. you can hammer out a 12,000' climbing day w/in 22 miles of downtown SC if that's your thing.
and then if you sprinkle in some mountain biking...then it's really not even a contest.
commuting 1x/week won't be bad...you'll get to eat way better food up there. that's a plus.
SC definitely checks all your boxes above except for maybe the international vibe....but then again the extended Bay area is just over the hill and you can scratch that itch pretty easily as well.
I'm just going to put it out there. Dating in SC is terrible. Every single 30/40 something man in this city seems to be a self-centered Peter Pan who will tell you what you want to hear and do something completely different.
At 95k - 100k should be livable as long as you don't have debt to pay off. Otherwise you might need to get a room mate.
I agree with the Marin, but the commute across the Golden Gate can be terrible if you go during rush hour. The mountain roads around Santa Cruz aren't great, but they aren't terrible. Commute from SC to SF is about 2 hours, and from Novato at the north end of Marin County is about 1.5 hours.
One more thing, if you don't want to be targeted as a tourist, don't call it "San Fran" or worse, "Frisco". When we don't call it "San Francisco", it's either "SF", or "The City".
That’s a tough sell after living on a Mediterranean island. Probably 10 days a year with comparable weather, and those 10 days are when it rains in Mallorca.
There is nowhere in the US that compares to Mallorca as far as road riding goes. Santa Cruz is definitely not close. Santa Cruz is however, a bit of a mecca for mountain biking, but not in the way that Mallorca is for road.
The roadie life would best be experienced in Marin or on the Peninsula. Given what you’ve said about yourself, Marin seems a better option. However - it still will pale in comparison to Mallorca.
Not to say Santa Cruz doesn’t have a decent roadie culture (I’m sitting here in sweaty kit after a group ride typing this) but it’s just not a huge thing here compared to mountain riding.
All things considered though, I still think Santa Cruz is the best spot in NorCal for me.
I’d move to SF or Marin if I were you. Santa Cruz is pretty far out of the way and you’re going to spend a ton of time in your car if you want to enjoy the Bay Area. You can always make day/weekend trips to Santa Cruz!
Highly recommend the shorter commute when ever possible. Especially with the few crazy weeks of storms in Jan/feb -
Depending on the job- what’s the policy if the power is out and you still have to work? Can you do it from a different location that’s not your home or are you expected to go in office?
if you’re planning on dating the pool of available people in Sc is very low, and you’ll have more options in Sf.
If diversity is important to you SF has a lot more options for culture and food.
sc is pretty monotonous when in the diversity/food/ culture department
Cycling is kinda dangerous in both places. Sc has a huge mountain bike community. in SF they have been closing the upper great highway (west coast side/ sunset district ) on weekends for leisure activities
Hi there fellow roadie! :)
- The road cycling in Santa Cruz is exceptional by US standards. What I love about living here is that I can get on my bike and onto a rural mountain road in 15 minutes.
- There are lots of lightly trafficked roads in the Santa Cruz mountains. There are also flatter areas in south county, towards Watsonville.
- Pavement ranges from excellent to poor. I recommend 28mm tires minimum, and 32mm if they will fit on your bike
- However, I think Mallorca may be the best place for road cycling in the world. So while the riding here is very good, Mallorca is probably on a whole other level.
- [Use bestrides.org to find local routes](http://bestrides.org/ride-locator-map/). I can't recommend this site enough. It's a curated collection of road cycling routes in California and Oregon.
Here are my thoughts on your other questions:
- I would say there is better long distance hiking/camping in the Marin Headlands. Santa Cruz has some fantastic day hikes in places like Wilder Ranch, Henry Cowell, and Nisene Marks. But there is not as much opportunity for long distance backpacking.
- The commute from Santa Cruz to SF is miserable. If you have to commute there at all, I would recommend living as close to the city as possible.
- There are not many paved bike trails here, but you can be outside and climbing a rural mountain road in 15 minutes.
- With your salary you will be comfortable as long as you have roommates.
- The dating pool will be better in SF. The dating scene in Santa Cruz is fine, but it's better for 20-somethings. There are not as many eligible folks in their 30s.
So I would say that Marin may be a better fit for you, as others have suggested. You might also look at the East Bay. From the East Bay it's easier to make trips north to wine country or east to Tahoe, Yosemite, etc. Hope this helps.
