San Jose versus Santa Cruz — Pros and Cons
I am writing this post at Cafe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz, CA. Santa Cruz was my home for seven years while I pursued grad school at UC Santa Cruz. However, two years ago, my wife and I moved over the hill to San Jose (specifically, Campbell) in order to be closer to my workplace and because of the relatively more affordable rent prices. Now, surprisingly enough, we are considering moving back down to Santa Cruz.
With an impending (but unhurried) decision about whether to continue living in San Jose or to move back to Santa Cruz, I figured I would write up a quick list of pros and cons about San Jose versus Santa Cruz:
San Jose Pros:
San Jose is closer to my work than Santa Cruz (by about half an hour).
My good friend and cigar buddy, Mike, lives just a few blocks away.
Rent is more affordable in San Jose than in Santa Cruz (by about $400 or so).
Downtown Campbell has a very nice farmer's market on Sundays, which I frequently enjoy.
Campbell also has music in the park on Thursday summer nights, which has a quaint small-town feel (for a big city).
As a result of my recent jury duty service, I have made several new friends in the area, which has helped make San Jose feel more like home than it would otherwise.
San Jose Cons:
San Jose is extremely crowded (urban sprawl at its worst).
Traffic in San Jose is horrendous. It can take at least half an hour to get anywhere.
San Jose gets hot, muggy, and smoggy in the summertime.
Grocery stores are crowded and unfriendly in San Jose.
There is very little nature or wilderness in San Jose.
We seldom get out to do things around town (dinners, walks, movies, and so on), which is good for the pocketbook but too isolating for me.
Santa Cruz Pros:
Living by the ocean; enough said!
Santa Cruz has more temperate weather than San Jose.
Quirkier, more unpretentious people on the street
Santa Cruz has a much better selection of restaurants and shops.
Santa Cruz is significantly less crowded than San Jose; it is quiet enough to hear yourself think.
It is easier to have a healthy and balanced lifestyle in Santa Cruz (nature, health awareness, spas, an so on).
Santa Cruz has cleaner air; in San Jose I am being poisoned one breath at a time.
Generally I was happier living in Santa Cruz than I have been in San Jose; the importance of this cannot be overstated!
Santa Cruz Cons:
Sometimes the Santa Cruz local mindset is just too much to handle.
Moving to Santa Cruz entails that I must commute to work over Highway 17 (that is, a deathtrap) three days per week. My commute would be at least an hour each way.
With gas prices so high, the commute could also be costly.
Santa Cruz is farther from my hometown (Vacaville), and from my family and friends who still live there.
Santa Cruz is much more expensive (probably $400 per month more in rent). It would probably be much more difficult to purchase a home in Santa Cruz.
The choice between Santa Cruz and San Jose seems to break down into a fundamental choice between comfort and convenience, between really living and merely subsisting, between nature and steel/concrete. For too long I have sacrificed quality of life for convenience, so it is time to get back to living in a place where I can be myself and have a good time. (Spoken like a true existentialist!)
So what do you think? San Jose or Santa Cruz? For what reasons (financial, lifestyle, climate, and so on)? What would you do?
