Around Santa Cruz ...

The largest community within a 50 mile [80 km] radius is San Jose. It is located about 25 miles [40 km] to the north of Santa Cruz. San Jose has a population of 1,014,000 people.<1>.

The next largest community is Salinas. It is located about 28 miles [ km] to the southeast of Santa Cruz and has a population of 155,000 people.

For comparison, Santa Cruz has a population of 64,300 people.

Below is a sample of neighboring communities based on their distance from Santa Cruz, with the nearest first.

• Pasatiempo
  (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasatiempo
  • Pasatiempo is located in Santa Cruz County
• Twin Lakes
  (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
  • Twin Lakes is located in Santa Cruz County
• Paradise Park
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Park
  • Paradise Park is located in Santa Cruz County
• Capitola
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitola
  • Capitola is located in Santa Cruz County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,959 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Capitola <2>
• Opal Cliffs
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opal Cliffs
  • Opal Cliffs is located in Santa Cruz County
• Soquel
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soquel
  • Soquel is located in Santa Cruz County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Soquel <2>
• Felton
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felton
  • Felton is located in Santa Cruz County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Felton <2>
• Mount Hermon
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hermon
  • Mount Hermon is located in Santa Cruz County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Hermon <2>
• Scotts Valley
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts Valley
  • Scotts Valley is located in Santa Cruz County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,995 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotts Valley <2>
• Continue List   (6 more) ...
  • Aptos
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptos
    • Aptos is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aptos <2>
  • Rio del Mar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio del Mar
    • Rio del Mar is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rio del Mar <2>
  • Zayante
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zayante
    • Zayante is located in Santa Cruz County
  • Ben Lomond
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Lomond
    • Ben Lomond is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Lomond <2>
  • Bonny Doon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonny Doon
    • Bonny Doon is located in Santa Cruz County
    • Bonny Doon has also been known as:
    • Bonnie Doon
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bonny Doon <2>
  • Lompico
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lompico
    • Lompico is located in Santa Cruz County

For more communities neighboring Santa Cruz, please visit our County-by-County Page for Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz County ...

Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz County<3> and is the County Seat.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Santa Cruz County: Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo & Santa Clara. The west boundary of the county is on the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay lies to the east.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Santa Cruz ...

It seems like there is always a nearby community with a name that seems interesting, maybe familiar or just catches our attention in some other way. We've collected some names which strike us as being curious or interesting. Our list can be found on the Tidbits & Trivia Page for Santa Cruz.

Airports Near Santa Cruz ...

When a trip includes a flight, we try to find an airport that best fits our travel plans.<4> To that purpose, we've assembled a list of that are relatively close to Santa Cruz and that information can be found on the Airports Page for Santa Cruz.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Santa Cruz ...

Looking for more information about Santa Cruz? A good source is the TripAdvisor website and we always start with their TripAdvisor page for Santa Cruz. Their page will give you an overview and then additional links that will help you to find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the TripAdvisor page for Santa Cruz, there are neighboring communities that also have TripAdvisor pages. A list of those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Santa Cruz.

Websites We Enjoy ...

When we're planning a trip, we like to check the following websites for sights, attractions and places to visit.

• For the State of California:
  • California Tourism
  • Parks for California
  • Fishing in California
  • Hunting in California
• TripAdvisor Links for:
  • California Statewide Tourism
  • Santa Cruz Tourism
  • Additional neighboring communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Santa Cruz
• Also of Interest:
  • National Park Service (NPS) sites in California
  • America's Byways - Scenic & Historic Roadways
  • RoadsideAmerica - Offbeat Tourist Attractions
  • Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
  • Only In Your State - Places to visit in Northern California
  • The Living New Deal - Sites in California

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Santa Cruz: www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/

The official website for Santa Cruz County: www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/