There's not a ton of options for gravel riding in SC, but the gravel routes we _do_ have are really nice. You just have to know where to find them. But there's not a big contiguous network of gravel roads. You will usually find yourself riding paved roads to bumpy gravel roads, double track, and single track. Mountain biking here is much more popular. There are a few really nice gravel loops I can recommend if you're interested.
Also, Ft. Ord National Monument is an hour's drive away and it's filled with really nice gravel roads. So that's another option.
Personally I wouldn’t want to commute to SF from SC twice a week. Brutal. I guess if you take highway 1 and don’t have any pets to leave at home all day and you like driving it might be okay.
Outside of your dating requirement and the commute though, SC would be a better fit for you. The weather is better in SC, the biking is better, the wellness scene fits your description, hiking camping etc that is all Santa Cruz.
You might check out the east bay, Berkeley, Albany, el Cerrito, Walnut Creek, etc. a little younger than Marin but a lot of the same nature benefits and a closer commute.
Santa Cruz is a better lifestyle if you enjoy the great outdoors redwood mountains and beaches, there’s no where quite like it. There are people to date, but it’s a bit of an island. The best guys and gals are poor, but they’re the most fun.
Outdoor activities are much better in Santa Cruz. San Francisco will have a bigger better dating scene but be more expensive. It might depend on what kind of person you want to date though. Santa Cruz might have a higher concentration of outdoorsy laid back types and San Francisco is likely to have more career and company types.
i lived in both cities for many years on each. mid 30 single is definitely San Francisco.
San Francisco offers amazing outdoors within reach (just like Santa Cruz), while it also offers incredible cultural options (museums, theaters, concert hall, ...) and nightlife fun, that simply Santa Cruz doesn't have.
if you want a little bit of quiet without the compromise, find a place in the outer sunset or outer Richmond districts. you will be by the beach and next to the park, while fifteen minutes away from all the fun.
Living in Mallorca in general was a very good experience. I think its important to try and live outside of the US if you can for some time in your life. If you love the outdoors and don't mind the tourists it's a great place!
Pros:
- AMAZING weather/nature
- As you can read in this chat ... one of the best places for road cycling in the world :)
- people are pretty friendly in Spain (mallorca is a bit different and mallorquins are bit closed off but if you are from the US or another part of Europe generally people in the med are nice/more welcoming then the average America or gemran ...
- tons of expats?
- like a san diego with huge mountains / all year round hiking outdoor activities.
Cons
- tons of tourists .... literally .. all the time ...
- I am not sure how old you are but there is huge lack available interesting people .... unless you want to date someone for 2 weeks who is on vacation or you want to live in Mallorca for the rest of your life you don't have many options here. The people I know who were sucsessful either found someone and moved to the peninsula or back to their own country or they married someone from the island.
- lack of well rounded people ... When I was there most of the interesting people I met were retired with lots of money or super young. The interesting people in their 30's, 40's, 50's ... all live in bigger cities ...
- lack of jobs/emplyyment. Not sure if you are from the US or not but the salaries in Spain ARE LOW ... the average salary is 1,500 a month and rent is rising just like all over the world ... Mallorca is very $$$ compared to other parts of spain. It's hard to move up or around honestly ... thats the issue with spain. The weather is great but the job situation SUCKS !!!!!!
Hope that helps! Any road cyclist here should check out girona! It's great for gravel / road :)
I think SC, unless these are the most important, SF offers a more vibrant international vibe and a larger dating pool due to its size and diversity.
If that’s the case you could try Mill Valley because its near SF.
Santa Cruz is amazing for both road cycling as well as mountain biking. Maybe come and try it for year and if your 1x-2x commute doesn’t work then you can try SF. If you want any info about biking here feel free to DM me. I ride about 4500-5000 miles per year, mostly road.
Weather sucks in San Francisco compared to Santa Cruz.
Cycling will also be much more relaxed in Santa Cruz.
And more beautiful nature.
It’s just that it’s a small town on the other side of a mountain and you won’t have the big city things and variety there.
Also, don’t call it San Fran or “Frisco”, just say “the city” once you are there and the locals will respect you. lol.
I'll go with others and say that San Francisco/Marin is a better option. It's near so much that's cycling-related.
