Featured Santa Cruz California
Real Estate Agent

Gregg Camp

Phone: 831-464-4423
Broker: David Lyng Real Estate

The west side of Santa Cruz has a different feel and character than the east side. It has the most homes with architectural character for one and the weather is different too. There are some lovely homes downtown and then more on King Street, the old main thoroughfare. The nearby streets have many have many older styles, including Spanish, Craftsman, and Victorian.Many of these older Victorians date from the early 1900's. The west side is generally split along Mission Drive, also known as Highway 1, as upper west side, and lower west side Santa Cruz.

On the lower west side there are some older homes of character, but unfortunately not as many. This was the area that used to be planted in the early 1900’s.The area had a lot of real estate development in the 50's and 60's, and unfortunately many of the homes were not homes of character, but rather efficiency of cost. This lower west side area is all flat, generally resting about 20 feet above sea level.

The lower west side is home to West Cliff Drive with its meandering path along the ocean. West Cliff drive is a popular tourist drive, as one gets a beautiful view of the waves and the Monterey Bay. This mile long stretch of road has ocean fronting homes starting from the Santa Cruz wharf all the way to Natural Bridges State Park. As you wind along this serpentine vista and see some gorgeous ocean view homes, with the ocean on your left, you start to think I wished I lived here. As you continue along you see the famed surf spot known as Steamers Lane, the world class surf spot. This area is favored by many for recreational surfing, jogging along the path, and painters capturing the light on the crashing waves. While the west side is a bit windier, it has a lot of cultural activities too.

With the University of Santa Cruz providing fertile young minds, the vibe of Santa Cruz will always stay young, interesting and challenging. There are a variety of musical genre’s and theater as well. Our local symphony has a good local following as does our local jazz scene as evidenced by the longevity of Kuumbwa Jazz Center. The west side is the place to be for a lot of good and interesting reasons. To see some of the property in Santa Cruz, follow the link. Visit my West Side Santa Cruz website.