Back Santa Cruz, Kalifornië Afrikaans سانتا كروز (كاليفورنيا) Arabic سانتا كروز (كاليفورنيا) ARZ سانتا کروز، کالیفورنیا AZB Санта-Круз (Калифорния) Bashkir County Santa Cruz, California BAN Санта-Круз (Каліфорнія) Byelorussian Санта Крус (Калифорния) Bulgarian Santa Cruz (Califòrnia) Catalan Санта-Крус (Калифорни) CE

Santa Cruz, California

For the island in the Channel Islands of California, see Santa Cruz Island. For other uses, see Santa Cruz (disambiguation).

Santa Cruz
City
City of Santa Cruz
View of downtown Santa Cruz
View of downtown Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz replica
Mission Santa Cruz replica
Santa Cruz coastline
Santa Cruz coastline
The historic post office
The historic post office
Downtown Santa Cruz
Downtown Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Official seal of Santa Cruz
Seal
Official logo of Santa Cruz
Logo
Nickname: 
Surf City[1]
Map
Map
Map
Map
Coordinates: 36°58′19″N 122°1′35″W / 36.97194°N 122.02639°W / 36.97194; -122.02639
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountySanta Cruz
MissionSeptember 25, 1791[2]
IncorporatedMarch 31, 1866[3]
CharteredApril 1876[4]
Government
 • TypeCouncil/Manager[4]
 • MayorSonja Brunner[5]
 • State senatorJohn Laird (D)[6]
 • AssemblymemberRobert Rivas (D)[6]
 • U. S. Rep.Jimmy Panetta (D)[7]
Area
[8]
 • City15.83 sq mi (41.00 km2)
 • Land12.74 sq mi (33.00 km2)
 • Water3.09 sq mi (8.00 km2)  19.51%
 • Urban
58.4 sq mi (151.1 km2)
 • Metro
607 sq mi (1,570 km2)
Elevation
[9]
36 ft (11 m)
Population
 (2020)[10]
 • City62,956
 • Estimate 
(2022)[11]
64,075
 • Density4,000/sq mi (1,500/km2)
 • Urban
[12]
163,703
 • Metro
[13]
262,382
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes[14]
95060–95067
Area code831
FIPS code06-69112
GNIS feature IDs1659596, 2411820
Websitecityofsantacruz.com

Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956.[10] Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a popular tourist destination, owing to its beaches, surf culture, and historic landmarks.

Santa Cruz was founded by the Spanish in 1791, when Fermín de Lasuén established Mission Santa Cruz. Soon after, a settlement grew up near the mission called Branciforte, which came to be known across Alta California for its lawlessness. With the Mexican secularization of the Californian missions in 1833, the former mission was divided and granted as rancho grants. Following the American Conquest of California and the admission of California as a U. S. state in 1850, Santa Cruz was incorporated as a town in 1866, and became a charter city in 1876. The completion of the South Pacific Coast Railroad in 1880 and the creation of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in 1904 solidified the city's status as a seaside resort community, while the establishment of the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1965 made Santa Cruz a college town.

  1. ^ Steve Marble (June 16, 2009). "The real Surf City? It's Santa Cruz, says magazine". Los Angeles Times. L.A. Now blog. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  2. ^ Yenne, Bill (2004). The Missions of California. Thunder Bay Press, San Diego, California. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-59223-319-9.
  3. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on February 21, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "A Guide to Your City Government". City of Santa Cruz. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "Mayor Sonja Brunner". City of Santa Cruz. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  7. ^ "California's 19th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  8. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  9. ^ "Santa Cruz". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  10. ^ a b "US Census Bureau 2020 QuickFacts: Santa Cruz, CA".
  11. ^ "May 2022 Population Estimates Press Release". May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  12. ^ "Census Urban Area List" (PDF). California Department of Finance. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  13. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  14. ^ "ZIP Code(tm) Lookup". United States Postal Service. Retrieved December 1, 2014.

Developed by StudentB