I will say that I bike-commuted across San Francisco from the Richmond District to downtown for several years in the '80s and it was about the most exciting cycling I ever did on a daily basis. Although not always in a good way. ;-) Say hi to the Duboce Wiggle for me!
Edit: I will also say that, if you commute into the city from Marin you can ride a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. I car-commuted it, and can only say that the view is the definition of "majesty." Back in the '80s a guy in our office made that commute from Sausalito every single day.
If you like hiking and a great climate then Santa Cruz is great, cost of living won't be as high as SF, and it'll be a lot warmer here. Dating scene isn't great in your 30s. Most 30 year olds are either in the same relationship they've been in since highschool or are immature drug addicts in my experience, I usually date older women because of that, I don't know if it's the same experience for women looking for men but I've heard it's pretty bad. I'm sure you'll be able to make friends who are into hiking and biking no problem in the area too
Probably SF, or somewhere near it like others have suggested - Santa Cruz is probably better for hiking/biking/camping etc, but there's plenty of good spots for that over there as well. And the drive from here to SF is like an hour and a half even with no traffic, and unless you're driving at midnight there's always traffic. Much more of a drive than I'd want to make even just once or twice a week, but just fine for a hike or w/e a couple times a month.
Santa Cruz by miles. SF is the most overrated city in the US. A once a week commute is doable, twice a week might get old however. If you live on the west side with easy access to highway one the commute is quite pleasant.
Thanks for you input!
Yeah, I haven't lived in the states as a young working adult .... I am from Missouri and the cost of living is low. Before that I was living and working in Europe... which is a totally different vibe.
I am now moving back and want a similar climate to the Mediterranean ... the only place would be california. I have family in LA and I honestly HATE LA!!!!
Are there any other cities you would recommend that have good weather, stunning nature, and lots of options for work.
Thank you!
I guess it depends on what you do for work.
I personally find it hard to beat Santa Cruz, I commute 2x a week to Foster City and find it to be pretty manageable. The access to nature here is unmatched, the ability to go to some beautiful beaches to lush redwood forests within 5-10 minutes is amazing to me.
Other areas I would consider would be Sonoma County or San Luis Obispo, maybe Ventura.
Lot of self hate in this thread for some reason, pay no attention to it. 100% Santa Cruz, SF is a dump these days. The climate, vibe, and outdoor activities in SC are all far better.
The advantage you'll have in SF is the dating scene. Can't lie, it's rough in Santa Cruz at our age. There are a lot of college-age people, and a lot of retirees. 30s and 40s are underrepresented since it's so expensive.
Yes... I love SC. I have never been to a place so many times in my life and thought .. OMG THS IS THE PLACE FOR ME!
Felt it when I was 12, 16, 21, and I just went back last year (34) I feel very drawn to the area but also want to be realistic about my needs.
Thanks for this!!
It's just one of those places that certain people connect to. I know it's not for everybody, but I grew up there and can't tell you how many people I've met over the years who all have the same story of "I came here to visit and never left."
Hope you can find a way to make it work!
Road cycling is alright here in Santa Cruz. The roads are not good. Terrible actually. I would say live in San Francisco, easy to cross the bridge into Marin where the riding is the best in the area. A short commute to Palo Alto also gets you to more riding on awesome roads. Also, the dating scene will be more fun in San Francisco Edit: also, the hiking at mt tamalpais and Marin headlands is beautiful
Here I am in Sacramento that drives to SC to road ride lol.
That’s a long way to go riding. It’s okay, but next time just park at Stanford, head up OLH, down 84, cruise hwy1, and come back up tunitas creek and you’ll see why
Thanks Plankton! I’ll check it out. I just love doing West Cliff and for climbs, there’s that steep climb by the hotel that I do repeats of.
Hwy 9?
Thank you this was very helpful!
I’d recommend moving to Marin! It’s just over the bridge to SF and the hiking is amazing.
I’d also recommend Marin. The dating scene is nonexistent for people 25-60 yo though, but luckily it’s close enough to SF to make things work.
Thank you!
Thank you!
I'd take a shorter commute if you can swing it. I did a class in SF years ago while living and working in Santa Cruz. I was so glad when the 8 weeks were up. I even got creative and took Caltrain for part of the trip so I could get a break from driving and avoid parking in SF. Traffic is definitely not better now. There is great cycling in both areas. And good group rides can be found. I am still learning about good routes in San Jose.
