The local atmosphere is definitely an incentive for choosing Santa Cruz over other UC schools. Here, the Pacific Ocean meets looming redwoods to provide one of the most beautiful campuses in the country—it is paradise for people who love the rustic outdoors. UCSC students participate in surfing, mountain biking, hiking, and many other recreational pursuits on a regular basis. On campus, students walk to class on trails and bridges through the woods, then break through to incredible ocean vistas along the perimeter of the campus. Besides the beauty and the outdoors, most people seem to like the mellow, laid-back Santa Cruz vibe. Downtown has a very liberal, hippie feel, and the feeling carries over to campus. Although the town is small, there are great places to eat, drink, and hang out. People are rarely bored in Santa Cruz due to the variety of activities, the crazy events, and eccentric people that clutter the downtown area.
Living here, you will run into a lot of social, environmental, and political activists who almost always lean to the left. Conservatives and conservative ideas are definitely the minority or aren’t visible at all. Along with being mellow, Santa Cruz is a very slow-moving town. People walk slow, drive slow, eat slow, speak slow, and only on rare occasions will you see anything resembling aggressive behavior. However, there is slight tension between students and locals because the overflow of students creates a demand for housing, as well as more traffic on the roads—and waves—to which local residents are otherwise not accustomed.