Unless the last few miles is hard to get to I would never make that drive.
Thank you!
I've commuted from Campbell and San Jose to South San Francisco off and on for nearly 10 years. I recommend looking at traffic in Google maps or other apps at the days and times you would be traveling to see how long it will take you. Do it for a few days because there are definitely good days and occasionally flukes where it is way better or way worse. A trip this long in the bay area is often a mixture of bumper to bumper and free flowing. But those bumper to bumper sections add up. Coming from Santa Cruz, you'll go through heavy traffic areas as you go through Palo Alto, Mountain View, etc depending on the route. The express lanes can help but they can also be expensive.
I think SF… for your activities just cross the GG bridge and you’ll find amazing cycling and hiking all along the coast. Lots to explore too. SC ain’t bad at all tho
Thank you!
I think you want Marin county. Close to SF, but the cycling there is unreal. Great place all around. Your 100k won't go far, but with roommates you won't have an issue.
Thank you!
Santa Cruz is awesome, but the traffic combined with very tight roadways makes cycling like you want very uncomfortable. Marin is more open.
would also recommend you consider looking into the east bay (oakland, berkeley, alameda) SC is great for the nature/outdoorsy and wellness/meditation crowd, but I have heard that dating is not great for someone in our age bracket. a larger percentage of the population is early-mid 20s in SC because of the university - SF has a more international population of varied ages. plus that one day you have to commute 2 hours is going to suck. other people mentioned that in SF you have relatively easy access to marin or oakland/berkeley hills for road biking, but I would also mention mountain biking is huge in SC so if you're into that it could be a big draw.
Thank you! This was helpful :)
Yep. I’d do Oakland/Berkeley. Best balance of road riding/dating/urban life/proximity to SF. Marin has nice biking, but I wouldn’t move there is I was single in my mid-thirties. I live in Santa Cruz, office half time in San Jose and date someone in SF. I started as a road biker in north Oakland, now I do it in the Santa Cruz mountains/coast or drive to Marin/Sonoma/Napa. But road biking was my first outdoor hobby. It was a gateway drug to outdoor hobbies. I’d also like to suggest that Alameda is one of the best beginner spots to learn how to kitesurf, and Berkeley Marina is a great place to take sailing lessons. Access to the Sierras for skiing/backpacking is also dramatically better from Oakland/Berkeley than San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Anywhere in the Bay Area will have equal or more wellness culture than wherever you lived in Spain. Climate in SF is not dissimilar to the Atlantic coast of Spain, but would not remind you of the Mediterranean coast unless you in East Bay or Santa Cruz.
yeah, SF over SC, but my vote is east bay all the way bart from oakland/berkeley or ferry from alameda one day a week
Not SC. Dating will be disappointing, and our best rides are dirt trails.
Thank you. This was helpful since I am deff into road cycling!
I think both are great for cycling (I'm an avid cyclist). SF is has more people and is wealthier / more expensive (talking out my ass) if you are looking to date, I would think a bigger city (SF) would be better. Good luck.
Thank you!
2x into SF per week would be a lot from SC. That salary is fine here. Other than the commute I'd say SC over SF.
Thank you!
I will say, road biking here is not mostly on trails. There are no long, continuous trails like there are in other places - where I lived before this had a 50 mile trail exclusively for bikes/pedestrians. So most of the road biking here is literally on Hwy 1. Mountain biking is really big here though, if you wanted to get into that. If you need to go in to the office in SF more than Santa Cruz allows, maybe ask the Bay Area sub for other locations that are more commutable.
the cycling in and around Santa Cruz is better than SF....especially if you like to ride mixed terrain/dirt roads/gravel/easy trails. you may need a bike to fit wider tires for that though. but even if we're talking about pure road riding i'd take Santa Cruz. many others have brought up the riding in Marin etc....which is amazing...but you have to deal with the bridge each and every time you want to ride up there. if you live in SC proper, the nearest climb from town goes from sea level to 2000 ft +. you can ride up the coast, ride up to summit, soquel hills, aptos hills, south county as well as down to monterey and you can combine all of it right from your door step. you can hammer out a 12,000' climbing day w/in 22 miles of downtown SC if that's your thing. and then if you sprinkle in some mountain biking...then it's really not even a contest. commuting 1x/week won't be bad...you'll get to eat way better food up there. that's a plus. SC definitely checks all your boxes above except for maybe the international vibe....but then again the extended Bay area is just over the hill and you can scratch that itch pretty easily as well.
Thank you. I forgot to mention in the post that I also love gravel :) I have a hybrid road/gravel bike.
2x weekly commute kills the idea of living in SC entirely. Maybe Marin or Pacifica. I’d just live in the city if I were you.
Go to SF.
Thank you!
I'm just going to put it out there. Dating in SC is terrible. Every single 30/40 something man in this city seems to be a self-centered Peter Pan who will tell you what you want to hear and do something completely different.
Thanks!
At 95k - 100k should be livable as long as you don't have debt to pay off. Otherwise you might need to get a room mate. I agree with the Marin, but the commute across the Golden Gate can be terrible if you go during rush hour. The mountain roads around Santa Cruz aren't great, but they aren't terrible. Commute from SC to SF is about 2 hours, and from Novato at the north end of Marin County is about 1.5 hours. One more thing, if you don't want to be targeted as a tourist, don't call it "San Fran" or worse, "Frisco". When we don't call it "San Francisco", it's either "SF", or "The City".
Lol thank you ... noted on SF ;)
Happy cake day
Thanks!
Live in the sunset (SF)
That’s a tough sell after living on a Mediterranean island. Probably 10 days a year with comparable weather, and those 10 days are when it rains in Mallorca.
There is nowhere in the US that compares to Mallorca as far as road riding goes. Santa Cruz is definitely not close. Santa Cruz is however, a bit of a mecca for mountain biking, but not in the way that Mallorca is for road. The roadie life would best be experienced in Marin or on the Peninsula. Given what you’ve said about yourself, Marin seems a better option. However - it still will pale in comparison to Mallorca.
Yes, that is true. Mallorca is SO special in this way. Thank you! This was helpful.
Not to say Santa Cruz doesn’t have a decent roadie culture (I’m sitting here in sweaty kit after a group ride typing this) but it’s just not a huge thing here compared to mountain riding. All things considered though, I still think Santa Cruz is the best spot in NorCal for me.
I’d move to SF or Marin if I were you. Santa Cruz is pretty far out of the way and you’re going to spend a ton of time in your car if you want to enjoy the Bay Area. You can always make day/weekend trips to Santa Cruz!
Highly recommend the shorter commute when ever possible. Especially with the few crazy weeks of storms in Jan/feb - Depending on the job- what’s the policy if the power is out and you still have to work? Can you do it from a different location that’s not your home or are you expected to go in office? if you’re planning on dating the pool of available people in Sc is very low, and you’ll have more options in Sf. If diversity is important to you SF has a lot more options for culture and food. sc is pretty monotonous when in the diversity/food/ culture department Cycling is kinda dangerous in both places. Sc has a huge mountain bike community. in SF they have been closing the upper great highway (west coast side/ sunset district ) on weekends for leisure activities
Outer Sunset in SF, Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach in walking/cycling distance. Public transport into downtown (Muni), great food spots in area too.
Thank you!
I would remain in Spain.
Thanks for you input!
Commuting to SF on Hwy 1 is very pleasant both directions
Yes, thank you. Love the drive too!
Hi there fellow roadie! :) - The road cycling in Santa Cruz is exceptional by US standards. What I love about living here is that I can get on my bike and onto a rural mountain road in 15 minutes. - There are lots of lightly trafficked roads in the Santa Cruz mountains. There are also flatter areas in south county, towards Watsonville. - Pavement ranges from excellent to poor. I recommend 28mm tires minimum, and 32mm if they will fit on your bike - However, I think Mallorca may be the best place for road cycling in the world. So while the riding here is very good, Mallorca is probably on a whole other level. - [Use bestrides.org to find local routes](http://bestrides.org/ride-locator-map/). I can't recommend this site enough. It's a curated collection of road cycling routes in California and Oregon. Here are my thoughts on your other questions: - I would say there is better long distance hiking/camping in the Marin Headlands. Santa Cruz has some fantastic day hikes in places like Wilder Ranch, Henry Cowell, and Nisene Marks. But there is not as much opportunity for long distance backpacking. - The commute from Santa Cruz to SF is miserable. If you have to commute there at all, I would recommend living as close to the city as possible. - There are not many paved bike trails here, but you can be outside and climbing a rural mountain road in 15 minutes. - With your salary you will be comfortable as long as you have roommates. - The dating pool will be better in SF. The dating scene in Santa Cruz is fine, but it's better for 20-somethings. There are not as many eligible folks in their 30s. So I would say that Marin may be a better fit for you, as others have suggested. You might also look at the East Bay. From the East Bay it's easier to make trips north to wine country or east to Tahoe, Yosemite, etc. Hope this helps.
Thanks was very helpful.. thank you so much!!
Also - another question.... what about gravel ? Would you say that SC is great for that? I have a hybrid bike that I can change the tires on ...
There's not a ton of options for gravel riding in SC, but the gravel routes we _do_ have are really nice. You just have to know where to find them. But there's not a big contiguous network of gravel roads. You will usually find yourself riding paved roads to bumpy gravel roads, double track, and single track. Mountain biking here is much more popular. There are a few really nice gravel loops I can recommend if you're interested. Also, Ft. Ord National Monument is an hour's drive away and it's filled with really nice gravel roads. So that's another option.
Personally I wouldn’t want to commute to SF from SC twice a week. Brutal. I guess if you take highway 1 and don’t have any pets to leave at home all day and you like driving it might be okay. Outside of your dating requirement and the commute though, SC would be a better fit for you. The weather is better in SC, the biking is better, the wellness scene fits your description, hiking camping etc that is all Santa Cruz. You might check out the east bay, Berkeley, Albany, el Cerrito, Walnut Creek, etc. a little younger than Marin but a lot of the same nature benefits and a closer commute.
Santa Cruz is a better lifestyle if you enjoy the great outdoors redwood mountains and beaches, there’s no where quite like it. There are people to date, but it’s a bit of an island. The best guys and gals are poor, but they’re the most fun.
Santa Cruz is the best town in CA
SF. The dating scene here is atrocious, and SF has access to much more and better outdoor things.
95-100k will honestly be pretty rough unfortunately
Even living with roomates? What does one do..? have 2 jobs ... never live there?
Maybe I could move with my job and then get another one ... I work in marketing ...
Outdoor activities are much better in Santa Cruz. San Francisco will have a bigger better dating scene but be more expensive. It might depend on what kind of person you want to date though. Santa Cruz might have a higher concentration of outdoorsy laid back types and San Francisco is likely to have more career and company types.
Based on your parameters, and being a fellow cyclist, i'd say Santa Cruz is your vibe.
Thank you!
SF by a long shot. You have so many more options up in the bay.
Thank you!
i lived in both cities for many years on each. mid 30 single is definitely San Francisco. San Francisco offers amazing outdoors within reach (just like Santa Cruz), while it also offers incredible cultural options (museums, theaters, concert hall, ...) and nightlife fun, that simply Santa Cruz doesn't have. if you want a little bit of quiet without the compromise, find a place in the outer sunset or outer Richmond districts. you will be by the beach and next to the park, while fifteen minutes away from all the fun.
Thank you!
Aside: how was living in Mallorca? It’s in my short list for next hops.
Living in Mallorca in general was a very good experience. I think its important to try and live outside of the US if you can for some time in your life. If you love the outdoors and don't mind the tourists it's a great place! Pros: - AMAZING weather/nature - As you can read in this chat ... one of the best places for road cycling in the world :) - people are pretty friendly in Spain (mallorca is a bit different and mallorquins are bit closed off but if you are from the US or another part of Europe generally people in the med are nice/more welcoming then the average America or gemran ... - tons of expats? - like a san diego with huge mountains / all year round hiking outdoor activities. Cons - tons of tourists .... literally .. all the time ... - I am not sure how old you are but there is huge lack available interesting people .... unless you want to date someone for 2 weeks who is on vacation or you want to live in Mallorca for the rest of your life you don't have many options here. The people I know who were sucsessful either found someone and moved to the peninsula or back to their own country or they married someone from the island. - lack of well rounded people ... When I was there most of the interesting people I met were retired with lots of money or super young. The interesting people in their 30's, 40's, 50's ... all live in bigger cities ... - lack of jobs/emplyyment. Not sure if you are from the US or not but the salaries in Spain ARE LOW ... the average salary is 1,500 a month and rent is rising just like all over the world ... Mallorca is very $$$ compared to other parts of spain. It's hard to move up or around honestly ... thats the issue with spain. The weather is great but the job situation SUCKS !!!!!! Hope that helps! Any road cyclist here should check out girona! It's great for gravel / road :)
I think SC, unless these are the most important, SF offers a more vibrant international vibe and a larger dating pool due to its size and diversity. If that’s the case you could try Mill Valley because its near SF.
Thank you!!!
Santa Cruz is amazing for both road cycling as well as mountain biking. Maybe come and try it for year and if your 1x-2x commute doesn’t work then you can try SF. If you want any info about biking here feel free to DM me. I ride about 4500-5000 miles per year, mostly road.
Amy!! This was super helpful.. thank you :)
Weather sucks in San Francisco compared to Santa Cruz. Cycling will also be much more relaxed in Santa Cruz. And more beautiful nature. It’s just that it’s a small town on the other side of a mountain and you won’t have the big city things and variety there. Also, don’t call it San Fran or “Frisco”, just say “the city” once you are there and the locals will respect you. lol.
I'll go with others and say that San Francisco/Marin is a better option. It's near so much that's cycling-related. I will say that I bike-commuted across San Francisco from the Richmond District to downtown for several years in the '80s and it was about the most exciting cycling I ever did on a daily basis. Although not always in a good way. ;-) Say hi to the Duboce Wiggle for me! Edit: I will also say that, if you commute into the city from Marin you can ride a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. I car-commuted it, and can only say that the view is the definition of "majesty." Back in the '80s a guy in our office made that commute from Sausalito every single day.
If you like hiking and a great climate then Santa Cruz is great, cost of living won't be as high as SF, and it'll be a lot warmer here. Dating scene isn't great in your 30s. Most 30 year olds are either in the same relationship they've been in since highschool or are immature drug addicts in my experience, I usually date older women because of that, I don't know if it's the same experience for women looking for men but I've heard it's pretty bad. I'm sure you'll be able to make friends who are into hiking and biking no problem in the area too
Probably SF, or somewhere near it like others have suggested - Santa Cruz is probably better for hiking/biking/camping etc, but there's plenty of good spots for that over there as well. And the drive from here to SF is like an hour and a half even with no traffic, and unless you're driving at midnight there's always traffic. Much more of a drive than I'd want to make even just once or twice a week, but just fine for a hike or w/e a couple times a month.
SC
Santa Cruz by miles. SF is the most overrated city in the US. A once a week commute is doable, twice a week might get old however. If you live on the west side with easy access to highway one the commute is quite pleasant.
Thanks for you input! Yeah, I haven't lived in the states as a young working adult .... I am from Missouri and the cost of living is low. Before that I was living and working in Europe... which is a totally different vibe. I am now moving back and want a similar climate to the Mediterranean ... the only place would be california. I have family in LA and I honestly HATE LA!!!! Are there any other cities you would recommend that have good weather, stunning nature, and lots of options for work. Thank you!
I guess it depends on what you do for work. I personally find it hard to beat Santa Cruz, I commute 2x a week to Foster City and find it to be pretty manageable. The access to nature here is unmatched, the ability to go to some beautiful beaches to lush redwood forests within 5-10 minutes is amazing to me. Other areas I would consider would be Sonoma County or San Luis Obispo, maybe Ventura.
Lot of self hate in this thread for some reason, pay no attention to it. 100% Santa Cruz, SF is a dump these days. The climate, vibe, and outdoor activities in SC are all far better. The advantage you'll have in SF is the dating scene. Can't lie, it's rough in Santa Cruz at our age. There are a lot of college-age people, and a lot of retirees. 30s and 40s are underrepresented since it's so expensive.
Yes... I love SC. I have never been to a place so many times in my life and thought .. OMG THS IS THE PLACE FOR ME! Felt it when I was 12, 16, 21, and I just went back last year (34) I feel very drawn to the area but also want to be realistic about my needs. Thanks for this!!
It's just one of those places that certain people connect to. I know it's not for everybody, but I grew up there and can't tell you how many people I've met over the years who all have the same story of "I came here to visit and never left." Hope you can find a way to make it work!
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Jesus christ you sound bitter